Mike West is out this week; here’s some jazz!

Nov. 12
Elikeh Afropop at Bohemian Caverns. Togolese infusions over brooding funk; featuring Michael Shereikis of Chopteeth. Elikeh Afropop performs with Funk Art at 8:30 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns. (202) 299-0800.
ALSO: Joe Sample (piano) at Blues Alley, Nov. 12-Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Nov. 13
Lenny Robinson Quartet feat. Orrin Evans at Bohemian Caverns, Nov. 13-14 at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; The Sharón Clark Quartet Nov. 13 at Mandarin Oriental. (202) 554-8588; Luis Faife Quartet Nov. 13-14 at Twins Jazz. (202) 234-0072.

Nov. 14
Stefon Harris and Blackout (pictured above) at KenCen Jazz Club. Youthful vibraphonista leads sweet polyrhythmic ensemble through covers and originals. (The group’s NPR session from August? Worth a listen.) Performances at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at the Terrace Gallery, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600.
ALSO: The Big Joe Mahler Trio with George Botts at Mandarin Oriental.

Nov. 17
Ziv Ravitz with Avishai Cohen, Omer Klein, Haggai Cohen Milo. 6 p.m. at KenCen Millennium Stage. Free.

Nov. 18
Panama B at Twins Jazz. Barbara Lynn at KenCen Millennium Stage at 6 p.m. Free.

• An Evening w/ King Sunny Ade & his African Beats. 9:30 club. $25. All ages.
• The Paulverizers, Idle Americans. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Oleta Adams. Birchmere. $39.50.
• Novalima, Pistolera. Black Cat. $18/$22. All ages.
• Lovvers, Small Doses, Cigarbox Planetarium. Comet Ping Pong. All ages.
• John Legend, India.Arie. Merriweather Post Pavilion. $36–$109.
• Hello Society, Marbin, Lucky Dub. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.
• Stellastarr, Wild Light, The Postmarks. Rock and Roll Hotel. $12/$14. All ages.
• BLDGS, Screen Vinyl Image, Cobalt & the Hired Guns, The Water. Velvet Lounge. $8. +21.
• Danny Harris (Fatback DC): Mashed Potatoes. Cafe Saint Ex.
• Eastern Music Festival Piano Program. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
• Friday Nights Out Back w/ Chopteeth. Strathmore. $10.
• Aural Tapestry: An Evening w/ All Our Noise, feat. Seas, Typefighter, John & Paul Thornley (of US Royalty). Fort Fringe. $10. See Fringe & Purge for WCP’s take on the best and worst of CapFringe thus far.

Saturday

• Emmet Swimming, The Dreamscapes Project. 9:30 club. $15. All ages.
• Jenn and the Tonics, Jeff Carmela. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Bill Kirchen & The Hammer of The Honky Tonk Gods, Ruthie & the Wranglers. Birchmere. $25.
• Emarosa, Our Last Night, In Fear and Faith, Burden of a Day, I See Stars, Broadway. Jaxx. $13/$15. All ages.
• North of Canada, Typefighter, Maple. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.
• Drop Electric, Hypernova, Funk Ark, Dangerosa. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10. All ages.
• Beatnik Flies, Sleeper Agent, Pup Tent, Caustic Casanova (upstairs); DJ Busca, DJ Pascal (downstairs). Velvet Lounge. $8. +21.
• The Birdman. Cafe Saint Ex.
• AP Chemistry: A Night of Hip Hop, feat. Disturbed Individuals, Flex Matthews, Arda Mus. Fort Fringe. $10.

Sunday

• Rocknoceros, The Great Zucchini. 9:30 club. $15. All ages, esp. the kiddies.
• Blues Jam w/ the Idle Americans. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Tortoise, Grey Reverend. Black Cat. $20. All ages.
• Future of the Left, Mount Vicious. DC9. $12. +18.
• Knot Feeder, The Maida Vail, Sun Tornado, Gordon Withers. The Red & The Black. $6. +21.
• Strangers Family Band, Speck Mountain. Velvet Lounge. $7. +21.

Novalima photo via MySpace.

And how ’bout onstage? From our last write-up:

Chopteeth is a fearsome live act, especially when Anna Mwalagho steps up to the mic to add a gradual, shimmering Swahili lyric to “Upendo.” Maybe the band’s decided that there’s no percentage in edge (it bleeps guest MC Head-Roc, who lends a verse to “No Condition Is Permanent”), but it’s hard not to get swept up in its urgent beat. And if you still need more grit in your groove, Justine Miller’s snarling trumpet pits Maynard Ferguson acrobatics with the deep syncopation of Fela’s great bands.

Catch ‘em this Friday at the Strathmore; deets below the jump.

Friday, July 17
Strathmore Arts Center presents
Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band
7:00 PM [gates at 6]
Backyard Theater Stage
$10

More here.

• The Dance Party, Ra Ra Rasputin, Tigercity, Casper Bangs. 9:30 club. $15. All ages.
• Deja Blue, Clarence “Bluesman” Turner. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Handsome Furs, Dri, The Cinnamon Band. Black Cat. $12. All ages.
• Lynne Fiddmont. Blues Alley. $25.
• Atheist, The Faceless, Psyopus, The Agonist, Gnostic, Condemn the Infected, A Bloodbath in Boston. Jaxx. $20/$23.
• Alex Brown Quartet (Fri. & Sat. show). Twins Jazz. $15.
• Sunsets with a Soundtrack: The U.S. Army Concert Band. West Steps U.S. Capitol. Free.
• Video Games Live! Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $20–$48.
• Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
• Chopteeth, DJ Thick. Rock and Roll Hotel. $15. All ages.
• Chance Gardner, Molehill, Gist. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.

Saturday

• Mike Terpak Blues Explosion, Groove Quest. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Trophy Wife, The Caution Curves. Black Cat Backstage. $8. All ages.
• Old Time Banjo Festival w/ Mike Seeger, Bruce Molsky, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Clarke Buehling, The Old 78’s, and Adam Hurt. Birchmere. $29.50.
• Jimmy Bruno. Blues Alley. $25.
• Bugs Bunny on Broadway w/ the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Merriweather Post Pavilion. $12.50–$45.
• Hamlisch Conducts Hamlisch. Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $20–$48.
• Honor By August, Trustfall, Red Wanting Blue, Colourside. 9:30 club. $15. All ages.
• Washington National Opera Institute for Young Singers. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
• Chali 2na (of Jurassic 5), Whosane feat. Pangea, Educated Consumers. Rock and Roll Hotel. $15. All ages.
• Feedback Dance Party w/ DJ Stereofaith, The Hardy Boys, DJs Dave Nada, Johnny Blaze, Trevor Martin, Andrew Jaye. DC9. $8. +21.
• Inkwell Strings, Dennis Manuel (Army of Me) performs Elvis Costello’s The Juliet Letters. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12. +21.
• The Circus w/ Tyrone Norris, Bomani Armah. Expo. $8. +21.

Sunday

• Barbershop Jam, Blues Jam with the Idle Americans. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• National Trustees’ NSO Summer Music Institute Orchestra Concerts (July 12–26). Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Free.
• Rock the Bells w/ Nas, Damian Marley, The Roots, Common, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek), Tech N9ne, RZA, Raekwon, K-Naan, Sage Francis. Merriweather Post Pavilion. $51-$101.
• Reggae 2009! w/ Beres Hammond, Culture featuring Kenyatta Hill & Lenya Wilks, w/ Harmony House Singers & Musicians. Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $25–$40.
• 5th Annual D.C. Latin Rock Fest w/ Locos Por Juana, Nayas, Oda’s, March Of Us, Pistolera, Reynolds, Ocho de Bastos, Los NeuroNautas, Machetres. 9:30 club. $20. All ages.
• The Nine @ DC9 w/ Justin Trawick, Molly Hagen, Jason Ager, Ted Garber, Laura Tsaggaris, Jason Masi, Ken Wenzel, Victoria Vox, Matthew Bryce. DC9. $8. +21.
• Kung Fury, Super Potent Death Baby, King Giant. The Red & The Black. $6. +21.
• Questlove, DJ Dummy. Liv. $15.

Handsome Furs photo via MySpace.

Remember Chopteeth? BPB reviewed ‘em back in October during the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. They cook. They dance. The Korgans are fat. The horn section is beastly. And the protest (”Struggle”) generally takes a backseat to the party (”Upendo”).

Their LP is called “Afrofunk Big Band.” It’s great. And without giving too much away, I can say that it’s a prime candidate for the 2008 iteration of our Year-in-Review Top 10 List. What’s not surprising about the disc is the quality of the playing—they’re aces, and we’ve know that for a while. But we didn’t know they had the composition to match the chops. (Much of the credit goes to guitarist/singer/principal songwriter/recording engineer Michael Shereikis, though Anna Mwalagho contributes some songwriting alonside her exultant vocals.)

So remember, folks: weigh your blessings. And check out the clips below.

“Struggle”:

“Upendo”:

“Fogo Fogo” (the lone Fela joint and the album’s only cover):

The fifth track, “Dog Days,” is available for free download on the Chopteeth website.

La Timbistica:

Chopteeth:

Fertile Ground:

…and the Chopteeth videos…

“Struggle“:

Nice horn bit:

Trouble viewing? Check out the YouTube versions here and here.

“The future of la musica is assured,” a beaming Jim Byers informed the 9:30 club on Friday night.

Byers, the host of WPFW’s “Latin Flavor,” spoke after a stellar performance by La Timbistica, a high-flying salsa outfit also known as the Berklee College of Music Latin Jazz All-Stars. The group alternates between five-piece Latin jazz unit and full-on Salsa band. In both formats, they are astonishing. Juan Maldonado deserves special mention for his efforts on the six-string bass, as does Kalani Trinidad for his searing flute (how often do you hear those two words together?) and fine voice, both of which cut admirably through the bright wall of the high brass. Throughout, the band exemplified a classical precision infused with lively improvisation—most notably by Alex Brown, whose eclectic work on the keyboard kept the band from retreating, anonymous, into a genre that too often overshadows its practitioners.

This was good, jazzy salsa, in other words…and consistently up-tempo, to the delight of the D.C. Casineros, who took over the dance floor and put the rest of the audience to shame.

***

The Timbistica crew were passing out promo materials and enjoying a few well-deserved beers when Chopteeth took the stage. The D.C.-based group, which calls itself an “Afrofunk orchestra,” launched into a groovy set that veered between the reedy guitar dance-lines of classic Fela Afrobeat and a sophisticated brand of ska. “Struggle,” the first track on their latest LP, was a highlight, as was their funky reinterpretation of Duke Ellington’s “Digeridoo.” Led by the magnanimous duo of Anna Mwalagho (vocals) and Michael Shereikis (vocals and guitar), Chopteeth bounced and rolled for close to an hour, with fat sounds from the Korg organ sailing under the snarling five-piece horn brigade. They smiled, danced, colored the two Kenyan songs with neat accordion lines, and took audience requests. (”The dancers want more Fela,” Shereikis laughed at one point.) Their set was the high point of a beautifully eclectic evening—kudos to the DEJF for espousing a “jazz without borders” mentality.

***

Fertile Ground closed out the night with a jazzier variety of what some people call “neo-soul.” With the caveat that this music usually strikes me as way too smooth, I have to say that Navasha Daya was mesmerizing as frontwoman, strutting under her headdress and leading the band as much with the rhythm of her hips as with her commanding, sinuous voice. “Yesterday” was powerful in its ambience, and “You Take Me Higher” (from the 2002 Seasons Change LP) took me pretty high. Daya can build a single syllable from a lyric for several bars and then launch into a weird scat, or an island-tinged rap, or a series of grace notes cued impeccably to the drum breaks, while James Collins‘ synth bass holds it all together. (His right hand, meanwhile, cooks up artful keyboard patterns with the same maddening rhythmic persistence that kept Chick Corea flush for several decades.)

“Jazz is not a listening music, but an organic music,” Collins told the modest crowd, chiding them to dance. “And since Duke Ellington’s from this neck of the woods, I’d hate to believe that the folks in Tokyo know how to move to this music better than y’all.

“It shouldn’t exist in the classroom,” he added, “but on the streets and in the minds of our children.”

Collins then kick-started a nice version of “Be Natural,” on which the crowd sang along, before a closing, anthemic but eerie rendition of “Roots, Rock, Reggae.” Synths aside, the groove had vitality. And the song, a tribute to cross-generic unity, may have struck the perfect coda for the evening.

Photo courtesy of chopteeth.com