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…
From Nov. 1-5, Chicago will burst with improvised music as the second annual Umbrella Festival features local improvising musicians as well as artists from all around the globe. The event will culminate on Nov. 5 at the Chicago Cultural Center with a series of concerts under the banner “European Jazz Meets Chicago.” The festival is presented by Umbrella Music, a group of Chicago-based musicians and presenters who are working together to provide concert opportunities for creative and improvising musicians.
Concerts take place at venues such as Elastic, the Hideout, Velvet Lounge and Hungry Brain. Artists scheduled to perform include Peter Evans, Cor Fuhler/Jim Baker Duo, Frequency, Mat Maneri/Randy Peterson Duo, Loose Assembly, Jeb Bishop, Sabir Mateen, Dave Rempis, Rudi Mahall, Ari Brown, Gianluca Petrella, Axel Dorner, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Wolfgang Seligo, Eric Boeren and Irene Schweitzer.
For more information about the festival, visit umbrellamusic.org/2007fest.html.
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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