Daisy Castro performs tonight at Strathmore in her final performance as an artist in residence there. Courtesy Daisy Castro

by Ken Avis
CapitalBop contributor

At the age of six, Daisy Castro fell in love with the music of the guitarist Django Reinhardt and the violinist Stephan Grappelli during a visit to France. Their music had startled the world some 70 years ago, merging the influence of American jazz of the ‘30’s with the bal musette sound of Paris. The music – swinging from melancholic to exuberant ­– continues to enrapture a growing number of fans around the world; it’s played at an ever-increasing number of Djangofests, bringing together musicians of all ages and cultures.

Seven years later, at the age of 13, Castro returned to play her own version of this jazz manouche at Festival Django Reinhardt, the legendary annual gathering in Samois sur Seine, France that is part music festival and part pilgrimage to the village where Django spent his final years. Castro’s elegant violin playing, loping but precise and preternaturally tuned in to the Gypsy jazz tradition, has taken her to such legendary venues as New York’s Birdland, D.C.’s Blues Alley and Birchmere, and others. She’s performed with the stars of Gypsy jazz: Stephane Wrembel, Stochelo Rosenberg, Hot Club of Detroit, to name a few.

Now 16, Castro tonight will complete her year as one of the Strathmore’s artists in residence, with the last of her series of concerts at the Strathmore Mansion. She played with Swing Guitars DC at a standing-room-only show at the Mansion earlier this month; guitarists Marek Wojcik and Kevin Doran and bassist Jay Miles provided flawless accompaniment, bringing the Strathmore audience to its feet. They will be back together on May 22, when the band will play music from her new CD, Déviation – and no, it’s not even her first! I caught up with Castro after her recent Strathmore show.

 
(It bears mentioning that, for going on 10 years now, the Strathmore’s Artist in Residence program has provided performance, collaboration and education opportunities for some of the D.C. area’s talented younger musicians in a multi-genre, supportive environment. Managed by Betty Scott, the program has jazz alumni that include such talents as the vocalist Lena Seikaly, the harmonica player Frederic Yonnet and the drummer Kush Abadey.)

CapitalBop: Tell us how your musical career emerged; how did you become so visible in the Gypsy jazz world and get to collaborate with so many respected names?

Daisy Castro: I actually kind of stumbled in to the Gypsy jazz scene when I attended Festival Django Reinhardt in 2010. I had always liked the music, but had little experience with improvisation, and had not played with any true players of the style. When faced with players of the caliber of those that were playing on the island where the festival is held, I had to rise to the occasion. It was a happy accident, really.

I’ve done a lot of traveling to play music since, headlining a couple of tours of the New England states and some local mini-tours….

CB: What has the Strathmore Artist in Residence series meant for you?

DC: The Strathmore Artist in Residence program has been enlightening in so many ways. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with very talented artists in genres that I may not have explored otherwise, and I’ve learned a lot about the business side of music at the many professional development workshops.

CB: Tell us about the new CD, something many of us have been waiting to hear.

DC: My new CD, Déviation, was recorded over three days in November 2012, at Signature Sounds Studio in Pomfret, Conn. Gonzalo Bergara, Jeff Radaich, and Brian Netzley came out from California to work with me. The session could not have been better. We pretty much learned and arranged a song, recorded a couple of takes live in the studio, then moved on to the next one. That way, none of us had time to get tired of playing any of the songs, and everything came out fresher-sounding.

CB: What’s next for Daisy Castro?

DC: May 22 is my final performance as an artist in residence at the Strathmore. It is also my D.C.-area CD release event! We’ll play songs from the new album, as well as a Strathmore-commissioned piece called “Insomnia.” It will also include collaborations with each of my fellow artists in residence, and my program mentor, Rickie Simpkins. Hopefully there will be more music, travel and great experiences. I don’t really have a grand plan, I just take life as it comes and go with it.

–

Daisy Castro performs at the Strathmore Mansion at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. More info is available here. The show is sold out.

Castro is currently running a Pledge Music campaign to allay the costs of the recording.

Click to visit the Kickstarter fundraising campaign page

by Giovanni Russonello & Luke Stewart
Editorial board

As you might already know, next month CapitalBop will present the biggest shows in our history. The goal is to show all of D.C. how alive and contemporary the global jazz scene is today, and to do it in ways that are simply a lot of fun. At the third annual D.C. Jazz Loft Series at the DC Jazz Festival, we’ll be putting on three shows, and working with some stellar local visual artists (as well as national ones), DJs, chefs, and others to make them more than concerts — they’ll be immersive experiences, with the spontaneity of jazz as their compass.

But we can’t make it all happen without your support. So we’re asking that you to take a look at our newly launched Kickstarter campaign, and think about backing us up. If you donate, you’ll be able to choose from a wide range of awards — and, honestly, the prizes that we and our artists are offering are out of sight. ERIMAJ has contributed some signed, very limited-edition 45″ vinyl. Other D.C. Jazz Loft Series performers are offering you personal music lessons (they can be intense theory workouts or simple music-appreciation sessions, depending on your level). We’ve got beautiful posters that all the festival headliners will be signing. We’re giving personal guided tours of U Street, focusing on the 100-year history of its jazz scene. You could even win airtime on WPFW-FM, DJing and talking to listeners. And all donors who give $20 or more will win tickets to the series, along with their other rewards.

 
The performers at the series are simply the most exciting and illustrious we’ve ever presented. They’ll range from the rising stars Karriem Riggins and ERIMAJ — who both blend the insistent pulse of hip-hop with jazz improvising — to the legendary Peter Brötzmann, a German saxophonist who has spent almost five decades paving the path that avant-garde jazz musicians now walk.

We’re already getting some nice attention from the press for this year’s series. The Washington City Paper’s Michael J. West wrote in last week’s Summer Entertainment Guide: “CapitalBop’s 2011 entry into DCJF signaled outreach to the newer, younger, hipper District, and the offerings have only deepened since,” adding that “CapitalBop’s D.C. Jazz Loft bring[s] cutting-edge, often up-and-coming artists into the fold.”

With your help, we’re ready to take this next big step in our work to make sure jazz stays part of D.C.’s artistic boom.

The up-and-coming bassist and producer Gizmo performs at Bohemian Caverns on Friday and Saturday. Courtesy gizmosound.com

by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

The Kennedy Center is overflowing with great jazz programming on Friday and Saturday — most of it part of the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. Yesterday we published an in-depth profile of Nicole Mitchell, the questing flutist who plays at the center on Saturday; as you’ll see below, she isn’t the only boldly experimental musician being highlighted this year at the 18th annual festival. At Bohemian Caverns, the young bassist and producer Gizmo will play in D.C. for the first time, showing off his modern, alchemical impulse. Two great trumpeters are also playing club gigs this weekend: straight-ahead swinger Kenny Rittenhouse is at Twins Jazz, and the famous Arturo Sandoval has a weekend-long run at Blues Alley.

There’s info on all those shows and many more in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz.” As always, you can find our full listings at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar. Our favorites have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, MAY 17

cb picks:

• Branford Marsalis Quartet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz, 7 p.m.
• Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, 7 p.m.
• Arturo Sandoval, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Kenny Rittenhouse Septet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Gizmo, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Mavis Waters, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | What began as an experiment over a decade ago continues today as one of Washington’s greatest weekly traditions: Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “Jazz Night.” Every Friday night, the house of God becomes a hub for fish frying, communing and jamming on straight-ahead jazz. This week, the soulful singer Mavis Waters shows off her formidable pipes, and leads a sextet. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Branford Marsalis Quartet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 7 p.m. | To celebrate the official grand opening of the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club – which began operations in March – Branford Marsalis brings his superb quartet. The eldest of four famous musician brothers, Marsalis is one of the most important saxophonists of this era. The influences of great improvisers from the 1950s and ’60s run strong – Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane and Joe Henderson – but his interests are diffuse. Over the course of the 1980s, Marsalis recorded and performed with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, toured with Sting, and took a saxophone solo on Public Enemy’s famous “Fight the Power.” Nowadays, the saxophonist sticks rather dogmatically to straight-ahead jazz, but continues to chase various strands of expressionism. His working quartet features the melodic pianist Joey Calderazzo, the earthy bassist Eric Revis and the whirlwind of a young drummer Justin Faulkner, a young sensation who is not to be missed. $175 ticket includes admission, three-course meal, wine, tax, handling and gratuity. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz website

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | Commanding vocalist Karen Gray sings laid-back renditions of jazz standards in a drumless trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Potomac Jazz Project, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its lineup rotates. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

L’Tanya Mari Trio, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Singer L’Tanya Mari is influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, singing jazz with depth and soulful warmth. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, 7 p.m. | The young bassist Helen Sung grabs you with the sheer brawn of her playing, and the melodic pulsation of her original compositions. On night two of the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, she leads off a bill that also includes Tillery, a vocal jazz group that includes three young singers aiming for a synthesis of jazz, Appalachian folk, Brazilian and country music: Rebecca Martin, Becca Stevens and Gretchen Parlato. The fearlessly inventive violinist and MacArthur Fellowship Award winner Regina Carter will finish off the evening, leading her group Reverse Thread. Tickets $38. View event on calendar | Kennedy Center website

Kenny Rittenhouse Septet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Kenny Rittenhouse was a mainstay on the D.C. jazz scene throughout much of the 1990s, playing at venues such as the One Step Down and Twins Lounge. The respected trumpeter has a tone that ranges from mellow to punchy, and has played with the U.S. Army Band and the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra. Rittenhouse now teaches at George Mason University and doesn’t perform out as relentlessly as he used to. When he does, he prefers to work in expanded-combo settings; he appears here with a top-notch septet of local musicians. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Arturo Sandoval, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Arturo Sandoval is a spirited and technically stunning trumpet player, who played for a while in the 1970s with the legendary Afro-Cuban ensemble Irakere before moving on to a rewarding solo career. Sandoval is renowned for his velocity and precision in the upper register, and his ability to treat ballads with well-timed tenderness. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $43 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Sara Jones Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Sara Jones sings jazz standards sweetly; her top-notch band here includes Chris Grasso on piano, Tommy Cecil on bass and Lenny Robinson on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

Gizmo, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Gizmo – a Boston-based vocalist, bassist and producer – is the latest name in a bumper crop of young artists who are aggressively pulling jazz out of its traditional habitat and forcing it into the grooving universe of alternative hip-hop and R&B. But his latest album, “Red Balloon,” shows a truly catholic breadth of interests – from Afro-Cuban music to electronic ambience. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $18 cover in advance, $22 at the door, no minimum.. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Antonio Parker, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is swinging and soulful, colored by a bright, aggressive tone. He casually sprinkles neo-soul and R&B influences into his otherwise straight-ahead bop, and his improvisation shows a redolence of Kenny Garrett. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Friday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Alfredo Mojica, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Alfredo Mojica, who sang at Bossa for years with the group Sin Miedo, unites salsa, jazz and Latin American balladry. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

Aaron Myers, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Vocalist Aaron Myers leads a straight-ahead jazz quartet, featuring piano, bass and drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

SATURDAY, MAY 18

cb picks:

• Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, 7 p.m.
• Arturo Sandoval, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Kenny Rittenhouse Septet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Atlas Performing Arts Center, 8 p.m.
• Gizmo, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Charles Woods, Johnny’s Half Shell, 6 p.m. | Saxophonist Charles Woods plays and has recorded in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig at Johnny’s Half Shell he keeps things within the traditional bop realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Johnny’s Half Shell website

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Quintet, Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, 6 p.m. | The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, one of the District’s most reliable emissaries of the traditional jazz repertoire, performs here in a slimmed-down quintet form, in conjunction with the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. Free. View event on calendar | Millenium Stage website

Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, 7 p.m. | The three-day Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival finishes with fireworks this evening. First off, Nicole Mitchell, the winner of the DownBeat critics’ poll, leads her heftily swinging, darkly experimental quartet, Ice Crystal. The winner of the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, Cecile McLorin Salvant, will then showcase her cleanly virtuosic voice – redolent of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan – over a repertoire of primarily jazz standards. Then the master drummer Cindy Blackman-Santana closes out the night with her powerful, experimental fusion band Explorations. Tickets $38. View event on calendar | Kennedy Center website

Mark Mosley Trio, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Baltimore guitarist Mark Mosley plays a slick hand as a smooth jazz guitarist, but he can also hunker down on serious bop. He performs laid-back straight-ahead here with his trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Full Ascent, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | This jazz band plays in a number of traditional styles, from hard-bop to Dixieland to calypso. No cover, 1-drink minimum.. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Kenny Rittenhouse Septet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Kenny Rittenhouse was a mainstay on the D.C. jazz scene throughout much of the 1990s, playing at venues such as the One Step Down and Twins Lounge. The respected trumpeter has a tone that ranges from mellow to punchy, and has played with the U.S. Army Band and the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra. Rittenhouse now teaches at George Mason University and doesn’t perform out as relentlessly as he used to. When he does, he prefers to work in expanded-combo settings; he appears here with a top-notch septet of local musicians. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Arturo Sandoval, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Arturo Sandoval is a spirited and technically stunning trumpet player, who played for a while in the 1970s with the legendary Afro-Cuban ensemble Irakere before moving on to a rewarding solo career. Sandoval is renowned for his velocity and precision in the upper register, and his ability to treat ballads with well-timed tenderness. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $43 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Akua Allrich Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba are two strong influences that bubble up in Akua Allrich’s Afrobeat- and jazz-infused music. The Howard University graduate, who composes many of her own tunes, is a strong and effervescent singer who wields a signature sense of earthbound optimism. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Atlas Performing Arts Center, 8 p.m. | Darcy James Argue and his 18-piece big band, Secret Society, have received widespread acclaim since the 2009 release of their debut album, Infernal Machines. The group’s music, influenced by science fiction’s steampunk subgenre, can writhe with rhythmic tension or soar over corpulent rock beats. Lush but mysteriously pensive horn arrangements interlace with distorted electric guitars to create a halting collage. It all added up to send the band’s LP to a Grammy nomination. Tickets $25, $15 for students, no minimum. View event on calendar | Atlas website

Gizmo, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Gizmo – a Boston-based vocalist, bassist and producer – is the latest name in a bumper crop of young artists who are aggressively pulling jazz out of its traditional habitat and forcing it into the grooving universe of alternative hip-hop and R&B. But his latest album, “Red Balloon,” shows a truly catholic breadth of interests – from Afro-Cuban music to electronic ambience. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $18 cover in advance, $22 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Cubista, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Cubista is a salsa band that plays at Bossa every Saturday. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

AJ Parham, HR-57, 9 p.m. | AJ Parham is a smooth, deep-voiced vocalist who sings R&B with inflections of jazz. But on the bandstand at HR-57, where he’s long been a stalwart performer, Parham often tries his hand at jazz standards. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Lyrical bassist Steve Synk, a music major at the University of Maryland, leads a young trio that explores music ranging from standards to originals, groove-based contemporary jazz to swinging bop. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

SUNDAY, MAY 19

cb picks:

• Arturo Sandoval, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Ron Kearns Quintet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club, 7:30 p.m.

 
Gospel Brunch, The Hamilton, 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Every Sunday morning, the Hamilton presents two sets of rafters-raising gospel, along with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Two separate shows at 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Hamilton website

TBA, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana website

Harlem Gospel Choir, Howard Theatre, 12 p.m. | The talented Harlem Gospel Choir, which has been active since 1986, performs a Sunday brunch show every week at the Howard Theatre. Either an all-you-can-eat buffet or an a la carte menu are available. Doors open at noon, and the music starts at 1:30 p.m. Tickets vary ($35 for all-you-can-eat or $20 for admission and a la carte options in advance, $45 or $30 at the door). View event on calendar | Howard website

Todd Simon, Kellari Taverna, 12 p.m. | The sturdy and swinging pianist Todd Simon performs every Sunday in a duo setting; his accompanists vary from bass to guitar to saxophone, depending on the week. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Kellari Taverna website

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

D.C. Jazz Jam, Dahlak, 6 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Dahlak profile

Potomac Jazz Project, Laporta’s, 6:30 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its rotating lineup often features some of D.C.’s best musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Laporta’s website

Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Jazz Direct, Zoo Bar Café, 7:30 p.m.| This combo specializes in traditional New Orleans-style jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Zoo Bar website

Ron Kearns Quintet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club, 7:30 p.m. | The saxophonist Ron Kearns is a robust, skillful swinger. Here he plays a combination of standards and originals with a band including Michael Thomas on trumpet and flugel horn, Larry Brown on piano, Kent Miller on bass and Greg Holloway on drums. $20 cover, $15 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz website

Arturo Sandoval, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Arturo Sandoval is a spirited and technically stunning trumpet player, who played for a while in the 1970s with the legendary Afro-Cuban ensemble Irakere before moving on to a rewarding solo career. Sandoval is renowned for his velocity and precision in the upper register, and his ability to treat ballads with well-timed tenderness. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $43 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” no cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile 

Nicole Mitchell brings her risk-taking quartet, Ice Crystal, to the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival this weekend. Courtesy Graffiti Photographic/flickr

by Luke Stewart
Editorial board

For jazz musicians, the goal that constantly renews itself is to reach the highest level of musicianship. That means possessing more than virtuosic technicality: You have to couple it with joyful, innovative creativity. In her most recent group, Ice Crystal, the master flutist Nicole Mitchell is simply having fun. There is no overarching message or particular harmonic challenge. No pointed display of instrumental wizardry. The music is earnest, and the musicians have developed unique approaches. With this formula, honest music made by honest musicians, the resulting sound is depth by default.

For an artist as prolific as Mitchell, stripping down the instrumentation for an ensemble is a pleasure. “Because I do some writing for orchestra or large, through-composed pieces, just writing for a jazz quartet, which is how I started, is very relaxing to me,” she told me in a recent interview.

Ice Crystal – which performs on Saturday at the Kennedy Center in the culmination of the three-day-long Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival – revolves around Mitchell’s mutinous interplay with the vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz. Frequent comparisons have been made to the equally deep collaborations between the avant-garde reedist Eric Dolphy and the vibes player Bobby Hutcherson; it must be noted that they too were simply writing tunes that explored the relationship between the flute’s windy flow and the bubbling pulse of the vibes. It doesn’t matter whether they played “Out to Lunch” or “Out of Nowhere.” The same innovation was present. The key is in the textures and feelings the musicians share amidst the creation of a sequence of compelling moments. It is the relationship the collaborators have in their ability to support and propel each other.

The band

The most important aspect of being a bandleader is, of course, selecting the individual members of the group. Each player brings her or his own voice, adding to the ensemble’s sound and distinction. Mitchell briefly introduced and described the members of Ice Crystal, and how she came into contact with them.

“For a very long time, I was desiring to do some work with vibraphone, but it took a while to meet and hear the right person. I was invited to be a member of Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra back in 2005, and that was one of the first times I played with Jason Adasiewicz. Musically we clicked right away. He has been getting a lot of attention recently for his work because he has such a unique approach,” she said.

“Josh Abrams [Ice Crystal’s bassist] is probably one of the longest-running members of my Black Earth Ensemble,” Mitchell added. “He’s got this beautiful, warm sound on the bass, and a great sensibility rhythmically. I didn’t really have any other thoughts about a bass player, actually.”

 
Not so with the search for a percussionist, though. “It took a while to find the right sound in terms of a drummer. Josh Abrams has a quartet with Jason Adasiewicz, David Boykins and Frank Rosaly, and we did a double bill a few years back. We decided to share musicians, so I had Frank on that performance with me for Ice Crystal. It was the perfect combination of chemistry, both sonically and personally. That quartet just really clicked. Frank Rosaly to me is a very sensitive and classy drummer, so it was a pleasant combination.”

‘Scary’ avant-garde jazz

Nicole Mitchell is perhaps one of the most iconic figures in the current North American avant-garde jazz community. With over two decades of experience in Chicago – arguably the hub of avant-garde music in the United States ­– she brings to bear an important perspective on the aesthetic challenges presented by the music. She has been one of the few in this realm to be able to make her unabashedly adventurous music relatable to a wide audience. To Mitchell, the only scary things about the music are the labels placed upon it.

 
“I think words are more scary than the music itself. I think people create labels. For example, I’m labeled as an ‘avant-garde artist’ and as a ‘creative musician’ and as an ‘AACM musician.’ Those terms give an expectation to some people that it might be abstract, or there might not be a melody, or they might not be able to understand what it is. These are words that create the expectation. If you actually listen to the music, I believe that when people actually get in the seat and hear it, its really not that inaccessible,” she said.

“I’ve met many people who may have heard about this idea of ‘creative music’ or ‘avant-garde jazz.’ When they come and hear me doing it, they feel that they can relate. I know each individual musician is different in terms of their approach, but for me, I like to bridge the familiar with the unknown. I have a wide span of interests, and I’m embracing all those things, so I’m not pushing anything away by saying, ‘I don’t do this,’ or ‘I don’t do that.’ I enjoy all these possibilities and all the ways that we can combine them and discover new ways of navigating them. I’ll have a very melodic approach in free jazz, or I’ll take you out to the outskirts for a few minutes and bring you back to something that is more familiar to people. I think that music is music.”

Back to the West Coast

It is very interesting that as an important member of Chicago’s heralded Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Nicole Mitchell has found herself back in Southern California. In returning in 2011 to the greater Los Angeles area, where she had spent much of her childhood, Mitchell began a process of reconnecting and re-linking separate movements in the Black Arts Movement. In the 1960s, as Muhal Richard Abrams and his Experimental Ensemble were fomenting the beginnings of the AACM, pianist Horace Tapscott was developing his own Pan Afrikan Peoples’ Arkestra, which was birthed from the Black creative music collective known as the Union of God’s Musicians and Artists Ascension, or UGMAA. Mitchell has not yet formally worked with the Arkestra, but has performed with Dwight Trible and other musicians who are members.

As a former president of the AACM, she has an intimate knowledge of running a creative music organization – balancing its mission and activities with the ability to be effective as a business and an institution. For her, the connection between Chicago, L.A. and beyond is evident in their similar musical constructs and their similar political philosophies. Most of all, it is something that is sorely needed – especially today.

She explains: “I think it’s important that these organizations and these groups and ideas continue, because I still feel there is a need for them. [In L.A.,] I am happy to be so close to something so connected to what was a home base for me with the AACM in Chicago. There is this wonderful legacy here. Now I am able to connect and play with musicians who have parallel histories to what I’ve experienced. I still think that there is a lot more work to be done, and there is a lot of potential that these organizations have to provide to future generations. We are not in the ’60s anymore, and there are some things that are very different in our time, so it is a challenge for these organizations to find out what ways they should change and what ways they should stay the same.”

While the AACM and UGMAA are different in many organizational ways, the philosophy is similar – both Black artist-run organizations developing original music, while presenting and producing performances without the aid of the major music industry. With every activity, self-determination is the method and the goal. In the course of these organizations’ development, specific locales became closely associated with the music. In Chicago, it was the South Side, at a club called the Velvet Lounge, owned and operated by the saxophonist Fred Anderson. (Sadly, both the venue and its founder have passed.) In L.A., it was at a venue in Leimert Park called the World Stage, co-founded by the drummer Billy Higgins. It is no surprise that when Nicole had the opportunity to perform at the World Stage, it felt like a homecoming. It was, she said, like being back at the Velvet.

Finally coming to D.C.

With the appointment of Jason Moran as artistic director of the Kennedy Center, the respected performing arts center has already taken on a more challenging and engaging stance in its programming. Moran has activated a trend of delving deeper into the current jazz community to reach artists like Anthony Braxton and Nicole Mitchell, giving them due opportunity to present their world-renowned music in their own country’s most respected cultural institution.

“I have always wanted to play at the Kennedy Center, and have always wanted to play in D.C.,” Mitchell said, hardly able to contain her excitement. “The fact that I have never played here speaks to a bigger question. People talk about the jazz musicians back in the day, about how they got more work in Europe. That’s basically been my life too. Most of my work has been presented in Europe. Of course I’ve had a lot of opportunity in Chicago, but not so much in terms of touring the U.S.”

She added, “A lot of artists that I know, this is the case for them as well. So to have the opportunity to come to D.C. is a big deal to me. I did come to D.C. once for a residency at Howard University with the flute students. To actually be in the city, and be part of the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival specifically, that’s a huge honor to me. I’m very thankful and excited, and hope that people come out.”

Among the other adventurous artists on this years’ Mary Lou Williams festival roster is the fellow AACM pianist Amina Claudine Myers. For us here in the District, we ought to hope that their appearances might mark the beginning of a trend toward presenting more adventurous, free-thinking music in this city. And who says they won’t fit in here? After all, Mitchell recently wrote a song dedicated to the first lady Michelle Obama. You can listen to it streaming above, or on Mitchell’s SoundCloud page.

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Nicole Mitchell’s Ice Crystal performs at the Kennedy Center on Saturday as part of the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. More information on all three nights of the festival is available here, and tickets can be purchased here.

Tineke Postma performs on Thursday, the opening night of the 18th annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. Courtesy Tineke Postma

by Ken Avis
CapitalBop contributor

The Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Series – an overstuffed, three-night sampling of female jazz talent – opens on Thursday with a concert featuring the Dutch saxophonist and composer Tineke Postma. Her latest CD, 2011’s Dawn of Light, has been receiving rave reviews internationally, bringing further accolades to a professional performing career that began in 2003.

With Holland’s prestigious Edison Award under her belt for Dawn of Light (which features Esperanza Spalding), Postma has been declared a “rising star” in the Downbeat Magazine poll, both in the soprano and alto sax categories. She was featured on last year’s Grammy-winning Mosaic CD by Terri Lyne Carrington and London’s Evening Standard referred to Postma as “one of the leading ladies of jazz,” for her innovative, melodic, free-floating sound. More recently, she performed last month alongside Wayne Shorter on the 2013 International Jazz Day stage.

For the Kennedy Center appearance Postma will be joined by Marc van Roon on piano, Martin Vink on drums and Clemens van der Feen on bass. Speaking by phone from Seattle, Postma answered a few questions about the forthcoming performance and her blossoming career.

Canção de Amor (Suite I Na Floresta do Amazonas), Tineke Postma Quartet

CapitalBop: You’ve been touring throughout Europe and the United States recently. Will this be your first visit to play in Washington, D.C.?

Tineke Postma: This will be my third time at the Kennedy Center. My first show would have been [in 2002] as part of the Sisters in Jazz. I returned again to the Kennedy Center around 2005 with Nancy Williams and Dianne Reeves. I haven’t played the club venues in D.C. yet, though of course I’d love to come back some day.

Things seem to really have picked up for me in the last few years, since about 2007; the schedule is quite busy and exciting at the moment.

CB: How would you characterize your composition style? Who have been your main influences over the years?

TP: I approach performance as a musical dialogue. Each musician in the quartet knows that, at any moment, any member can look for a different theme, or direction or color. The music can always change and be different. We all need to be “in the moment.” This collective improvisation approach is inspired, particularly, by Wayne Shorter’s work. I’m also inspired by all the legendary saxophonists, [John] Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, as well as Shorter…. Really, so many influences.

CB: Do you hear a difference between European and U.S. jazz?

TP: To the extent that there’s a difference between jazz in Europe and the U.S., I think each brings its contribution. Of course we have the classical tradition in Europe. I find when I play with U.S. musicians “groove” is more prominent and key to the sound but the collaboration works either way – it’s complementary.

CB: For your latest CD, Dawn of Light, what was the process behind that recording?

TP: The quartet has been together for around five years. We wanted to very much represent our sound on this album. I had been working on compositions for the recording. I bring my compositions as a kind of sketchpad of ideas. They are really a starting point on which to improvise and build. Every time we play the music comes out different depending on the mood. We spent two days at a beautiful studio in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of nature, in Germany. A great environment to be creative!

I had worked with Esperanza Spalding previously at Carnegie Hall and on a few other gigs. She was kind enough to add her part, which was done at a studio in New York.

CB: What’s next for you musically?

TP: I’m planning a new recording in September. The lineup is yet to be confirmed. Also, a second recording is in mind, which could include working with a Dutch orchestra and Chamber Music ensemble.

–

The Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Series at the Kennedy Center runs Thursday through Saturday, with shows starting at 7 p.m. Thursday night’s concert features the Tineke Postma Quartet along with the Amina Claudine Myers Trio, Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton. More information on all three nights is available here, and tickets are can be purchased here. 

Joe Lovano performs with Jim Hall at Blues Alley this weekend. Courtesy El Humilde Fotero del Pánico/flickr

by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

The combustive calm of JD Allen’s tenor sound is a marvel — and you can hear it at Bohemian Caverns this Friday and Saturday, when he performs with his trio. But that would mean turning down the opportunity to hear Joe Lovano — another regal tenor player — at Blues Alley, where he’s joined by the legendary guitarist Jim Hall. It would also probably mean passing up the chance to hear one of the D.C. area’s great tenor men, Jeff Antoniuk, who plays this weekend at Twins Jazz. So many options, just one weekend. Add to that the D.C. Jazz Loft on Sunday, which is sure to be a thrill, and you’ve got one bumper weekend for the local jazz scene. There’s info on all those shows and many more in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz.” As always, you can find our full listings at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar. Our favorites have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, MAY 10

cb picks:

• Jim Hall & Joe Lovano, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Mars 4-tet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• JD Allen Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Pepe Gonzalez, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | What began as an experiment over a decade ago continues today as one of Washington’s greatest weekly traditions: Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “Jazz Night.” Every Friday night, the house of God becomes a hub for fish frying, communing and jamming on straight-ahead jazz. This week the skilled bassist and educator Pepe Gonzalez leads a group. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Boonsboro High School Big Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, 6 p.m. | The Boonsboro High School Big Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble hails from northwestern Maryland. Free. View event on calendar | Millenium Stage website

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | Commanding vocalist Karen Gray sings laid-back renditions of jazz standards in a drumless trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Yamomanem, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Yamomanem Jazz Band plays a faithful take on New Orleans jazz, conjuring the days of King Oliver and early Louis Armstrong with its lush brass section. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Jacqui Simmons & Friends, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Jacqui Simmons sings jazz standards with a heartfelt and elegant presentation. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Mars 4-tet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The tenor saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk plays straight-ahead jazz with his sights on what lies just past the horizon. His tone is broad and self-sufficient, full with jazz’s mid-’60s tautness. In the Mars 4-tet he joins a strong team: bassist Max Murray, guitarist Donato Soveiro and drummer Frank Russo. Two separate sets at 8 & 10. $18 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Jim Hall & Joe Lovano, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | It’s hard to find a tenor saxophone player with more gravitas and intuition than Joe Lovano. Tracing long arcs in a tone that’s both hefty and feather-soft, Lovano has been exploring jazz’s main instrument of protagonism for over three decades. Here he joins a legendary figure from an earlier generation: the guitarist Jim Hall, whose elegant flights made him a preferred sideman for everyone from Bill Evans to Sonny Rollins, and who has enjoyed a flourishing career as a leader since the 1950s. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $42.50 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Todd Googins Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Todd Googins calls himself a “vocal design” artist, meaning he offers voiceovers, jingles and vocal production services. At this show, he’ll be singing standards in front of a jazz combo, but who knows – holler loud enough for the theme from the latest Midas commercial and you just might get it. Careful what you wish for. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

JD Allen Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The stellar tenor saxophonist JD Allen has more than an air of certainty – his whole premise seems to be a drive to erase all doubt, all fear, all strain from the process of struggle that defines improvising. That’s an impossible aim, of course, and that’s the point. His furrowed and forceful new record, “Grace,” is his first in 10 years to include a piano, but this weekend at the Caverns he returns to his usual trio format; his steely, full-bore tone is more than enough to fill the space left in the chordal instrument’s empty footprint. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10 :30 p.m. Cover $20 online, $25 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

ELEW, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, the pianist Eric Lewis had stints in the early-2000s with Wynton Marsalis and the late Elvin Jones, but recently coined a new moniker, ELEW, and even his own new genre, rockjazz. Indeed, he’s the only one playing it. Rockjazz is essentially a way of reworking pop tunes for the solo piano, with special attention to keeping all their grandeur, and volume, intact. There’s very little jazz involved. But when he gets in front of an attentive audience, Lewis does intersperse a great deal more traditional jazz (it’s a good thing – he can play as few can). No matter how you feel about rockjazz, it’s sure to be a rollicking ride. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Friday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Alfredo Mojica, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Alfredo Mojica, who sang at Bossa for years with the group Sin Miedo, unites salsa, jazz and Latin American balladry. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

CaShandra J, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | CaShandra J sings jazz standards and originals with a combo. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

SATURDAY, MAY 11

cb picks:

• Jim Hall & Joe Lovano, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Mars 4-tet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Luciana Souza Duo, Atlas PAC, 8 p.m.
• JD Allen Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Charles Woods, Johnny’s Half Shell, 6 p.m. | Saxophonist Charles Woods plays and has recorded in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig at Johnny’s Half Shell he keeps things within the traditional bop realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Johnny’s Half Shell website

Mark Mosley Trio, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Baltimore guitarist Mark Mosley plays a slick hand as a smooth jazz guitarist, but he can also hunker down on serious bop. He performs laid-back straight-ahead here with his trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Triple Double Jazz Band, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Consisting of Joey Whitney on tenor sax, Ed Gallagher on guitar, Alan Pachter on bass and Tom Reed on drums, the Triple Double Jazz Band plays straightforward, straight-ahead versions of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Mars 4-tet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The tenor saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk plays straight-ahead jazz with his sights on what lies just past the horizon. His tone is broad and self-sufficient, full with jazz’s mid-’60s tautness. In the Mars 4-tet he joins a strong team: bassist Max Murray, guitarist Donato Soveiro and drummer Frank Russo. Two separate sets at 8 & 10. $18 cover, $10 minimum.. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Jim Hall & Joe Lovano, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | It’s hard to find a tenor saxophone player with more gravitas and intuition than Joe Lovano. Tracing long arcs in a tone that’s both hefty and feather-soft, Lovano has been exploring jazz’s main instrument of protagonism for over three decades. Here he joins a legendary figure from an earlier generation: the guitarist Jim Hall, whose elegant flights made him a preferred sideman for everyone from Bill Evans to Sonny Rollins, and who has enjoyed a flourishing career as a leader since the 1950s. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $42.50 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Luciana Souza Duo, Atlas Performing Arts Center, 8 p.m. | The Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza has garnered attention with her fresh sound, providing an entirely new listening experience built from familiar songs. She is deeply connected to her Brazilian roots, clearly comfortable in exploring the soothing, traditional sounds of bossa nova, samba and other styles. She has collaborated with legends such as Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and Bobby McFerrin, and is a Grammy Award winner herself. Growing up in an artistically creative household, Souza has been recording music practically all her life, beginning as a young child recording jingles and soundtracks for a local radio station. Today she is one of the world’s most well respected vocalists, and she still has a long career ahead of her. The show will be followed by an interview of Souza by CapitalBop’s Luke Stewart and Giovanni Russonello. Tickets $25, $15 for students, no minimum. [words by Luke Stewart] View event on calendar | Atlas website

Lena Seikaly Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Lena Seikaly sings jazz standards with a confident and playful demeanor, displaying a haziness reminiscent of Esperanza Spalding, but also nodding to traditional greats. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

JD Allen Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The stellar tenor saxophonist JD Allen has more than an air of certainty – his whole premise seems to be a drive to erase all doubt, all fear, all strain from the process of struggle that defines improvising. That’s an impossible aim, of course, and that’s the point. His furrowed and forceful new record, “Grace,” is his first in 10 years to include a piano, but this weekend at the Caverns he returns to his usual trio format; his steely, full-bore tone is more than enough to fill the space left in the chordal instrument’s empty footprint. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10 :30 p.m. Cover $20 online, $25 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Cubista, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Cubista is a salsa band that plays at Bossa every Saturday. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

ELEW, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, the pianist Eric Lewis had stints in the early-2000s with Wynton Marsalis and the late Elvin Jones, but recently coined a new moniker, ELEW, and even his own new genre, rockjazz. Indeed, he’s the only one playing it. Rockjazz is essentially a way of reworking pop tunes for the solo piano, with special attention to keeping all their grandeur, and volume, intact. There’s very little jazz involved. But when he gets in front of an attentive audience, Lewis does intersperse a great deal more traditional jazz (it’s a good thing – he can play as few can). No matter how you feel about rockjazz, it’s sure to be a rollicking ride. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

David Schulman, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Violinist and effects pedal whiz David Schulman performs his avant-leaning jazz here with Eddie Eatmon, a bass player. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Lyrical bassist Steve Synk, a music major at the University of Maryland, leads a young trio that explores music ranging from standards to originals, groove-based contemporary jazz to swinging bop. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

SUNDAY, MAY 5

cb picks:

• D.C. Jazz Loft, Chez Billy, 8 p.m.

 
Gospel Brunch, The Hamilton, 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Every Sunday morning, the Hamilton presents two sets of rafters-raising gospel, along with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Two separate shows at 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Hamilton website

TBA, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana website

Janine Gilbert-Carter Quartet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club, 3 p.m. | The vocalist Janine Gilbert-Carter has a fulsome set of pipes, which she employs with masterful finesse and delicateness. She often sings gospel, but she’s just as at ease doing straight-ahead jazz. Here she appears in a special Mother’s Day brunch show. $40 cover, $15 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz website

Harlem Gospel Choir, Howard Theatre, 12 p.m. | The talented Harlem Gospel Choir, which has been active since 1986, performs a Sunday brunch show every week at the Howard Theatre. Either an all-you-can-eat buffet or an a la carte menu are available. Doors open at noon, and the music starts at 1:30 p.m. Tickets vary ($35 for all-you-can-eat or $20 for admission and a la carte options in advance, $45 or $30 at the door). View event on calendar | Howard website

Todd Simon, Kellari Taverna, 12 p.m. | The sturdy and swinging pianist Todd Simon performs every Sunday in a duo setting; his accompanists vary from bass to guitar to saxophone, depending on the week. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Kellari Taverna website

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

D.C. Jazz Jam, Dahlak, 6 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Dahlak profile

Potomac Jazz Project, Laporta’s, 6:30 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its rotating lineup often features some of D.C.’s best musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Laporta’s website

Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Jazz Direct, Zoo Bar Café, 7:30 p.m.| This combo specializes in traditional New Orleans-style jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Zoo Bar website

Paul Carr Quintet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club, 7:30 p.m. | The local straight-ahead saxophone eminence Paul Carr recently released an excellent new CD, Standard Domain. The record features a quintet of nationally renowned musicians, the sensitive pianist Bruce Barth among them. At this gig, Carr performs mostly with local musicians, but Barth is also on the bill. $20 cover, $15 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz website

D.C. Jazz Loft, Chez Billy, 8 p.m. | CapitalBop has lined up three awe-inspiring acts for this month’s loft, all of them from different corners of the local jazz scene. The tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed and the trumpeter Griff Kaz are both young musicians gaining attention for their pens as well as their improvising, and Antonio Parker is a beloved alto saxophonist who’s been holding it down and tearing it up on the D.C. scene for many years. All three will bring bands to the loft. $15 suggested donation, no minimum. View event on calendar | Union Arts website

Jim Hall & Joe Lovano, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | It’s hard to find a tenor saxophone player with more gravitas and intuition than Joe Lovano. Tracing long arcs in a tone that’s both hefty and feather-soft, Lovano has been exploring jazz’s main instrument of protagonism for over three decades. Here he joins a legendary figure from an earlier generation: the guitarist Jim Hall, whose elegant flights made him a preferred sideman for everyone from Bill Evans to Sonny Rollins, and who has enjoyed a flourishing career as a leader since the 1950s. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $42.50 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Tuesday Project, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The Tuesday Project is a band that formed at a local adult education masterclasses program. A septet, the band focuses on Afro-Latin and Brazilian styles. Two separate sets at 8 & 10. $18 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” no cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile 

Click for hi-res version.

by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

We’re in the midst of ramping up for the D.C. Jazz Loft Series at the DC Jazz Festival next month. If you haven’t checked out the lineup yet, it’s our best ever — take a look at capitalbop.com/dcjazzloft. The best way to get in the mindset, though, is to come out this Sunday, when we’ll be presenting the monthly D.C. Jazz Loft at Chez Billy. We’ve got three awe-inspiring acts, all from different corners of the local scene. Two are young musicians gaining attention for their pens as well as their improvising, and one is a beloved saxophonist who’s been holding it down and tearing it up on the D.C. scene for many years.

First, we’ll hear from the young trumpeter Griff Kaz, who hasn’t yet graduated from the University of Maryland but is already turning heads around the city; he writes sophisticated, melodious tunes and arranges them for four horns. He’ll play at the loft in a lush, sextet setting. After Kaz, the excellent alto saxophonist Antonio Parker — the house musician at HR-57 — will play his grooving tunes with a trio. And finally, to close out the evening, the redoubtable young saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed will bring a new project of his, the East Coast Collective.

 
This month, we’re starting things one hour later than usual — at 8 p.m. But as is typical, the loft will be donation-based (we suggest $15), with all money going straight into the artists’ pockets. You’ll be able to buy drinks at the bar, and Chez Billy’s excellent French culinary offerings will be available. See you this Sunday!

ELIJAH JAMAL BALBED

with the East Coast Collective

The tenor and soprano saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed, who was last month’s artist in residence at Bohemian Caverns, is among D.C.’s brightest rising stars. He has a hard-driving, sparely metallic sound that’s redolent of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins — but he refracts their lessons through the Young Lions of the 1990s, and speaks in the lingua franca of present-day post-bop. His tunes are tight, dynamic and catchy; one of the pieces from his debut record, which was on CapitalBop’s best-of list last year, made him a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, along with stars Gregory Porter and René Marie. Here he performs with a new group, the East Coast Collective, featuring three other strong young musicians from around the Mid-Atlantic region: Mark Meadows on piano, Alex Claffy on bass and Kevin Daly on drums.

ANTONIO PARKER TRIO

Antonio Parker is a swinging and soulful alto saxophonist, his playing colored by a bright, aggressive tone. He casually sprinkles neo-soul and R&B influences into what at first blush seems like straight-ahead jazz, and his solos show the influence of Kenny Garrett. Parker is a regular performer at HR-57, where he plays almost every weekend with his quartet. At the loft, he will play with a stripped-down trio.

GRIFF KAZ

with the 7 Septet

The young trumpeter Griff Kaz has all the makings of a much older player: a mature compositional sense that easily balances swing and classic song form with a bristling, modern urgency; the ability to organize and arrange for a large ensemble; and patiently devastating chops. Here he performs a collection of his compositions with a group he calls the 7 Septet — mostly precocious young musicians who go to the University of Maryland with Kaz: Nathan Reising on alto saxophone, Steve Synk on bass, Elijah Jamal Balbed on tenor and soprano saxophones, Reginald Cyntje on trombone, Mark Meadows on piano, Steve Synk on bass and Ele Rubenstein on drums.

Kenny Garrett performs this weekend at Blues Alley. Courtesy kennygarrett.com

by Luke Stewart
Editorial board

As far as jazz music goes, the status of living master couldn’t be more apparent in any musician than it is in Kenny Garrett. The 53-year-old saxophonist has reached the echelon of his mentors: Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones. For the most recent generation of saxophonists, he is almost as influential as Charlie Parker. The role of a jazz master is a tenuous one, however. There is no retirement in music. If an artist is able to live to experience their success, they can’t simply give up on their work. Exploration continues. Virtuosity gets pushed further.

Garrett is an artist who continues to develop his unique voice, moving beyond the state of mastery as he continues to tour with his working band (which regularly featuring at least two members with roots in the DMV).

 
CapitalBop got a chance to speak with Kenny Garrett ahead of his performances this weekend at Blues Alley. We are also giving away two tickets to his Sunday-night show

CapitalBop: Firstly, it seems that you love D.C. musicians! What is it about musicians from this area that you gravitate toward?

Kenny Garrett: I don’t really think about where they’re from so much, as what they can offer to the band. It just happens to work out that way, that there have been a lot of musicians from the D.C./Baltimore area who have been playing in the band. I don’t think about where they’re from…. For the musicians who actually play with me, [bassist] Cororan Holt, who will be with me this weekend, I actually met him at Blues Alley when he was still in school. I remember seeing him and asking if he knew my music. Through mutual friends, his name kept showing up, and he ended up playing in the band. [Drummer] McClenty Hunter is another one who is from the Baltimore area and went to Howard University. Kinda the same thing: came through some mutual friends. Actually the first time he heard the band was also at Blues Alley.

CB: In your career, you have achieved the level of mastery which very few reach. Do you consider yourself in that light?

KG: There was a legendary saxophonist by the name of Johnny Griffin who told me one day that when I got into the 50-cent club, then I would be a living legend. I never understood what he was saying, but I think what happens is, it becomes a responsibility. I’ve been around for three decades now, and when you get to that, people start to recognize that you have something to offer to the music. I think from that perspective I continue to try to grow as a musician and grow as a person, and musically I try to keep challenging myself. For me, that’s the way I heard it in Detroit. The music I play now is because I heard this music somewhere. That’s the way they were playing it, and that’s the way I try to play it because that’s the only way I know.

So I just try to keep it going that way and I’ve been fortunate. I’ve played with a lot of great musicians, and by the same token, I have younger musicians that I try to mentor and make sure they can be able to follow up on some of these concepts and build their concepts and philosophies about the music.

CB: It seems that this responsibility you speak of doesn’t really come into play that much until you reach the level of mastery and influence where you now have to begin to consider the responsibility of being a “master” and “mentor,” and are recognized worldwide as a keeper and forebear of the music. There have been comparisons of yourself with masters like John Coltrane. What is this responsibility?

KG: Firstly, there is only one John Coltrane, but the spirit of his music is what I try to keep living. That’s the way I heard it. When you first are just learning, you never know what status you will get to. But you realize that the musicians who are forefathers were actually older musicians when they actually came to this certain level – we’ll call it “mastery.” I think for me, I just realized that it’s important, as some of the elder musicians who are heroes of mine are getting to the age where they are retiring or aren’t healthy. You start to realize that you have a responsibility to carry this music on. I think you don’t really recognize that when you are first coming up, because you are just trying to learn how to play the music.

I think that since I’ve been out long enough, I realize that I have a responsibility to make sure the guys who are playing with me understand my concept about music, and hopefully that passes on. It’s a little different now that a lot of musicians are coming from universities; that approach to music is a little different from how I understand it. So my responsibility is just to make sure that I can pass on whatever I can pass on to the people around me and to people who want to listen.

CB: How did you develop your concept and most especially your perspecitve?

KG: I think the development started with my first heroes of the music, Grover Washington Jr. and Hank Crawford, and Cannonball Adderley. Coming from Detroit, I started to hear certain music that I would gravitate toward. As I started to get more experienced with different people like Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Shaw, and Freddie Hubbard – a whole list of people – I started to think about how I was hearing music. I would listen to whatever is available. Listening to current music and hip-hop, then going to different countries and studying their music. I think there was a connection I was looking for. So one thing that helped me to develop was the elder musicians helped me find myself, and I always made sure to have elders on my records. When I first came out it was Woody Shaw, then it was Ron Carter and Elvin Jones and Joe Henderson. I always had elders around to make sure I was developing the right way. At least, if it wasn’t right, they would pull my coat to what wasn’t working. So that helped me to get to the place where I am now, listening to the elders and while keeping a pulse on the music of today.

CB: So what is the right way? Can you explain the delicate balance between jazz being a traditional art form in looking toward the elders for guidance, versus finding your own voice and forging your own original path in the music?

KG: I don’t think there is a right way or a wrong way, but I think you have to have a foundation. The way I did it was the way it worked out, but I feel I have a foundation because I always was looking towards that as a point of reference. Is it different now? Maybe it is. I always like to look at Thelonious Monk. He had a way of playing the piano which wasn’t supposedly the right way, but it worked for him. Some people might say that what Coltrane did is a little different. He changed the way musicians played, but that worked for him. I don’t know if there is a right way or a wrong way, but I think this is just the way it has worked for me and its gotten me to this place. I do think that a person has to have a foundation. If you have a foundation, at least you have a house you are building off and if you decide to experiment, at least you hear the root of it.

CB: Then what is the right foundation?

KG: If you wanna play jazz, you have to study the music. The bebop, the ragtime, you have to study all those styles. You don’t have to stay there forever, but you have to study them and at least get a foundation, and you’ll know when you have a foundation. Because everything is coming from that energy. If you listen to my music, you will hear the root of Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Freddie Hubbard, because that’s what I came through. There’s a connection to that. Even if I’m moving ahead and trying different things, you’ll always hear the root of it.

CB: How do you see your music surviving and thriving in 2013? You’ve touched on the effects of many musicians, and as a result many listeners, being university-trained in jazz, having an academic perspective on the music. How do you see your music surviving and thriving in this atmosphere?

KG: I see it thriving well because they can hear the root of it. There’s the older generation of musicians who hear the root and hear that I’m trying different things. And I’m listening to everything, listening to what people are doing today. Some of it I’ve tried before. I’ve listened to Robert Glasper, I think he’s doing what he’s supposed to do. Once you have that foundation, you have to move and try to find things. I did a record where I did something called “Back Where You Started,” where I was trying to mix hip-hop with jazz, but to me I didn’t really do it at his level, but that was the intent. A lot of times I think what musicians try to do is to bridge this gap of having a tradition and being current. Because everybody wants people to know who they are and to hear their music, and I think Robert’s been successful with that.

Folks understand the music because it has a mixture of jazz and hip-hop and neo-soul. He has a root in there. There’s a foundation in there. Now how far do you expand? A lot of his relationships have been with people like Bilal and Lalah Hathaway, and his relationships allow him to come in with those people. I think that’s the root I’m talking about. Some people might want you to play more bebop, or ragtime, or whatever they hear.

I think at some point you have to decide what works for you. I think everybody has a different way of making the music work. And we all are variable in this music. So we need Robert Glasper. We need Kenny Garrett. We need Wynton Marsalis. We need all kinds of people participating for a person to hear something that resonates with them. And we don’t all do it the same, but we all need a foundation to work from.

CB: Could you briefly talk about the members of the band you’re bringing to Blues Alley?

KG: I’m bringing McClenty Hunter, who is from the Baltimore area. He’s been playing with me for a minute, and he’s on the CD I just recorded. Bringing Corcoran Holt, who is from the D.C. area, and he’s been playing with me for a while too. Bringing Jamel Brown, who’s playing piano; he’s been playing with me for a while too. All the guys who play with me want to come back home and get some of this music. Also, Rudy Bird is playing percussion. We always have fun in D.C. We come to play because people want to hear the music.

CB: Do you see a difference in DC’s audience compared to other places you play?

KG: I think D.C., Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland, they just want to hear you play. They want to feel your energy. When we come, we know they want to hear it. Especially when you have guys from the area, they have something to prove anyway. So it’s always exciting to have these cats in there, and to come back home and have people come out and support.

Freddie Redd, shown here in the film “The Connection,” will celebrate the release of a new CD at Twins Jazz. Courtesy fbcdn.net

by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

This weekend, CapitalBop is excited to be hosting a very thrilling performance on Sunday afternoon at the new Union Arts venue, in which a wide array of D.C.’s greatest talents will improvise in a round-robin format. Also Sunday, the great pianist Craig Taborn brings his innovative trio to Bohemian Caverns. Earlier in the weekend, piano great Freddie Redd is Twins Jazz to celebrate the release of his first CD in 20 years. And saxophone icon Kenny Garrett will play all weekend at Blues Alley. There’s info on all those shows and many more in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz.” As always, you can find our full listings at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar. Our favorites have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, MAY 3

cb picks:

• Julian Lage & Fred Hersch, KC Jazz Club, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
• Buck Hill, New Deal Café, 8 p.m.
• Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Freddie Redd Sextet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Young Lions, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Jazz Band Master Classes Performances, Mt. Vernon Methodist Church, 5:30 p.m. | Members of master classes run by the saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk perform in an open concert on the steps fo the Mt. Vernon Methodist Church. Free. View event on calendar | Mt. Vernon Methodist website

Sandra Johnson, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | What began as an experiment over a decade ago continues today as one of Washington’s greatest weekly traditions: Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “Jazz Night.” Every Friday night, the house of God becomes a hub for fish frying, communing and jamming on straight-ahead jazz. At this Friday’s show, the straight-ahead singer Sandra Johnson performs with Lyle Link on saxophone, Vince Evans on piano and vocals, Wes Biles on bass and Jeffrey Neal on drums. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | Commanding vocalist Karen Gray sings laid-back renditions of jazz standards in a drumless trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Potomac Jazz Project, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a jazz combo led by bassist Stan Hamrick that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. The cast of supporting musicians tends to rotate. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Yamomanem, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | The Yamomanem Jazz Band plays a faithful take on New Orleans jazz, conjuring the days of King Oliver and early Louis Armstrong with its lush brass section. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Julian Lage & Fred Hersch, KC Jazz Club, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Julian Lage and Fred Hersch are of separate generations, but they stand for similar things: elegance, precision, getting the music to take you just where you’re going. Hersch was among the most influential pianists of the 1980s, embedding a Romantic sense of harmony and beauty into his almost mythic readings of jazz standards. Lage, at 25 years old, is already among the most respected guitarists in jazz; he’s given to sprawling concept albums and performances that fit his assured, masterful chops into a chamber-like group sound. He and Hersch have recently been playing in duo, making concise and delicate statements over standards and originals. They’ll appear in that format here. Two separate sets at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary ($26-30), no minimum. View event on calendar | KC Jazz Club profile

Freddie Redd Sextet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | In the 1950s and ’60s, pianist Freddie Redd asserted himself as one of modern jazz’s top composers, with uncanny vision and an ability to pack tart melodic confections into a pithy hard-bop tune. He wrote the score for and starred in the late-’50s musical “The Connection,” bebop’s moment of prominence on Broadway. Then he did the same for the film version that followed, and recorded his pieces from “The Connection” for a Blue Note Records release featuring Jackie McLean. But Redd is more than just a songwriter – as an accompanist, he deploys jagged chords with syncopated savvy, and his solos bend the blues to a breaking point. The 84-year-old master appears here in celebration of the release of a new CD, his first in 20 years. He’ll be performing with Brad Linde and Brian Settles on tenor saxophone, Sarah Hughes on alto and soprano saxophone, Tom Baldwin on bass and Tony Martucci on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $18 cover, $10 minimum.. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The alto and soprano saxophonist Kenny Garrett played for five years in Miles Davis’ band in the 1980s and ’90s. But what about his solo career, now more than 20 years in the making? It’s established him as one of present-day jazz’s untouchable eminences; he’s released almost two dozen albums, won a Grammy, and even led bands including greats such as Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson. His soulful sound can be tender or searing, and it’s always captivating. He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $30 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Sharón Clark Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Sharón Clark sings with fervor and soul, plus impressive precision. She’s one of D.C.’s top jazz singers. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

Buck Hill, New Deal Café, 8 p.m. | The tenor saxophonist Buck Hill is a D.C. legend. Had he moved to New York City, he might would have become an international one. Hill was already making waves by the mid-1940s, and in the coming years he honed his proficient voice as a bebop soloist alongside Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and other greats who came through D.C. to perform. Hill’s uncompromising swing and rich, reedy tone found wider recognition when he recorded a series of albums in the ’50s with the famous guitarist Charlie Byrd. By the ’70s, Hill was recording albums as a leader with Buster Williams, Kenny Barron and other greats. Here he performs at the low-key New Deal Café with backing from the Not 2 Cool Jazz Band. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | New Deal website

Young Lions, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Bohemian Caverns is an old haunt for the Young Lions. At this point, both the octogenarian club and the longstanding group are institutions. This trio formed in the 1990s, when its members were college students in D.C., and began playing weekly at the now-defunct Café Nema. Along the way, the Lions took up a late-night residency at Bohemian Caverns and found acclaim for their groove-soaked improvisations, which tugged on the chain of the jazz tradition. The band flits across a range of styles, from Afro-Caribbean to hip-hop to bebop. Its bassist, Kris Funn, is a regular sideman for superstar trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah; the drummer Quincy Phillips plays in trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s quintet; and the pianist Allyn Johnson, director of the University of the District of Columbia’s Jazz Studies program, is one of D.C.’s most revered pianists. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $18 cover online, $22 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Antonio Parker, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is swinging and soulful, colored by a bright, aggressive tone. He casually sprinkles neo-soul and R&B influences into his otherwise straight-ahead bop, and his improvisation shows a redolence of Kenny Garrett. $15 cover, no minimum View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Friday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Alfredo Mojica, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Alfredo Mojica, who sang at Bossa for years with the group Sin Miedo, unites salsa, jazz and Latin American balladry. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

Aaron Myers, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Vocalist Aaron Myers leads a straight-ahead jazz quartet, featuring piano, bass and drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

SATURDAY, MAY 4

cb picks:

• Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Freddie Redd Sextet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Young Lions, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Elijah Jamal Balbed, HR-57, 9 p.m.
• WKP Trio w/Herb Scott, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m.
• Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Julian Lage Master Class, Kennedy Center, 10:30 a.m. | Julian Lage, 25, is already among the most respected guitarists in jazz. He draws a fulsome, woody sound from his instrument, and moves about the guitar’s neck with all the freedom of an ambulant wanderer. Here he leads a master class. Tickets $12. View event on calendar | Kennedy Center website

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Charles Woods, Johnny’s Half Shell, 6 p.m. | Saxophonist Charles Woods plays and has recorded in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig at Johnny’s Half Shell he keeps things within the traditional bop realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Johnny’s Half Shell website

Mark Mosley Trio, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Baltimore guitarist Mark Mosley plays a slick hand as a smooth jazz guitarist, but he can also hunker down on serious bop. He performs laid-back straight-ahead here with his trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

District Jazz Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | A self-described “cool swinging jazz trio,” the District Jazz Trio is saxophonist Seth Popkin, pianist Dan Nathan and bassist Roger Rosa. The group plays jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Full Ascent, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | This jazz band plays in a number of traditional styles, from hard-bop to Dixieland to calypso. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Freddie Redd Sextet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | In the 1950s and ’60s, pianist Freddie Redd asserted himself as one of modern jazz’s top composers, with uncanny vision and an ability to pack tart melodic confections into a pithy hard-bop tune. He wrote the score for and starred in the late-’50s musical “The Connection,” bebop’s moment of prominence on Broadway. Then he did the same for the film version that followed, and recorded his pieces from “The Connection” for a Blue Note Records release featuring Jackie McLean. But Redd is more than just a songwriter – as an accompanist, he deploys jagged chords with syncopated savvy, and his solos bend the blues to a breaking point. The 84-year-old master appears here in celebration of the release of a new CD, his first in 20 years. He’ll be performing with Brad Linde and Brian Settles on tenor saxophone, Sarah Hughes on alto and soprano saxophone, Michael Formanek on bass and Tony Martucci on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $18 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The alto and soprano saxophonist Kenny Garrett played for five years in Miles Davis’ band in the 1980s and ’90s. But what about his solo career, now more than 20 years in the making? It’s established him as one of present-day jazz’s untouchable eminences; he’s released almost two dozen albums, won a Grammy, and even led bands including greats such as Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson. His soulful sound can be tender or searing, and it’s always captivating. He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $30 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Steven Walker Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | The guitarist and singer Steven Walker boasts a broad repertoire that encompasses jazz standards and classic pop tunes. He appears here with a jazz combo. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

Young Lions, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Bohemian Caverns is an old haunt for the Young Lions. At this point, both the octogenarian club and the longstanding group are institutions. This trio formed in the 1990s, when its members were college students in D.C., and began playing weekly at the now-defunct Café Nema. Along the way, the Lions took up a late-night residency at Bohemian Caverns and found acclaim for their groove-soaked improvisations, which tugged on the chain of the jazz tradition. The band flits across a range of styles, from Afro-Caribbean to hip-hop to bebop. Its bassist, Kris Funn, is a regular sideman for superstar trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah; the drummer Quincy Phillips plays in trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s quintet; and the pianist Allyn Johnson, director of the University of the District of Columbia’s Jazz Studies program, is one of D.C.’s most revered pianists. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $18 cover online, $22 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Cubista, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Cubista is a salsa band that plays at Bossa every Saturday. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

Elijah Jamal Balbed Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The young saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed, among D.C.’s brightest rising stars, has a hard-driving, sparely metallic sound that’s redolent of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. But he refracts their lessons through the Young Lions of the 1990s, and speaks in the lingua franca of present-day post-bop. $15 cover, no minimum.. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

WKP Trio w/Herb Scott, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | The WKP Trio is a straight-ahead jazz ensemble consisting of Kenny Peagler on piano, Percy White on bass and Will Stephens on drums. Here, the group is joined by a young, soulful powerhouse of an alto saxophonist, Herb Scott. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Dee Stone, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Dee Stone sings soul, blues, jazz and rock. The first set of every performance is usually comprised of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Lyrical bassist Steve Synk, a music major at the University of Maryland, leads a young trio that explores music ranging from standards to originals, groove-based contemporary jazz to swinging bop. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

SUNDAY, MAY 5

 
Gospel Brunch, The Hamilton, 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Every Sunday morning, the Hamilton presents two sets of rafters-raising gospel, along with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Two separate shows at 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Hamilton website

TBA, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana website

Harlem Gospel Choir, Howard Theatre, 12 p.m. | The talented Harlem Gospel Choir, which has been active since 1986, performs a Sunday brunch show every week at the Howard Theatre. Either an all-you-can-eat buffet or an a la carte menu are available. Doors open at noon, and the music starts at 1:30 p.m. Tickets vary ($35 for all-you-can-eat or $20 for admission and a la carte options in advance, $45 or $30 at the door). View event on calendar | Howard website

Todd Simon, Kellari Taverna, 12 p.m. | The sturdy and swinging pianist Todd Simon performs every Sunday in a duo setting; his accompanists vary from bass to guitar to saxophone, depending on the week. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Kellari Taverna website

Jazz Academy Youth Orchestra w/Bruce Barth, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club, 3 p.m. | One of D.C.’s premier jazz educators, Paul Carr, puts his Jazz Academy Youth Orchestra on display in an afternoon concert featuring a very favorable accomplice: the star pianist Bruce Barth, who plays in Carr’s quintet. $12 cover, $15 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz website

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Nonstop Improv, Union Arts, 4 p.m. | This show, presented by CapitalBop in association with Sonic Circuits and the Undead Music Festival, brings together a spilling handful of D.C.’s greatest improvisers for a creative experiment in spontaneous improvisation. The performers will include Brian Settles, Anthony Pirog, Janel Leppin, Brad Linde and many others. Here’s how it will work: One musician performs an unaccompanied improvisation lasting for about five minutes; another musician then joins her for another period of duo improvisation. The first musician eventually stops and the second musician continues solo for another short period. Then yet another musician joins in for another period of duo, the other musician eventually drops out, and this revolving exchange continues until all the performers have played. And this exciting creative experiment happens to be the first at a newly established, collectively run arts space called Union Arts & Manufacturing. $10 cover. View event on calendar | Union Arts website

D.C. Jazz Jam, Dahlak, 6 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Dahlak profile

Potomac Jazz Project, Laporta’s, 6:30 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its rotating lineup often features some of D.C.’s best musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Laporta’s website

Craig Taborn Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 p.m. | If you’ve only been listening to him on record, it might seem frustratingly difficult to get a sense of what Craig Taborn’s all about. His first two albums were protean trio efforts, his third introduced a kaleidoscopic, electronic sound; and his next, an audacious solo piano record on ECM, captured the imagination of critics with its John Cage-like worship of silence and a powerfully sparing percussiveness. His latest record, Chants, returns him to the acoustic-trio format, and it confirms his identity as a leader of the American jazz avant-garde, where Cecil Taylor’s free jazz ethos is at home with an almost mechanical rhythmic curiosity. Taborn performs at Bohemian Caverns with the stupendous trio from that album, featuring Thomas Morgan on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums; the show is presented as part of Transparent Productions’ “Sundays at 7 at the Caverns” series. Two separate sets at 7 & 9 p.m. $15 cover online, $20 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Jazz Direct, Zoo Bar Café, 7:30 p.m.| This combo specializes in traditional New Orleans-style jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Zoo Bar website

Paul Carr Quintet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club, 7:30 p.m. | The local straight-ahead saxophone eminence Paul Carr recently released an excellent new CD, Standard Domain. The record features a quintet of nationally renowned musicians, the sensitive pianist Bruce Barth among them. At this gig, Carr performs mostly with local musicians, but Barth is also on the bill. $20 cover, $15 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz website

Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The alto and soprano saxophonist Kenny Garrett played for five years in Miles Davis’ band in the 1980s and ’90s. But what about his solo career, now more than 20 years in the making? It’s established him as one of present-day jazz’s untouchable eminences; he’s released almost two dozen albums, won a Grammy, and even led bands including greats such as Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson. His soulful sound can be tender or searing, and it’s always captivating. He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $30 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Bobby Muncy, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The saxophonist Bobby Muncy writes snaky tunes influenced by 20th century classical and alternative rock, as well as jazz. He appears at Twins with a straight-ahead quartet. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” no cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile 

Sriram Gopal
Swing District

BB&J, as it is sometimes called, is the dream of Rick Brown, a local native and real estate developer. He comes from a musical family that includes veteran pianist Larry Brown. “He had a vision of an old-fashioned supper club, in the Copacabana feel,” said Gillian Moloney, the club’s social media and marketing director.

Brown also wanted to take advantage of the historic art deco architecture of the building itself. Constructed in 1938 as the Bethesda Theatre, the edifice was once among the area’s largest cinemas. Walking into the club to see the band Chaise Lounge perform this past Saturday, I felt like I was walking through a time warp, or into a movie. The club’s foyer has the look of classic Hollywood and opens into a stylishly appointed bar area. Just beyond the bar is the listening area, which features table seating for 300 near the stage, and theater-style seating for an additional 200 at the back of the room. On this evening, the astronomically inspired artwork, sleek decor, and subtle lighting created the perfect ambiance for the band’s vintage Capitol Records sound. The well-designed audio system provided crystal-clear fidelity. And the professional, efficient wait staff made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. Courtesy woodleywonderworks/flickr

Ralph Camilli, who runs BB&J’s day-to-day operations, has over 35 years of experience within the local music industry, having worked at storied venues like the Cellar Door and Blues Alley. His current plan is to feature daily performances and full-menu dining all year round at the club. The current programming features mainly local and regional acts during the week, including a resident big band on Monday nights, and bigger names headlining on weekends. Branford Marsalis will perform in May at BB&J’s “Grand Re-opening,” which coincides with the building’s 75th anniversary.

But BB&J also goes beyond the musical scope that its name implies. “In the second week of March we featured Maggie Rose, the rising country star, for two nights,” Moloney said. “We’re also looking to book some big-name comedy here in the summer.”

For Saturday’s Chaise Lounge performance, the dining area was nearly full, but there was no need for the theater seating. The crowd that evening was largely comprised of middle-aged folks, which is expected given the night’s music and the club’s suburban appointment. Moloney says that most of BB&J’s draw comes from the surrounding suburbs, with typical ages ranging from early 30s to 60s, depending upon the evening’s show. And it’s doubtful that the room will draw younger adults, given the price point the operation has chosen: The cover charge starts at $20 and goes up depending upon the feature’s prominence. There is also a $15 food and drink minimum for those seated in the dining area. The food was very good, but $15 doesn’t get you much beyond a beer and an appetizer. Cover plus a full meal and drinks will easily run up a $75 tab per person. This is not an unreasonable bill for this type of establishment, but it will exclude a lot of people.

All in all, BB&J holds a lot of promise as a welcome addition to the area’s music and arts scene. Rick Brown and his team began with a clear vision and did not cut any corners in bringing their concept to fruition. Only time will tell whether it becomes a sustainable endeavor.

“We’re in a very culturally aware and culturally sensitive place right here,” Moloney said. “I think we’re definitely meeting a need here, which is such a good feeling.”

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Sriram Gopal is CapitalBop’s monthly columnist. He can be reached at sriram@capitalbop.com.