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…
Steve Davis Meets Hank Jones, Vol. 1 on Smoke Sessions Records.
(Photo: Courtesy Smoke Sessions)Smoke Sessions Records has expanded its growing list of vinyl offerings. In addition to the mammoth five-LP box of guitarist Peter Bernstein (see Boxed Sets article), the label has recently released three other vinyl gems.
Steve Davis
Steve Davis Meets Hank Jones, Vol. 1
When trombonist Steve Davis met pianist Hank Jones with bassist Peter Washington in June of 2008, the recording was never released. Well, here it is now on vinyl, an intimate trio date where the elder statesmen and the younger generation beautifully glide through the American Songbook.
Eddie Henderson
Witness To History
The trumpet icon celebrates the 50th anniversary of his debut recording with a new set that features pianist George Cables, saxophonist Donald Harrison, bassist Gerald Cannon and drummers Lenny White and Mike Clark. At the age of 83, Henderson uses the opportunity to look back at his prodigious career and tip his hat to a documentary about his life that’s coming out in 2024. This is being offered as a limited pressing of 500 pieces, so get ‘em while they’re hot!
Hays Street Hart
Bridges
This trio of Kevin Hays on piano, Ben Street on bass and Billy Hart on drums came together in December 2020 as a performance in honor of drummer Hart’s 80th birthday. The venue: New York’s Smoke Jazz & Supper Club; the time: smack dab in the middle of the pandemic. So, it was streamed with no audience, but became the trio’s 2021 debut, All Things Are. Spin ahead two years and the group regrouped for a second, and that recording is now available on vinyl. The trio melds styles, generations and times to deliver music for now.
Click here to read this article in the December 2023 issue.
Check out all of DownBeat’s Holiday Gift Guide here! 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…
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,…
