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…
Sonic Portraits Entertainment, a new independent label producing recordings in various jazz-oriented genres, will debut this month with its first release and performances at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, May 26–28.
The label, founded by Robert Irving III and Terri Lyne Carrington, calls itself artist-friendly because it was founded on the proposition that the most interesting recordings will be made when they are artist-directed.
Each project will be artist-directed in order to support the artists’ vision and concept and enable the artist to attain a standard of excellence beyond the expected industry standard.
The label’s first release is Irving’s New Momentum. Irving, a keyboardist, is accompanied on the album by Buster Williams and Marlene Rosenberg on bass, and Yusef Ernie Adams on drums.
Carrington will perform at the Atlanta Jazz Festival May 26.
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…
“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,…
Each of the 25 JAMs has delivered a poster featuring a jazz legend that is sent out to schools across the nation. This year’s poster features Tony Bennett.
Mar 30, 2026 10:20 PM
Every April for the past quarter century, something remarkable has happened across the United States and far beyond.…
