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…
Malachi Thompson and his Freebop Band will celebrate their 25th anniversary at Chicago’s Green Mill jazz club on Aug. 27 and 28.
In 1978, the trumpeter migrated to New York from Chicago and formed the first version of the Freebop Band.
Thompson defines “freebop” as the experimentation and harmonic freedom of avant-garde jazz combined with various forms of traditional bebop, conjoined with elements of swing and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
Over the years Thompson and the Freebop band have toured and performed throughout the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean and Africa. The group recently received a grant from Chamber Music America to fund new compositions for their 25th year.
For more information about the anniversary performances, contact the Green Mill at (773) 878-5552.
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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