Thursday, Sep. 22
It's the stealth jazz event of the year, the in-the-know concert that more often than not proves just how many people in this town are well-informed when it comes to jazz. Yes, every year the Congressional Black Caucus hosts its legislative conference in downtown Washington, bringing in leaders of the African-American community from [...]
Friday, June 30
Janine Gilbert-Carter has a gigantic voice. There's no better word, and it must be written (and said) in italics: Gigantic. Moreover, it's overflowing with soul; let there be no question that Gilbert-Carter has her roots in gospel, having sung in the church since her childhood in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. The intensity of [...]
Sadie Dingfelder has this week's cover with her look at Sweetgreen, the local chain that's gone from selling $9 salads to booking The Strokes. Ally Schweitzer leads the arts section with an essay about another group packaging music and hospitality: Thievery Corporation, which has remade D.C. nightlife but still sounds homeless on its albums. Bob [...]
Friday, April 15: It's not a stretch to call Ben Williams the pride of the current D.C. jazz scene. A native of Michigan Park, Williams grew up playing bass with the District's own Jolley Brothers, worked with Thad Wilson and Paul Carr, and studied with Michael Bowie and the Ellington School of the Arts' Carolyn [...]
Thursday, July 15
Experimental music is an ivory tower. Its practitioners have gigantic status inside the field, and by and large can't get arrested outside of it. So when I say that William Hooker is a major figure, it will no doubt come as a surprise to some. Nonetheless, Hooker is a major figure. He's a [...]
Washington bassist Ben Williams took first place last night in the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition at the Kennedy Center. His victory was a given after his incredible performance; your humble correspondent went looking to make book on Williams at intermission, and nobody would take the bet. But the D.C. audience put a [...]
