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 8th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, also known as the SASSY awards, is accepting submissions through Sept. 9.
The competition, which is part of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival, is open to vocalists 16 years old and up, who are not signed to a major label, according to a press release from the event. To enter, submit three songs to the competition’s website.
Five finalists will be announced on Oct. 15, who then will perform for a panel of judges, which includes Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Jane Monheit, Gary Walker and Matt Pierson, on Nov. 24.
The grand-prize winner will take home $5,000.
Past winners of the competition include Cyrille Aimée, Laurin Talese, Jazzmeia Horn, Quina Lynell and Arianna Neikrug. DB
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.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
Feb 19, 2026 10:39 AM
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…
Blindfold Test proctor Ted Panken, left, with the Grammy-winning Nicole Zuraitis.
Feb 24, 2026 12:00 PM
After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
