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 hot new video game right now is Grand Theft Auto IV. It has sold more than 6 million copies and made $500 million in sales in its first week.
Perhaps jazz was part of the reason behind the success of the game? The new game has a special feature to enhance play: 16 in-game radio stations featuring a wide variety of musical choices—rock, electronic and classic jazz. And who better to talk up these classic tunes by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker—than the living link between all of the greats—83-year-old jazz legend Roy Haynes?
Haynes makes a guest appearance on Grand Theft Auto IV as the DJ of JNR 108.5 - “Jazz Nation Radio,” a station that plays classic jazz ‘sides’ such as Chet Baker’s “Let’s Get Lost” and Haynes’ own “Snap Crackle.”
“I travel all over the world performing this music, connecting with the audiences,” Haynes said. “But this is an opportunity to connect with a different audience, in a different way.
“Jazz has always been about personal expression, but it’s also about communication. This is an excellent opportunity to communicate this music to millions of young people, so I have been really excited about it!”
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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