Yes, folks, August will soon be upon us, and it's traditionally the slowest month for jazz in D.C. (Hell, it's the slowest month for D.C., period.) But July, in its final week, seems determined to give us the goods.

Thursday, July 26
I've already heard this four-night trio gig at Blues Alley credited to drummer Jimmy Cobb; [...]

Friday, April 6
For last week's Best of D.C. issue, I named Buck Hill, the octogenarian tenor saxophonist known as the District's "Wailin' Mailman," the city's "Best Elder Statesman." I wrote, "Hill no longer conquers jam sessions; he’s only an occasional stage presence these days...though he’s lost none of the mighty swing and cocksure, paint-peeling tone [...]

Friday, January 27
Longtime D.C. alto saxophonist Antonio Parker is one of the city's busiest, most reliable musicians, a first-call player and a regular leader in his own right (especially at HR-57, where he plays weekly) with perhaps the firmest grasp of the blues of any jazz sax around. He's kept so busy, in fact, that [...]