Just because an artist is second on the bill doesn't make he's fluff or filler. Nasar Abadey pummeled the drums, especially his rack toms, following fierce volleys from trumpeter J.S. Williams, alto saxophonist Joe Ford, and pianist Allyn Johnson while playing Wayne Shorter's "Free Fall" last night at the Hamilton. Jabari Exum (percussion) and James [...]
Ah, that magical time of year when D.C.'s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of jazz. Which, for the next 12 days, will be everywhere, in greater diversity and density than ever before. Yes, the D.C. Jazz Festival is determinedly getting better and better every year; it remains to be seen whether this year's incarnation, which [...]
Thursday, Feb. 28
The first jazz I saw when I moved to D.C. in the summer of 2001 may well have been Kevin Cordt. At the time, the trumpeter's quartet was holding down Friday nights at Mr. Henry's on Capitol Hill, with flyers advertising that their sound evoked the Blue Note albums of the '60s. And [...]
Friday, Nov. 30
What's now just another Subway franchise at 2517 Pennsylvania Avenue NW used to be something special. One Step Down was the jazz club in D.C. for a long time—the headquarters for the local scene and a favorite stop for touring musicians until it closed in 2000. (Thanks, real-estate boom!) All these years later, [...]
Yesterday, Strathmore announced the participants in the forthcoming eighth season of its Artist-in-Residence program. The six local artists, each of whom will be a featured performer at North Bethesda's Mansion at Strathmore for one month, include three jazz musicians: vocalist Integriti Reeves (shown), drummer Isabelle De Leon, and "gypsy jazz" violinist Daisy Castro. They will be [...]
Thursday, March 8
If there is one thing we can safely say about developments in D.C. jazz, it's that the avant-garde is on the upswing here. Transparent Productions is running full blast with its monthly series at Bohemian Caverns; and the new season of jazz at the Kennedy Center includes saxophonist Anthony Braxton, a marriage of [...]
Thursday, January 12
Setlist has not said enough—not nearly enough—about tenor saxophonist Bruce Swaim. A D.C. jazz musician for 30 years, Swaim has a deep, vinegary sound on his instrument and an enormous swagger that's matched by the enormity of his swing. He's worked all around town (he's a frequent player at the National Gallery's weekly [...]
This is one of those weeks when I wish I could be in several places at once. Alas, dear reader, I cannot, and therefore can't recommend more than one at a time for you.
Friday, Dec. 9
Tim Warfield is one of the best Christmas gifts D.C. gives its jazz fans every year. He does an annual [...]
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 [...]
Tonight, Jan. 20
The rise of young Miguel Zenon has brought renewed attention on the jazz strands of Puerto Rico, but the Island of Enchantment has a long, long lineage in the music from Juan Tizol to Tito Puente to David Sanchez. Puente remains the king; if there's a Crown Prince of Puerto Rican jazz, however, [...]
