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 [...]
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 [...]
HR-57’s planned move from 14th Street to the Atlas District made big news this week, with observers agreeing that I’m ignorant/racist for questioning the new location’s accessibility this is a tough break for the strip on 14th Street, but great news for the nascent entertainment corridor on H Street NE. Less discussed, though, is how [...]
Thursday, July 29
We've discussed before the deep vein of gospel that runs through Baltimore jazz. Well, meet the furthest exponent of that style: Cyrus Chestnut. A highly esteemed, technically dazzling mainstream pianist, Chestnut's inspirational roots couldn't be suppressed with a steam shovel; the church seems to glow through the tips of his fingers, and you [...]
My post last week regarding the newly born Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra mentioned in passing "the demise of the Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra," the previous occupant of the Monday evening slot at Bohemian Caverns. However, as a few members of the D.C. jazz scene have pointed out to me since, this was not the best [...]
Monday nights have been dark at Bohemian Caverns since the demise of the Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra last fall. But that's about to change: Omrao Brown, co-owner and booker for the venerable jazz club, and baritone saxophonist Brad Linde have just finalized plans to resurrect Big Band Mondays. This time, however, it will be starring [...]
Oct. 1
1905 Restaurant sometimes gets labeled a speakeasy for its obscure location (the dimly lit second floor of a barely marked rowhouse at 1905 9th Street NW) and its absinthe-featuring drink menu. Like the classic speakeasies, it also regularly features some of the most interesting jazz on the local scene. The Cricket Fusion Quartet, led [...]
