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…
Brad Mehldau (left) and Joshua Redman will release Nearness, their first album as a duo on Sept. 9.
(Photo: Courtesy of Nonesuch Records)On Sept. 9, saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau will release Nearness, a selection of duets recorded live during their recent European tour. The album, available on Nonesuch, will be the first duo recording by the two musicians, who collaborated together in ensembles throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, including on Redman’s 1994 album, Moodswing (Waner Bros.), and Mehldau’s 2010 disc, Highway Rider (Nonesuch).
Redman and Mehldau had reunited earlier in the decade to play on each other’s records. “It’s like one of those friendships where you don’t see someone for a long stretch and then you fall right back where you left off,” Mehldau said.
Despite several years of not collaborating frequently, each artist stayed busy with various projects, including some noteworthy albums for Nonesuch. Redman has recorded several albums on the label as both a leader and sideman. The most recent of which is 2015’s The Bad Plus Joshua Redman, his highly acclaimed quartet album with members of The Bad Plus.
Mehldau has appeared on numerous Nonesuch releases, in many different groups and collaborations, including Mehliana: Taming The Dragon (a collaboration between Mehldau and drummer Mark Guiliana) and the recently released Blues And Ballads, recorded with his trio (bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard).
Redman and Mehldau will tour together during late September and early October, with shows planned for New York City, California and the Midwest. The album is available for pre-order now at iTunes and nonesuch.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…
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
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In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
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They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
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Jazz camps have exploded around the globe as a summertime tradition for working on your chops and making new friends.…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.
Mar 2, 2026 9:48 PM
The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the 2026 DC JazzFest have been announced. This year’s headliners…
