Thursday, March 24
You could be forgiven if his nearly 20-year association with Jay Leno made you think Kevin Eubanks was a mediocre hack, too—forgiven, but you wouldn't be correct. Before he Jaywalked, guitarist Eubanks (the second of three musical brothers from Philadelphia) was a member of the M-Base Collective, the Brooklyn-based pool of musicians who [...]
Bassist Kevin Pace, pianist Gene D'Andrea, and tenor saxophonist Bobby Muncy have for several years collaborated on a project to create and perform all original music in the jazz establishments of Washington, D.C. You may have seen them working at Utopia under Muncy's leadership. But the partnership has always been a marriage of creative equals, [...]
One of these days someone will write a comprehensive history of jazz in the District of Columbia, and 2010 will have a volume all to itself. Or at least a very long chapter. It's simply been a spectacular year for the scene; not always "spectacular" in the positive sense, but momentous and monumental no matter [...]
It wasn't in a high-profile venue—just a small artists' studio, tucked away in Mount Vernon Square—but last night's D.C. Jazz Loft was the showcase that the local jazz scene has needed for years.
Presented by CapitalBop (which is to say: Giovanni Russonello and Luke Stewart, the site's staff), the Jazz Loft was an evening-long concert featuring five [...]
Thursday, December 2
He calls the sound of his new album, Xmas Vibe "sort of Gary Burton meets George Winston." And while there's a kernel of truth in that, it downplays the uniqueness of what vibraphonist Charles Xavier does. He's based in the precision of jazz percussion (Xavier is a drummer as well), but works on [...]
Setlist is in a quandary this week, D.C. You see, an emerging saxophone talent by the name of Benny Sharoni is performing Tuesday night (Nov. 2) with his quartet at Blues Alley, 8 and 10 p.m. He plays lilting mainstream jazz with a big, full, open sax tone that deserves your ears. But on [...]
Butch Warren has a companion in the One Less Gig Department—another bassist-bandleader, at that. Kevin Pace reports that his quintet has been cut loose from its Friday night stand at POV, the rooftop terrace lounge at the W Hotel near the White House.
"We got canned for a DJ," says Pace. "It seems that two DJs [...]
July is the slowest month for jazz in D.C., and this year it's no wonder: Who wants to leave their nice air-conditioned homes? Still, there's good music to be found.
Kevin Pace will surprise you. He looks like a mild-mannered fellow, gracious and thoughtful—and he is. But Pace is a crack bassist—one of the best in [...]
Friday, May 14
Terell Stafford is a sharp dude: suave, snazzily dressed, and with trumpet skills to spare. Stafford has strong D.C. roots, as well: He spent his formative years in Silver Spring and attended the University of Maryland, where he learned his craft before moving on to the New York scene. Stafford's no radical: He [...]
