It hardly needs saying that Washington's jazz community is still mourning the loss last weekend of Jimmy "Junebug" Jackson. The much-loved drummer, singer, raconteur, and goofball is being mourned and celebrated all over town, but in particular at the HR-57 jam sessions he so often led. Last night's and tonight's jams are both being dedicated to [...]
Thursday, Jan. 19
Observers of the D.C. jazz scene have been known to refer to the Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra as "now-defunct" or "former." And that's not true. While the large ensemble doesn't appear with any regularity—or for that matter, with a consistent lineup—the trumpeter has continued his work as a big bandleader after the group's [...]
Honestly, folks, the best thing jazz fans can do this week is help the good people at Melody Records unload their inventory so they can walk away from their venerable store with something to show for it. Even when the city was flush with record retailers, Melody was far and away the best for jazz, [...]
Thursday, November 10
It seems that Troy Andrews' star is on the rise. At least in terms of the name he works under: Trombone Shorty. Perhaps you know him from his appearances at the DC Jazz Festival, or from his appearances on the round of late-night talk shows. Perhaps you're one of the (apparently) few people [...]
One of the newest, fastest-rising jazz personalities in D.C. is Lydia Lewis, a young drummer and educator with a crisp sound and startling grasp of tricky rhythmic signatures. Her profile has risen significantly this year as she's worked with tenor saxophonist Elijah Balbed at Bayou, played through the Washington Women in Jazz Festival this spring, [...]
Already boasting an impressive resume on the D.C. jazz scene, tenor saxophonist Elijah Balbed added another major entry in June: artist in residence at Bohemian Caverns. The fourth such artist since club owner/manager Omrao Brown began the residency program last November, Balbed's monthlong tenure was truncated—and overshadowed—by the presence of the DC Jazz Festival [...]
It's a spectacular week for jazz, folks.
Thurday, June 23
It's been a long time—over a year and a half, in fact—since D.C. has seen a gig by the Cricket Fusion Quartet. The collective is the brainchild of Joe Brotherton, a trumpeter (and a hip one) with a taste for two things: spontaneous group improvisation and groove. [...]
Thursday, April 21
A month shy of her 24th birthday, DC's Andrea Wood has a smallish, wiry frame that can't possibly contain the robust, supple voice she exhibits on her debut CD, Dhyana. Her range is uncanny: She's got flawless rhythm (in terms of the beat and the Portuguese syllables she enunciates) on the bossa tune [...]
Last December, D.C. jazz advocacy project CapitalBop graduated from mere website to concert promoter with its D.C. Jazz Loft, a decidedly non-virtual gathering of musicians for performances at the Red Door loft. Now, it's carrying that aspect a step farther, partnering with the D.C. Jazz Festival to present a full series of Jazz Loft performances [...]
Yeah, the snowfall wasn't exactly a catastrophe 'round these parts, though the New Yorkers are certainly having a time of it. Still, it's enough to have closed D.C. public schools—which means enough to close daycares, which means your humble jazz correspondent has had to stay home and wait for naptime today before getting to this [...]
