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…
Pianist Sam Barsh, best-known for his work as a sideman for Avishai Cohen, Zach Brock and the Coffee Achievers, released I Forgot What You Taught Me on Feb. 12 on Razdaz Recordz, the five-year-old label founded by bassist Avishai Cohen and his manager, Ray Jefford.
The album features Barsh on piano, keyboards and melodica, Tim Collins on vibes, Ari Folman-Cohen on bass and Jaimeo Brown on drums. The CD’s 13 selections were all composed by Barsh, with the exception of “George Dub,” which was written by the entire band.
“I have a lot of musical interests, and many of them get fulfilled by the sideman gigs that I do, so I wanted my band to showcase me in my own element,” Barsh said. “I decided on all the members of the band because I had played sessions with all of them where we just started playing without calling any tunes or charts and the vibe was so strong. These cats can lose themselves and understand the nuances of consistent groove and ambient playing as well as soloing.”
I Forgot What You Taught Me is the first of three releases that Razdaz will release in the coming months. On March 25, guitarist and oudist Amos Hoffman will release Evolution, his debut for the label, and on May 6 Cohen will follow up his 2007 live recording, As Is …. Live At The Blue Note with Gently Disturbed.
More info: razdazrecordz.com
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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