Saturday, Sep. 24
The best jazz album of last year was Yesterday You Said Tomorrow, a rock-influenced, socially conscious yet surprisingly muted album by New Orleans trumpeter Christian Scott. Scott is the latest in the long line of Crescent City jazz trumpeters stretching back to Buddy Bolden, and has soaked up not only the heritage of his instrument but the New Orleans tradition of stylistic synthesis. Funk, hip-hop, rock, and post-bop stew together in his vision of a viable jazz for a new generation—what his uncle, the great alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, calls "Nouveau Swing." Recently, that movement has become a specialty of Bohemian Caverns, which showcases the full spectrum of jazz but has been especially sensitive to the progressive sounds that can attract a young audience. Well, here they are, and backed by the quintet of a splendid Baltimore/Washington drummer, John R. Lamkin. Scott and the Lamkin Quintet perform at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th St. NW. $22.

Sunday, Sept. 25
It was 20 years ago this month that Joshua Redman won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, beating out the likes of Eric Alexander and Chris Potter. In the intervening two decades Redman has evolved into one of the most widely imitated jazz saxophonists in the world. Part of it is his tone, full-bodied and both sinewy and sinuous; more to the point, though, is his commitment to always trying something new. He's delved into electro-funk with his Elastic Band; tough, outside-the-lines improvisation with his piano-less trio, and sensitive, lyrical duets with emotive pianist Brad Mehldau. Redman's newest adventure, a quartet called James Farm, is conceived as a band of equals (though Redman is the most prominent person in the ensemble) with pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland; the immediate frame of reference for them isn't post-bop, though, but post-rock—the music is moody, illuminated by Parks' electric piano and pump organ, and at times lighter-than-air, guided by Redman on soprano saxophone. It's a determined effort to maintain contact between the jazz tradition and the contemporary musical universe—and it's a brilliant success. James Farm performs at 7 p.m. at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, at the University of Maryland campus in College Park. $45.

Thursday, May 5
Huh? Why would a column about D.C. jazz carry a photo of one of the city's historical sites, Decatur House on Lafayette Square near the White House? Why, I'm delighted that you asked. It's because Decatur House is the site of one of D.C.'s least appreciated summer jazz traditions, Jazz on Jackson Place. On the first Thursday night in each month from May to September, the house museum (built in 1818 for a hero of the War of 1812) holds a jazz concert in its courtyard with wine and snacks—music under the stars—in a series that's now in its sixth successful year. It opens once again this week, with a session led by the great D.C.-by-way-of-Russia violinist Matvei Sigalov: a classically trained but jazz-inclined and fusion-experimenting player. He's joined by pianist Burnett Thompson, and a quartet drawn from Thompson's New Columbia Swing Orchestra, at 6:30 p.m. at Decatur House, 748 Jackson Place NW. $25. Whoops! This show is May 12. Still worth your time, though!

Friday, May 6
The current gold standard of jazz tenor saxophone (since about the late '90s) is Mark Turner. His successor as Most Influential Player, I'll predict right here and now, is Marcus Strickland. The 32-year-old Miamian, who's swept the industry's up-and-coming-saxophonists awards, bears some of Turner's most distinctive designs, as well as elements of John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter; Strickland's sense of rhythm is something else, though. For one thing, his hometown is one of the world's great hip-hop meccas, and he soaked those sounds up thoroughly. For another, his evolution as a musician has found him surrounded by drummers: His father was a jazz and R&B drummer; his twin brother, E.J., is a drummer; and two of Strickland's most important and formative gigs were with Roy Haynes, jazz's greatest living drummer, and Jeff "Tain" Watts, the greatest of his generation. On his own, Strickland navigates the postbop pathways opened up by Trane and Shorter, but he fuses it with the funky, tricky, hip-hoppy beats he learned in his upbringing and apprenticeships. He's the future of the sax, you wait and see. On second thought, don't wait and see. Go see him. Strickland performs at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center's KC Jazz Club, 2700 F St. NW. $16.

Photo: Mamoru Kobayakaw

Saturday, May 7
Speaking of '60s-inspired postbop sax, did you go out to hear Azar Lawrence last fall when he hit Blues Alley? Probably not; you missed out. Lawrence, whose big break came in 1967 when legendary pianist McCoy Tyner hired him, plays both tenor and soprano in the modal jazz school that Tyner pioneered with onetime employer John Coltrane. But big break or no, Lawrence remains one of the most tragically underrated players in jazz. He's re-shaped the modal-jazz landscape in his own image, grabbing jewels of Latin folk traditions and African rhythm and counterpoint to work into his own stew. You've got to hear it. Azar Lawrence performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $35.

Tuesday, May 10
When people like me insist that jazz is everywhere, a truly international phenomenon, you're unlikely to include in your notion of that a tiny former-Soviet country in Eastern Europe with a population of less than half D.C.'s metro area. As it turns out, though, Latvia has its own jazz scene—and Māris Briežkalns is one of its leading lights. Briežkalns, a drummer, leads a quintet from the capital city of Riga, whose mission is to translate the traditional and pop music of their country into the language of jazz—and to imbue the jazz-standard repertoire with the shadings of Latvia. It's made them a mainstay of jazz festivals all over Europe, and a surprising success in Canada. The band includes a vocalist, Intars Busulis, who (as you may have guessed) sings in Latvian; the words you may not understand, but the feeling, as in the rest of the band's music, is unmistakable. The Māris Briežkalns Quintet performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. $15.

Thursday, April 29
Pianist Vijay Iyer, perhaps the moment's most critically acclaimed jazz musician under 40, has taken several different paths with his music, including extensive work with avant-garde visionaries Steve Coleman and Wadada Leo Smith. Among his most frequent and fruitful explorations, though, is of his Indian heritage, filtered through jazz's language. It's something he's undertaken with several projects, and Tirtha is one of the most interesting: a trio featuring Iyer, guitarist/vocalist Prasanna, and tabla player Nitin Mitta. Whatever you're expecting to hear, though, it's not what they'll play: It's not as exotic, not as seamless, not as clever, not as good. But if what you hope to hear is exciting and fresh, you'll certainly get that part in spades. Iyer and Tirtha perform at 7:30 p.m. at the Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike in Rockville. $28.

Friday, April 30
Chinese-American violinist Jason Kao Hwang is a leading figure in the Asian American Jazz movement, where he blends American music with Japanese and Korean elements as well as those of his own heritage. But that’s not enough culture-crossing for Hwang, who keeps seeking out new musical traditions to fold into his own mixture. As luck would have it, his D.C.-based friend Ayman Fanous is doing the same thing. The Egyptian-born improv guitarist touts flamenco player Paco de Lucia and free-jazz mastermind Ornette Coleman as his major heroes, and reflects his Mediterranean roots by (among other things) doubling on the Greek bouzouki. Put them together on stage, and you have an improvised sound that’s even more textured in its use of cultural traditions than it is in its interplay of string instruments. Does playing in an Episcopal church add yet another layer of fusion? That’s yet to be determined. Hwang and Fanous perform at 8 p.m. at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 728 23rd St. NW. $15 (suggested donation).

Saturday, May 1
Marcus Strickland jumps freely, and imaginatively, back and forth between acoustic and electric jazz. Consider the tenor saxophonist's work with trumpeters Wynton Marsalis and experimentalist Dave Douglas, the respective figureheads of the traditionalist and progressivist movements in jazz. Strickland, though, finds a comfortable and unique niche in all settings. That also applies to his own bands—Strickland leads both the Twi-Life group, which flirts with electro-funk and hip-hop, and a straight-ahead trio. It’s the latter that appears at Bohemian Caverns Saturday night, featuring Hans Glawischnig on bass and Strickland’s identical twin brother E.J. on drums. The trio performs at 8:30 and 10:30 at the Caverns, 2001 Eleventh St. NW. $25.

Tuesday, May 3
No doubt you've been reading this Setlist and saying to yourself, "Yeah, but where's the Peruvian jazz, dammit?!" A perfectly understandable reaction, my friends, but of course the Peruvian jazz is right here. Or, more accurately, it's at Blues Alley, with a performance by the world's foremost Afro-Peruvian jazz expert, Gabriel Alegria. "Expert" is not said lightly: Alegria holds a Ph.D. in jazz studies, and in his home country heads an organization (JPI) with the specific mission of promoting jazz and cultural exchange in Peru. And he's also a hell of a trumpeter with a gorgeous sound, which is what's most important. Alegria performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $20.

Nov. 5
Once upon a time it seemed that New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton was the reincarnation of Louis Armstrong, with his bright virtuosic phrases and Big Easy swing. Then came 2003's Sonic Trance and last year's Into the Blue, which transplanted Payton into slow, spacy fusion jams that had more in common with Bitches Brew than Satchmo Plays W.C. Handy. Though he now grounds himself with electronics (and occasionally even techno beats), Payton hasn't sacrificed his roots in blues, lyricism, and swing—he just lifts them into the stratosphere. Payton performs with his quartet at 8 and 10 pm at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Avenue NW. $30.

Nov. 7
On the other hand, Marcus Strickland jumps freely back and forth between acoustic and electric musical projects. The tenor saxophonist has worked with drummers Roy Haynes and Jeff "Tain" Watts as well as the two (equal and opposite) major trumpeters of the era, the traditionalist Wynton Marsalis and experimentalist Dave Douglas, and finds a comfortable and unique niche in all settings. That also applies to his own bands – Strickland leads both the Twi-Life group, which flirts with electro-funk and hip-hop, and a straight-ahead trio. It's the latter that appears at Bohemian Caverns at 9 and 11 pm, featuring Strickland's identical twin brother E.J. on drums and DC native and this year's Thelonious Monk Competition winner Ben Williams on bass. Don't be fooled: the acoustic trio will offer plenty of surprises from the other side of the fence.

Nov. 8
Despite Art Blakey’s admonition that “jazz doesn’t have a damn thing to do with Africa,” musicians everywhere have never stopped trying to establish the link. Americans usually think of African music in terms of traditional percussion and tribal rhythms; guitarist Lionel Loueke, who’s from Benin, fuses his jazz with melodic West African pop. Its primary effect is to generate music of startling beauty. Loueke is an acoustic player, and the new songs often sound like folk music at first (an impression that Loueke reinforces with soft humming and tongue-clicking); the harmonic labyrinths and the focused interplay are the jazz element. Loueke performs with his trio at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Stadium Drive and Route 193 in College Park. $37.

November 11
They sometimes call them "organ-grinder groups" — the soul-inflected jazz trios centered around a Hammond B-3 organ, in the tradition of players like Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff. D.C.'s contribution is the Rodney Richardson Trio. Richardson is actually the guitarist; Will Rast is the organist (and Larry Ferguson is the drummer). But it's Richardson's subtle, delicate touch that pushes the trio into its idiosyncratic sound. Rast pulsates and explores, doesn't jam, and Ferguson punctuates and makes surprisingly careful fills. It keeps audiences guessing, but also intrigued. Find them at Twins Jazz, 1344 U Street NW. $15.

Strickland's new quartet is loaded with players who can be described in superlatives: the drummer, twin brother E.J. Strickland, is perhaps jazz's most powerful drummer under 30; guitarist Mike Moreno is easily one of the most nimble improvisers; and Ben Williams is one of the most intellectual bassists. As for Marcus, he's packed with new melodic and harmonic ideas that he filters through a haughty, lusty sound on his tenor (he lightens up a bit, but not too much, when he switches to soprano). Many of the tunes he led the band through were new, and played with as much muscle as he could muster.

If you couldn't make either set last night, a good place to start with Strickland is his last year's Open Reel Deck album, which I wrote "targets the intellect even as it makes the head bob. It's fun and engaging[.]" Check it out.