Fred Hersch

More than a dozen leading jazz artists have joined forces for a concert benefiting the presidential campaign of Joe Biden.

Jazz For America, streaming on Oct. 15, will feature guitarist John Scofield; singer Jazzmeia Horn; saxophonists Joe Lovano, Ravi Coltrane, Melissa Aldana and Miguel Zenón; and bassists John Patitucci and Christian McBride, among others. Its virtual cohosts will be Dee Dee Bridgewater, the vocalist and NEA Jazz Master, and Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer also known as the husband of Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris.  

Twelve years ago, we came perilously close to losing Fred Hersch. The acclaimed pianist and composer, who has been living with HIV since the mid-1980s, fell gravely ill: at one point he was put in a medically induced coma for two months.  

Along with some duo magic from Esperanza Spalding and Fred Hersch, and a ray of sunshine from Matt Wilson.

Plus a taste of Michael Olatuja’s new album, featuring Regina Carter.

Like the rest of us, Fred Hersch has had his social life upended in recent weeks.

So his ongoing series of digital singles, Fred Hersch & Friends, might seem a bit like dispatches from a distant land. Still, because it chronicles Hersch’s longstanding penchant for musical duets, the series can be understood as a tribute to the essential human connection that binds us, even now.

The 61st Annual Grammy Awards are this Sunday, Feb. 10. 

And ever since the nominees were announced a couple of months ago, there has been talk of upsets and other surprises — especially in the Album of the Year category, which has expanded from five to eight artists, making predictions that much more of a sucker's game.  

The Jazz Journalists Association announced the results of its jazz awards today, with winners including tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, drummer Matt Wilson and composer-arranger Maria Schneider. 

Nominations for the 60th Grammy Awards were announced this morning. Here are the nominees in the Jazz field. Pianists Billy Childs and Fred Hersch are each multiple nominees, in the album and solo categories. So is saxophonist Chris Potter. Stay tuned to WBGO and wbgo.org for more commentary about the awards.