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…
Nonprofit SFJAZZ is adding four Wayne Shorter tribute concerts to its Fridays at Five streaming series.
(Photo: Robert Ascroft)The Bay Area nonprofit organization SFJAZZ is aiming to lend assistance to Wayne Shorter with a series of livestreaming events.
Offering viewers four Shorter tribute concerts recorded last year at the SFJAZZ Center, the nonprofit aims to raise money to fund the saxophonist’s “ongoing medical needs.” The recordings come as part of the group’s Fridays at Five series, as SFJAZZ has worked to provide music to homebound audiences while the coronavirus pandemic limits possibilities for live performances. It also has created a new revenue stream for the organization.
The first installment of the Wayne Shorter Celebration is set for 5 p.m. PST May 19, and will feature performances by Kamasi Washington, Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade. A second stream, slated for June 26, is set to include Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and others. Subsequent events are planned for July 31 and Aug. 28 with performances by Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman and others.
Access to the videos requires a $5 digital membership. And for the Shorter series, a digital tip jar has been set up to generate funds that will go directly toward paying the saxophonist’s medical expenses.
Additional information about the series can be found here. DB
Updated June 25
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…
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…
“These days, with curated news, where people only get half the story, people can’t even speak to family members anymore,” Schneider laments.
Mar 10, 2026 1:43 PM
Maria Schneider is doing her part to try to fix what ails America. Which got her thinking about crows, specifically,…
