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…
Dan Tepfer (left) and Aaron Diehl perform at the Greenwich House Music School in New York on April 27.
(Photo: Peter M. Parella)Individually, pianists Aaron Diehl and Dan Tepfer are among the most sought after young musicians in jazz today, widely heralded for their dexterity in execution and quickness of intellect. Those of you wondering what they might sound like together can wonder no more. The pair presented a concert of duo piano at The Greenwich House Music School in New York City on April 27, creating sparks in the process.
The performance was held as part of Uncharted, a concert series featuring New York-based artists premiering new projects or meeting with new collaborators for the first time on stage.
Dan Tepfer (Photo: Peter M. Parrella)
The one-of-a-kind collaboration explored the common ground between two pianists from opposite ends of the jazz spectrum. Diehl is a connoisseur of the early jazz piano tradition, while Paris-born Tepfer dwells regularly in the avant-garde. The premiere presentation was first performed for the Catskill Jazz Factory at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, and celebrated the spirit of artistic collaboration with a riveting blend of J.S. Bach and the Great American Songbook, from Cole Porter Fellows Tepfer and Diehl.
Aaron Diehl (Photo: Peter M. Parrella)
The pair’s unflinching simpatico was on full display during a nearly 9-minute performance of “Billie’s Bounce,” which listeners can stream below.
The Uncharted series comes to a conclusion May 11 at 8 p.m. with Chris Washburne’s Rags and Roots Album Release Celebration. For more information , click 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.
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