Dr. Funkenstein. The Godfather of Funk. The cool ghoul with the funk transplant. Whatever name you know George Clinton by, when he and the massive collective that makes up Parliment Funkadelic come to town, especially to Washington, D.C., "One Nation Under a Groove" takes on a higher meaning. And on Tuesday, the 71-year-old Clinton and his ministers of funk took over the 930 Club stage to an audience ready to show him some major love. True, you wouldn't mistake the show for the Cap Center in the 1970s—the visually stunning Mothership(s) may have gone on to better (and worse) things, there was no flying bird, and the Godfather was sans dread locks and sporting a sharp suit. But it was still absolutely something to see. Chocolate City has long loved Clinton and P-Funk, and based on all of the dancing Tuesday night, this band will forever be good to the ear holes of Washington, D.C. Respect will always be paid.

Additional photos from the set can be seen here.

Red Baraat’s musical approach almost seems too contrived: Bhangra meets New Orleans brass meets jazz and funk and go-go. But since this Brooklyn nine-piece group formed a little over three years ago, it's made this largely instrumental style work, and garnished a following to show for it. The group includes three percussionists and six horn players, and tonight they're playing an early show at U Street Music Hall. I traded a few emails recently with Sunny Jain, the group's leader and dhol player.

Jain says he formed the group to bring together the various musical cultures that are a part of his life. “Much of my composing centers around my identity as an Indian-American, and music has always served as a bridge to the two cultures that felt so disparate when growing up,” he writes.  “While leading a jazz quartet as a drum set player for the past 10 years, I found myself gravitating towards the dhol drum. In the fall of 2008, the next natural step in my creative process was to start up Red Baraat, with the intention of creating a large, acoustic band that brought a powerful, primal sound."

The dhol is a double-sided barrel-shaped North Indian drum slung over one shoulder. The instrument "is synonymous with Bhangra, the folk and dance music of Punjab,” Jain writes. Brass bands are not just an American thing.  ”Having seen brass bands in the streets of India during childhood visits,” says Jain, “ I wanted to meld these sounds with the American sounds of funk, jazz, go-go—a musical collection reflecting global unity, which is not only found in the make-up of the band, but also in our audiences.”

Red Baraat has released two albums that are each reflective of the times when they were recorded. The songs on the studio-recorded Chaal Baby were largely composed or arranged by Jain, while a subsequent live album, Bootleg Bhangra followed two years of performing. For the band's upcoming sophomore studio record, Shruggy Ji, several members of the band contributed compositions. "The sound of the band has grown tremendously by depth and emotion since our inception, and this next album captures that,” Jain writes.

As a consumer, Jain’s own musical interests go beyond the speedy dhol-and-brass party rhythms of the group.  “I’ve been listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan while running.  The way Sufi numbers unfold creates a meditative space that I lose myself in…which also benefits my exercise time, “ he says. “Otherwise, my playlist shuffles pretty regularly depending upon mood….Deerhoof, Prefuse 73, Nitin Sawhney, Talvin Singh, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, My Pet Dragon, Coltrane.”

Red Baraat performs tonight at 7 p.m. at U Street Music Hall. $15.

Even from my nose-bleed seats at Carnegie Hall last month, Chucho Valdes’ hands looked huge and commanding as they swept across the piano. The reputation of the renowned 70-year-old Cuban musician got a bump 12 years ago in the film Calle 54, in which he reunited with his now 94-year-old piano-playing father, Bebo. Valdes and his band the Afro-Cuban Messengers perform at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts tomorrow night in support of the album Chucho's Steps. He spoke with me briefly on the phone recently via a translator.

Valdes is a kind of citizen of the world now. He lives in Malaga, Spain, he tells me, but since his wife is from Argentina, he also spends time there. But the setlist at the New York show demonstrated where his musical heart is. “I started with Ellington [“Satin Doll”] and finished with Gershwin [“Summertime”] with Afro-Cuban in between,” he says. Emphasizing Steps tunes between the cover-song bookends, Valdes and his band, all from Cuba, have ample opportunities to show off their range. On “Danzon,” Valdes plays delicately but swings while his trumpet player and acoustic bassist add romantic accents.  For “Zawinul’s Mambo” they get funky, incorporating Weather Report’s ‘70s hit “Birdland.” Afro-Cuban numbers such as “Yansa” allow his bandmates to chant folklorically and engage in percussion battles while Valdes shows his ability to play more straight-ahead dance rhythms. But when I ask whether he listens to any contemporary Latin pop sounds, like bachata, reggaeton, or timba, he responds, “I am familiar with them but I like jazz and classical.”

Valdes says this lengthy tour has meant some of the songs from Steps have evolved.  “That’s what jazz is all about,” he says. He says that in penning each composition, he decides where to “insert the Afro-Cuban portions.” As much as he enjoys jazz, Valdes made clear with a simple gesture during the Carnegie Hall show encores where his roots are. As the audience began clapping repetitively—like, well, Americans—Valdes stopped everyone and began clapping clave-style—one, two, three, pause, four, five. Still in love with playing and recording, Valdes clearly has no interest in retiring.  “I play all the time," he happily proclaims, "at least six hours a day.”

Chucho Valdes and the Afro-Cuban Messengers perform Friday at 8 p.m. at the George Mason Center for the Arts, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Va. $23-$46.

While the Alamo is known for its (really, really great) custom-made movie posters and enforcing strict policies about texting and talking, it's also widely considered one of the best movie-theater chains in the country. Per the press release:

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema combines in-theater dining, drinks, films and events, all under one roof ... The theater is the brainchildof Tim and Karrie League who dreamed of opening a neighborhood theater that would provide the community with a great place to come together for entertainment as well as a second home to all movie fans.

The release goes on to tout how Loudoun County's Alamo will be "the first in the Washington, DC market area," which is true, but awfully deceptive. The Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse and AFI's Silver Theatre, while unaffiliated with the Austin-based Alamo, are magnitudes closer to D.C. and offer many of the same theatrical quirks and inspired screenings.

So yes, it's cool that Loudoun county can boast about landing an Alamo Drafthouse. But maybe don't call it a D.C. one.

Wild Flag @ Black Cat

We covered a lot of music in pictures this year, but some truly stood out.

The show whose ticket needed to come with industrial-strength ear plugs...
Archers of Loaf at Black Cat (more photos here)

Dinosaur Jr. plays Bug at 930 Club (more photos here)

The coolest band reunion...
Dismemberment Plan at 930 Club (more photos here)

The show whose audience had the most members from other D.C. bands...
Office of Future Plans and Title Tracks at Fort Reno (more photos here)

John Davis at Luce Unplugged (more photos here)

Living legends who came to the area...
Bryan Ferry at Strathmore Music Center (more photos here)

Alejandro Escovedo at 930 Club (more photos here)

Show that resulted in the most bruises...
Marginal Man at Black Cat (more photos here)

2011 WCP Shows in Photos
Grant Hart In-Store @ Crooked Beat Records (Jan. 13)
Jason Isbell & 400 Unit @ 930 Club (Jan. 14)
Dismemberment Plan, Poor But Sexy, Batala @ 930 Club (Jan. 22)
Girl Talk @ 930 Club (Feb. 1)
Avett Brothers @ DAR Constitution Hall (Feb. 18)
Tommy Stinson, Mike Gent, Emily Roberts @ Iota (Feb. 17)
Jonathan Richman @ 930 Club (Feb. 26)
Middle Brother, Deer Tick, Dawes @ 930 Club (March 2)
SXSW 2011 @ Austin, TX (March 16-March 19)
Sebadoh @ Black Cat (March 2)
Mike Watt @ Black Cat Backstage (March 31)
The Black Angels @ 930 Club (April 3)
Wire, Weekend @ Black Cat (April 7)
Title Tracks CD Release Party @ Black Cat Backstage (April 20)
Alejandro Escovedo, Jesse Malin & St Marks Social @ 930 Club (May 1)
Tame Impala, Yuck @ Black Cat (May 6)
Surfer Blood @ Rock and Roll Hotel (May 10)
Ted Leo, Drew O'Doherty @ Black Cat Backstage (May 14)
Neko Case, Y La Bamba @ Black Cat (May 13)
Sondre Lerche @ 930 Club (June 7)
Chris Mills @ DC9 (June 16)
Allo Darlin @ Black Cat Backstage (June 16)
The Feelies @ 930 Club (June 18)
Dinosaur Jr Plays Bug@ 930 Club (June 24)
Deleted Scenes @ Black Cat Backstage (July 16)
Title Tracks, Office of Future Plans @ Fort Reno (July 25)
Bon Iver @ 930 Club (Aug. 2)
Archers of Loaf @ Black Cat (Aug. 5)
Marginal Man Reunion @ Black Cat (Aug. 20)
Virgin FreeFest 2011 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (Sept. 11)
Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Black Cat (Sept. 24)
Wilco @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (Sept. 25)
Bryan Ferry @ Strathmore Music Center (Oct. 3)
Jens Lekman @ Sixth & I Synagogue (Oct. 5)
Wild Flag @ Black Cat (Oct. 20)
St Vincent @ 930 Club (Nov. 1)
Blind Pilot @ 930 Club (Nov. 6)
John Davis @ Luce Center, Smithsonian Museum (Dec. 18)

A Library of Congress ethnomusicologist, Cutting previously led the Brit folk-rock inspired band The New St. George, and now leads the Ocean Orchestra. Her new album Song of Solstice celebrates spiritual traditions of wintertime with a mixture of originals and unique covers. It also features a lot of musicians. "I don't even know where we're going to put all the performers," says Cutting in an email, "but it will be fun trying!"

The lineup should include an eight-member band (including Cutting on accordion and keyboards), a 14-voice chorus from Washington Revels, a group of Revels-affiliated kids, an eight-member team of Foggy Bottom Morris Men, Celtic harpist Sue Richards, and recorder player John Guillory. Cutting says, "That’s a heck of a lot of people to wedge into one evening (and one space!)."

Song of Solstice—a project that has stretched over 15 years—is something she wanted to do for quite some time. She says, “For the past few years, I've been presenting holiday concerts with my Celtic group Ocean ... and I've wanted those concerts to be really different from people's usual diet of  classical and pop holiday music. Since I couldn't find much music honoring the winter solstice that communicated the particular ideas I wanted to communicate, I just ended up writing my own solstice song." (That would be the title track.) Another number, "Green Man," celebrates "the wild irrepressible spirit of nature," and "appreciate[s] evergreens, which stay alive when all around them is dead." (Inspired by this song, she commissioned Takoma Park artist William L. Brown to design a "Green Man" made of pine, holly, and ivy for the CD's cover.) The disc even includes a quirky bonus: "Bah Humbug," embedded on the CD as video. The Washington Savoyards' Jase Parker stars, "giving Santa a kind of campy drag-queen feel."

How is it all going to come together tonight? Let's wait and see. "If I pull this off," says Cutting, "I will certainly earn some kind of title (how about "She Who Needs Her Head Examined")."

Jennifer Cutting and her Ocean Orchestra and guests perform at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $25.  703-549-7500.

Photo by Jeff Prehn

Since November 2010, the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, located in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, has been one of the city's more intimate outlets for local musicians. Its monthly acoustic concert series,  Luce Unplugged, features an hour-long performance, accompanied by a discussion on an artwork chosen by the musician.

Yesterday the series featured Title Tracks frontman John Davis, who played an hour-long set of his own songs as well as covers from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Buck Owens, and John Denver. Toward the end of the set, Davis brought up Washington Post pop critic—and Davis' ex-Q and Not U bandmate—Chris Richards for a handful of songs. Between stories and songs that showcased the duo's pitch-perfect vocal harmonies, Davis and Richards announced they've been working on a bunch of new songs together (the count is currently at 16!), and hope to release something by mid-2012.

More photos from the set can be seen here.

For years, WPFW DJ Rick “Da Gator” Bolling has brought to his Saturday afternoon listeners the latest in Southern soul and blues.  Not Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings—that’s R&B for rock fans—and not guitar solo-filled blues rock either. We’re talking artists with church-rooted voices and lyrics about lust like Miss Jody and Carl Sims, labels like Ecko, and recent songs like "Junk in the Trunk (I Like that)" and "Slap That Booty.” The Gator has also hosted the annual Gator Days at Lamont’s in Pomonkey, Md., with national and local performers. But since late summer, according to WPFW's Mama K, the Florida-raised Bolling has been absent from the airwaves due to medical problems that now have him in rehabilitation at Manor Care in Upper Marlboro.

In order to help Bolling with his medical expenses, Lamont’s is hosting a benefit Saturday night featuring an extensive roster of soul and blues acts, including Georgia singer Chick Willis (of “Stoop Down Baby” fame);  the James Brown-influenced "Soul Brother No. 2" Lee Fields, and others, including locals like guitarist Bobby Parker and beach-music faves the Hardway Connection.

The show, featuring  Chick Willis, Lee Fields, Hardway Connection, Bobby Parker, the Orioles, Memphis Gold, Jacques Johnson, Clarence "Blues Man" Turner, and others to be announced, starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at Lamont’s, 4400 Livingston Rd. (off of Indian Head Highway), Pomonkey, Md. $20. (301) 283-0225.

D.C. fans of African sounds have a tough choice to make tonight. Tuareg guitarist Omara Bombino Moctar and his band bring their desert psychedelia to the Black Cat with local pan-African openers Sahel, while Nettle, an international band including two Moroccans plus Jace Clayton (aka DJ Rupture), Andy Moor from The Ex, and others, will be at the “Africa is Not a Country” party at the Marrakech Lounge along with several DJs spinning sounds from across the motherland.  Nettle is celebrating the release of its new album, El Resplandor: The Shining in Dubai. Bombino and Clayton discussed their projects via email.

Thirty-one-year-old Bombino was born near Agadez, Niger, and with his family, he fled at age 12 to Algeria from the violence of the Tuareg uprising against Niger. In Algeria, he acquired a guitar for the first time. When peace temporarily returned to Niger in 1997, Bombino and his family moved back, and he continued playing, inspired in part by Tuareg band Tinariwen.  Early in 2007 Bombino and his band were recorded for the 2009 Sublime Frequencies release, Group Bombino – Guitars from Agadez, Vol. 2. But later that year, in the midst of a second Tuareg rebellion, the Niger military would ban the guitar and kill two of Bombino’s bandmembers.  Again the guitarist fled, this time to Burkina Faso, before returning to now-calmer Niger in 2010.

Bombino now lives in Niamey, Niger, with his wife and daughter, but travels often to Agadez. Bombino says he currently performs at weddings and other Tuareg functions “all the time when I am at home and in Agadez.” He's also working toward having the Tuareg language of Tamashek taught in schools. It’s “slow to be honest," he writes. "It takes a lot of effort, time and patience to get something like this moving in Niger. But I will continue to champion this issue and we'll make progress little by little.” On his new album, Agadez, his fingerwork melds his region’s droning axe sound with influences from Jimi Hendrix to John Lee Hooker. One benefit of international touring, Bombino writes, has been meeting other six-string players. “I love Vieux Farka Toure, and this was the first year I got to play with him and see him live in concert," Bombino writes. "I also got to see Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds which was really cool. Finally, I really enjoyed seeing Pete Townshend play when we did Jools Holland last month in London.”

Nettle’s new album is the soundtrack for an imaginary remake of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining set in a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The band includes Clayton on synths and laptop, Moroccan Abdelhak Rahal on violin, the Scottish Jennifer Jones on cello, Moroccan Khalid Bennaji on guembri, American Brent Arnold on cello, the English Andy Moor on guitar, and Canada's Lindsay Cuff on vocals. Together, they blend electronic beats and avante-garde noise with traditional North African folksong and percussion playing.  Clayton says Nettle “grew out of my longstanding interest in Maghrebi music. In 2002 I moved to Barcelona, a city with a strong Moroccan musical community.  Slowly I became involved with it, and a few years later I was working regularly with a violinist, Abdelhak Rahal.   Nettle existed before I met Abdel, but it was primarily a solo project. With him I decided to turn it into a group, to make my involvement with Moroccan music more of a collaborative work.”

While Nettle’s mostly instrumental sound has its out-there aspects, Clayton says it can reach fans of more traditional sounds. “Nettle played a free concert in Tangiers recently and it was well received! We make an effort to connect. There are avant sounds, sure, but, for example in Tangiers, Lindsay learned to sing a Berber song.  When she opened her mouth and Berber words came out , the audience was floored, so happy. We approach everything with a lot of respect, and a lot of emphasis on translation.”  The album has also gotten some attention in Dubai.   Clayton excitedly notes that there have been “several interviews and some interest in bringing us over to perform it in 2012!! I hope it happens.”

“Africa is Not a Country”  features Nettle along with  DJ sets by Bent and Mothershiester showcasing anthems from Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, Congo,Nigeria, Madagascar, Ghana, and North Africa—plus a glut of "pirated" Kenyan Pop mp3s that dj Bent found online. Free. Nettle plays at 9 p.m. at the Marrakech Lounge, 1817 Columbia Rd NW.

Bombino and band with opener Sahel perform at 9 at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St NW.  $20. (202) 667-4490.