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John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
The Gilmore in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is broadcasting a recent concert by pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Marcus Gilmore.
(Photo: Mark Bugnaski)Dr. Pierre van der Westhuizen, executive and artistic director of The Gilmore in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has announced the premiere video release of a recent concert by three Grammy-winning jazz artists: pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Performed before a sold-out audience at The Gilmore on April 13, 2025, the powerhouse trio shared the stage for an 80-minute set stocked with Mehldau originals and cover tunes. The premiere video will be broadcast on Tuesday, July 8, on Christian McBride’s YouTube channel, and will remain available in perpetuity.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Marcus Gilmore to bring their new trio to audiences worldwide, to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said van der Westhuizen. “This exclusive video captures rare live footage of the talented threesome’s Michigan debut.”
Mehldau has vastly extended and refined the piano trio’s possibilities over the last quarter century. One of the most lyrical voices of contemporary jazz piano, his path embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism and pop allure.
McBride is a nine-time Grammy winner who is regarded as the foremost jazz bassist in the 21st century and an innovative composer and bandleader. He heads ensembles including Inside Straight and The Christian McBride Big Band. His skills encompass straight-ahead, experimental and free-leaning jazz; funk, soul, Latin, hip hop, and rhythm and blues.
Gilmore, grandson of iconic drummer Roy Haynes, can be heard on the soundtrack for the film Soul. He premiered his first orchestral composition with members of the Cape Town Philharmonic in 2020. He has worked with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Robert Glasper, Vijay Iyer, Derrick Hodge, Jill Scott, Norah Jones, Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove and Terrace Martin. 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…
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