Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
The American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Mo., will unveil a new exhibit on June 29 in its Changing Gallery entitled “Portraits As Jazz,” which features portraits of jazz legends like Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane by artist Martel Chapman.
Inspired the music, Chapman translates the sounds of jazz into depictions of Monk, Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and others.
“Jazz opened up a new world for me,” Chapman said. “Hearing Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane offered me a new perspective. These pieces reflect my understanding of jazz and pay respect to the creators of the music.”
“Chapman’s work is absolutely stunning,” said Demetria Jones, the museum’s director of collections and exhibitions. “It’s a spectacular visual embodiment of the American Jazz Museum’s mission to celebrate and exhibit the experience of jazz.”
“Portraits as Jazz” will be open through Sept. 17.
For more information, visit: www.portraitsasjazz.com; www.americanjazzmuseum.org
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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