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…
Jazz Appreciation Month kicked off in Washington, D.C., Monday with piano great Ramsey Lewis taking center stage during the festivities.
Lewis called for a renewed commitment for jazz education in the schools as a bridge for ensuring future generations of players and audiences before he made a donation of archival materials from his career to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The items included photographs, publicity materials, news clippings and awards such as his 2007 designation as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.
As part of the festivities, the pianist then sat down for a conversation with guitarist Larry Coryell about their careers. John Hasse, curator of American Music at the Smithsonian, and David Baker discussed “Jazz On The Nile,” a recent tour of Egypt by the Smithsonian Jazz Materworks Orchestra. And, harmonica virtuoso Frédéric Yonnet’s trio performed to an enthusiastic audience.
“Jazz is a truly American style of music that has played an important role in our heritage,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. “Through the Smithsonian’s Jazz Appreciation Month activities, we will highlight jazz and its history and how the genre has an important function in global diplomacy.”
Jazz appreciation Month began in 2001 as the brainchild of Hasse as a way to elevate the image of Jazz to wide audiences in the United States. Since that time, the celebration has blossomed into events in all 50 states and 33 nations around the globe.
More info: smithsonianjazz.org
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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