Saturday, January 14
Jazz is often a family affair. We've got Heath Brothers, Jones Brothers, and Roney Brothers; three Cohens; the Marsalis family; D.C.'s own drumming dynasty, the Abadeys; and, at least partially in D.C., the Browns. Omrao Brown is the man at the helm of Bohemian Caverns, the city's best jazz venue. His father, Leonard Brown, is a saxophonist and professor of music at Northeastern University in Boston. The elder Brown is a frequent visitor to his son's club, luckily for us (particularly on Martin Luther King Weekend, when he plays an annual tribute); he's an impassioned, energetic player in the Coltrane tradition, but with his own slightly gruff sound, particularly when he gets to wailing on his soprano sax. (He also plays tenor.) Better yet, his quartet Joyful Noise features some of D.C.'s finest—pianist Bob Butta Johnson, bassist James King, and the head of the aformentioned Abadey dynasty, Nasar, on drums. They perform at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th St. NW. $18 in advance, $22 at the door.

Monday, January 16
It's a new year, which combines celebration with a fresh start, and you haven't gone out to see the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra yet? Shame on you. Shame! Actually, there's a good chance you have seen the BCJO in 2012, if you're a fan; they tend to pack the house every Monday night of their ongoing residency at the titular club. But whether you've been to see them or not, you must go this week. It's vital. Why? Because it's the final appearance with the big band of one of its original tenor saxophonists. Charles Phaneuf, the gentleman you see in the photograph here, has been on the front line since the orchestra's first gig; now, however, he's headed back to his native Raleigh, North Carolina. The BCJO will continue on, naturally; the guys in charge, Brad Linde and Joe Herrera, will surely find someone to succeed him (if they haven't already). Nobody, however, can replace him. They perform at 8 and 10 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns. $7.

Wednesday, January 18
One of Blues Alley's valuable contributions to jazz in this town is its collaborations with the Embassies to bring jazz from all over the world into our fair city. One of the best examples of this is the Indian Jazz Series, a regular occurrence that starts next week at the fabled Georgetown nightclub. As always, the lineup is an excellent one; for this writer, though, who just saw him perform last weekend in New York, the standout has got to be guitarist Rez Abbasi. Of Pakistani descent, Abbasi is a composer and improviser who pursues a fusion of Indian traditions with jazz ones. This is actually part of a larger trend in the music these days: Abbasi is a member of a collective called the Indo-Pak Coalition that exists for the same purpose. But he's able to articulate it with a unique voice of his own, a musical style that uses jazz harmony at its core, but also the rhythmic cycles of eastern music—not to mention an idiosyncratic texture that draws from both of those traditions, as well as an edge of rock rawness. He's an extraordinary musician, and praise Blues Alley for bringing them here. Of course, rather than praising them, you could also thank them by buying a ticket to the gig. Abbasi performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $20.

Friday, Dec. 9
Tim Warfield is one of the best Christmas gifts D.C. gives its jazz fans every year. He does an annual performance at Bohemian Caverns of the Christmas songs he loves, imbuing them with his tenor saxophone's sharp edges and dark undertones without sacrificing the straight-ahead bop sound he loves. It's a hell of a concert, and tends to feature special guests. This year, he's joined by vocalist Joanna Pascale, and by a true star in whiz pianist Cyrus Chestnut, in addition to his favorite frontline partner, trumpeter Terell Stafford (recently the subject of an excellent JazzTimes story by my local colleague, Giovanni Russonello). 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th St. NW. $25.

Saturday, Dec. 10
There are a lot of great drummers in Washington, but rare is the one with the imagination and virtuosity of Nasar Abadey. The Buffalo, N.Y., native is a musician of profound spirituality—John Coltrane changed his life—and profound skill. But he's not a weekly gig type of player: Abadey and his band, Supernova (which comes in various configurations), don't want to overexpose themselves on the scene. It's an interesting side effect, though, that the infrequency give his gigs both a mystique and the feel of an event, which amplifies the glory of his spiritual postbop jazz. So does the presence of saxophonist Azar Lawrence, another of the great jazz mystics, who joins Abadey, pianist Allyn Johnson and bassist James King in the Saturday night show. They hit at 9 and 11 p.m. at Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. $15.

Sunday, Dec. 11
Then there's the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, the District's one and only resident big band that holds down Monday nights at the titular U Street Northwest club. In its almost two years, the BCJO has built and maintained a sizable audience with its book of classic arrangements by jazz's most important big-band writers (and some of the BCJO's own members) and has become a major gathering point for some of the city's best players—especially younger ones who are trying to make their names known in D.C. Make no mistake, though; these are top-flight musicians, all of them, and they know their material forward and backward. Hence it's pretty special when they put on a holiday show like this one. The centerpiece is Ellington’s famous arrangement of The Nutcracker Suite (a Christmas favorite around these parts); however, there’ll also be lots of seasonal delights. And, when they’re finished the later set, follow the saxophone section—Brad Linde, Sarah Hughes, Charles Phaneuf, Elijah Balbed, and Brent Birckhead—down to the December edition of the CapitalBop Jazz Loft, where they'll put on a special display of their own. The BCJO plays at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns. $15.

Wednesday, Dec. 14
Controversy continues to rage over Stan Kenton, the jazz big-band leader who would have been 100 years old this week. The uproar stems not only from his daughter’s allegations that Kenton, who died of alcoholism-related causes in 1979, sexually assaulted her as a child. The pianist and composer remains artistically controversial, too. Was his “neophonic” concept that of a visionary artist, or an eccentric kitschmeister? There was consensus on at least one point: Kenton was unique. He had an ambitious ear for brass orchestrations, a flair for the “exotic” (especially Latin rhythms), and a weakness for compositions and arrangements that flouted convention. For jazz educators, these have become irresistible, challenging puzzles for students, and that’s part of why Kenton’s cult includes generations of formally trained musicians. It also explains how the Atlas jazz series ended up with a 19-piece orchestra, paying tribute to him one day before his actual centennial. Controversial or not, neophonics lives on. The Stan Kenton centennial celebration begins at 8 p.m. at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. $20.

The lineup is a doozy: the core, of course, is an ace quartet featuring pianist Tim Whalen, bassist Tarus Mateen, and drummer Nasar Abadey, all of them among the finest talent the District has to offer. But Balbed has stacked the deck with even more great players, including the acrobatic trumpeter Donvonte McCoy, subtle and sultry young vocalist Integriti Reeves, and uniquely gifted steelpan drummer Victor Provost, who will appear as special guests.They'll be working out new material for an album Balbed hopes to record this year, as well as favorite tunes and new arrangements by the other musicians.

Stellar as the evening promises to be, though, this one has a more important dimension to it than just a night of great music (important as that is). Balbed's 15-year-old sister Yaya has recently undergone a major surgical procedure in her back as treatment for her scoliosis. The proceeds from the concert will help with Yaya's medical bills, recovery costs, and musical training—Yaya has discovered a passion for singing. Call it an investment in D.C.'s musical future.

Elijah Balbed performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns, 2000 11th St. NW. $7 in advance, $10 at the door.

Photo: Liz Medina Chiomenti.

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, it's got to be Eddie Palmieri. The pianist was actually born in New York City, but to new-immigrant parents and in a Hispanic Bronx neighborhood that ensured his immersion in his musical heritage. In fact, while Palmieri began studying jazz piano as a kid, his professional career started in Latin dance music which he later injected with jazz elements, not the other way around. That was 50 years ago, and in the time since the world of Latin jazz has transformed itself around Palmieri's innovations. He brought a new Latin rhythmic sensibility to jazz piano, and a reconfigured instrumental tableau that brought trombones, not trumpets, to the forefront. No, he may not be at Puente's guest-star-on-The-Simpsons level (and let's face it, "He robbed the school of Eddie!" just doesn't have the same ring to it), but he's an unquestionably major figure just the same. Palmieri leads a quartet with Brian Lynch at 8 and 10 p.m., part of the Heineken Latin Jazz series at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $37.75.
Photo: Tommy Rivera Jr.
Friday, Jan. 21
It was in January of 1999 that Reverend Brian Hamilton conceived the notion of transforming the sanctuary of his church, Westminster Presbyterian, into a jazz club on Friday nights "as a way to bring people together, using jazz and promoting jazz in the process." It was a simple idea: Put some of the area's finest hard-bop musicians on the dais, charge a pittance for admission, and throw in dinner from a neighborhood caterer. Fast forward a dozen years; Jazz Night in Southwest is not only one of the most stable and established gigs in the District, it's one of the most beloved. Musicians adore playing there, with an unfailingly warm and appreciative (and deeply knowledgeable) audience waiting in the pews. Listeners love listening there, and frequently hear about new D.C. talent on its stage. How could that not be worthy of a big anniversary party with local all-stars? Washington's reigning jazz granddaddy, saxophonist Buck Hill, is joined by (among others) fellow saxophonist Antonio Parker, bassist Herman Burney, and drummer Nasar Abadey. And some surprises! They hit at 6 p.m., 4th and I Streets SW. $5.

Saturday, Jan. 22
One thing we need is more vibraphone around here. We've got the ever-fantastic Chuck Redd here in town, but it's not enough! More D.C. vibes now, dammit! ...Still, if we've got to import our vibraphonists for a good performance, let's try to make it the best–which is what the movers behind the Red Door Loft are doing with Philadelphia's Khan Jamal. He's not a descendant of Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hutcherson, or Walt Dickerson; he's a descendant of all of them put together. Jamal is a restless explorer on his instrument, breezing in and out of convention and even grooving on fusion some of the time (perhaps the only person outside of Frank Zappa to figure out how to make jazz-fusion on the vibes). Jamal is an extraordinarily soloist, but even better with a hot rhythm section; Tonight he'll be doing one set of each, the latter with drummer Scott Verrastro and others TBA–though chances are it'll include bassist Luke Stewart, one of the concert's organizers. They play at the Red Door Loft, 443 I St.t NW. $5 (suggested donation).

Thursday, Jan. 13
You might know Amy K. Bormet from her weekly role as pianist and backbone of the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra (and perhaps you saw her thoughtful interview on this WTTG tribute to the late Dr. Billy Taylor). But she's got other tricks up her sleeve. Her 2011 resolution, she recently stated, is "MORE ACCORDION," and Aqui Oh offers her a chance to get started on that. Aqui Oh is a Brazilian jazz ensemble, the core of which is Bormet and her husband, guitarist Matt Dievendorf—the former also sings, and the latter plays the miniature Portuguese cavaquinho. Joined by bassist Karine Chapdelaine and percussionists Marc Levine and Chuck Navyac, they perform the Brazilian jazz repertoire as well as their own compositions in the same milieu (which they've studied well—Bormet and Dievendorf's honeymoon last year was in Bahia). This is the good stuff. Aqui Oh performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. $10.

Saturday, Jan. 15
Boston isn't on anyone's list of jazz meccas these days. But it is an academic mecca, and with Berklee and the New England Conservatory among the many institutions, it's one of the great centers for music training and scholarship. One of its most renowned trainers/scholars is Northeastern University's Leonard Brown, who studies the music of the African diaspora. He has a particularly deep knowledge of John Coltrane and the strain of "spiritual jazz" that he inspired with his later musical explorations; in fact, Brown's newest book is John Coltrane and Black America’s Quest for Freedom, Spirituality, and the Music (Oxford University Press), which he'll be talking about and signing at Bohemian Caverns at 2:30 Saturday afternoon. By night, however, Brown expresses his intellect about spiritual jazz in another way: He's also an extraordinary tenor and soprano saxophonist, who leads a band appropriately called Joyful Noise featuring a coterie of great D.C. jazz musicians (and fellow spiritual-jazz enthusiasts): pianist Bob Butta, bassist James King, and drummer Nasar Abadey. Interestingly for such an accomplished academic, Brown's and Joyful Noise's musical trajectory is aimed at something that all involved would tell you is beyond intellectual understanding. But there's a distinct historical context to this weekend's performance: It's a celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday, combining Coltrane's spiritual jazz with actual African-American spirituals (not the same thing, mind you). It happens at 8:30 and 10:30 at Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th St. NW. $22.

Tuesday, January 18

Though he lost his most visible gig at Columbia Station last fall, bass legend Butch Warren has kept fairly busy. He still works weekly in Adams Morgan, leading his band the Butch Warren Experience every Tuesday night at Tryst. He performed at Blues Alley in October with the Brad Linde Ensemble. He also made a recent (and as yet unreleased) recording of some of his own original compositions. This week, however, offers a chance to see Warren perform at a D.C. establishment that's not quite a jazz venue, but edging ever closer to one. The Black Fox Lounge, a sleek bar in Dupont Circle, offers nightly live music of all kinds, but jazz artists are slowly but surely coming to dominate the schedule. One of the regulars is the impressive guitarists Matt Ingeneri, who often duets with bassist Bill "Magic" Lavender Bey; this week, though, Warren will be filling Bey's spot. They perform at 7 p.m. at the Black Fox Lounge, 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.

As made clear in my 1998 and 2010 articles, the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) largely views any suggestions regarding changing the Wammies nomination process, or the organization itself, as simply sour grapes, naïve, or an undemocratic attempt to impose someone’s else’s opinion. Write WAMA a check, become a member, and we’ll listen to your opinion on nominations, they say, while WAMA critics wonder why they would want to join an organization that ignores widely heralded musicians, has a history of embarassing mistakes, and dispenses juvenile insults (see the reactions to the two prior pieces) in response to criticism that is meant to be constructive.

WAMA board members have told me in the past that they on occasion consult "experts" to fill the nominations slot, rather than simply relying on the suggestions from members. My point continues to be that WAMA needs more experts, and that WAMA needs to do a better job making their organization useful and helpful and demonstrating that it cares about all styles of music. WAMA members may still not vote for expert-suggested names, but getting more such names on the ballot would at least be a start. I am not talking about substituting my own view; I mean consulting various participants in the area music scene, including critics, promoters, bloggers, and academics. WAMA needs these experts because, frankly, numerous musicians and others do not see the organization or its Wammies as being valuable, and therefore do not want to join and nominate artists themselves. The list of well-regarded artists not nominated under the current process for the Wammies is simply too extensive to be dismissed in the manner that WAMA partisans have done for 25 years.

(An aside: WAMA should  update its website, which contains a number of out-of-date items including a link to a list of D.C. venues that contains the long-since-closed Warehouse Next Door, Capital City Pavilion, and Ellington's on Eighth, but not various facilities that are open.)

As for this year’s ballot, the Wammies have ignored all metal bands, including Northern Virginia's Salome, a favorite of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the City Paper.  They have again neglected bluesy soul artists such as the Hardway Connection, Jim Bennett, and Little Margie.  The world music category contains virtually the same choices as last year while again overlooking Haitian band Rafrechi and all Ethiopian performers (despite this area including one of the largest Ethiopian populations in the U.S.).  Rapper Fat Trel may have the support of Wale and the Washington Post and the City Paper and be on the WKYS list of hot area hip-hop artists, but that's not enough to get nominated for a Wammie. The Latin list again contains no mariachi bands, including Mariachi Los Amigos, whose membership includes the Smithsonian’s Dan Sheehy, one of the organizers of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.  The Latin roster also omits again Zeniza, Orquesta Romana, and Orquesta La Leyenda. Roots and country guitarist Jim Stephanson’s Say Go album was recorded with members of NRBQ and made a WFMU DJ’s top 10 for the year, but WAMA did not mention it.  Electronica vocalist nominee Bob Mould moved to San Francisco in 2009, and electronica vocalist nominee Ultra Nate is based in Baltimore. Electronica DJ act Nadastrom is wrongly listed as a performing act while DJs Dubfire & Sharam are listed together, when they have rarely DJed together since releasing solo projects several years ago. Where are electronica act Bluebrain and D.C. rock bands like Title Tracks, True Womanhood, Imperial China, and Medications, which The Washington Post, City Paper, DCist, Brightest Young Things, and other local media hailed as top acts last year? Michael West and others can surely name more ignored jazz participants, but it's obvious to even a non-fanatic of jazz like me that veteran players such as Bobby Felder, Jacques Johnson, Sr., and Nasar Abadey deserved to be mentioned.

Sure, it's nice that artists such as Warner Williams, the What ? Band, Joe Falero, Wale, Lena Seikaly, and others have been nominated in various genre categories, but when the water glass is so empty year after year, it’s hard to appreciate the water that's there.

Saturday, Jan. 8
There are two Roy Hargroves, and they often command the same bandstand together. One of them is the aloof, distant trumpet master who plays the finest bebop horn of his generation, then stalks around the stage moodily while the next solo gets going. The other is the one who basks in his rapport with the crowd, does a little step when his solo hits its rhythmic peak, and pulls the mouthpiece away to spontaneously throw in a funny dash of scat. But which side will take the stage, and when will the other take over? Does it matter? Hargrove is a master of his craft, and one to throw in the fervor of gospel and the grooves of funk and hip-hop just to throw off your expectations...and then surpass them. He's also got a fabulous working quintet that currently includes Washingtonian native Ameen Saleem (another in the seemingly endless line of great D.C. bass players). The Roy Hargrove Quintet performs at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, 2700 F St. NW. $35.

Photo: Bob Travis.

Sunday, Jan. 9
There's no shortage of piano players in this town—though even in that crop Will Rast stands out as something special with his taste for lyrical beauty and freakishly in-the-pocket rhythms. He's also an organ player, and in that regard he is surely the king in this town. He cover the gamut from soul to funk to fusion jazz on that device, and lays down thick textures that can't be imitated by anyone else. He's also got a jones for electronic music that he does extremely unusual and interesting things with. Why mention all of this? Well, Rast performs Sunday night at Bossa in Adams Morgan...and the website lists him as simply "Will Rast." No mention of his trio, quartet, or his Funk Ark project; even the space on their schedule that lists the genre of the musicians is mysteriously blank. Rast does tend to fall back on a jazzy framework, though, even in his external exercises, so go see him. The gig happens at 9 p.m. at Bossa, 2463 18th St.t NW. Free.

Monday, Jan. 11
These days, John Kocur’s steadiest gig is not in the clubs but in the classroom, teaching music at Northern Virginia Community College and directing the school’s repertory jazz ensemble. But when he does find time to pick up his alto saxophone and hit the bandstand, Kocur remains one of the D.C. scene’s best musicians. He’s got a big, slippery sound and a love of melody that makes his solos joyous and his compositions smart and exciting. Though Kocur’s educational endeavors occupy most of his time these days, he hasn’t abandoned his writing: He’s got a brand new crop of compositions, and he’s been woodshedding them with his quartet to prep them for performance in the new year. Who says teaching is for those who can’t do? The John Kocur Quartet performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $20.

Photo: Darrell Jennings.

We've already talked about the year's biggest story, the ascent of Bohemian Caverns to the top of the heap in D.C. jazz. But here are the other big happenings of 2010:

1. Sarah Hughes, a talented young saxophonist and hardworking District supporting player, made a promising debut as a bandleader at Utopia on Jan. 7.
2. The East Coast Jazz Festival was reborn as the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival in February, putting local stalwarts and promising students on the bill with great national acts.
3. Local dynamo Nasar Abadey and his Supernova ensemble was selected to represent the United States as part of the State Department's "Rhythm Road" cultural exchange program.
4. Alto saxophonist John Kocur, pianist Amy Bormet, and drummer Nate Jolley were recipients in March of the Kennedy Center's prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency.
5. A new Sunday night jam session began at Dahlak Eritrean restaurant on U Street in April.
6. The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra became the city's only house big band when it organized and premiered at the Caverns in April.
7. A slew of outstanding new recordings by Bobby Muncy, Kevin Pace, Saltman Knowles, Nasar Abadey, and the Jolley Brothers.
8. The D.C. Jazz Festival changed its name, refreshed its one-world jazz perspective, and found perhaps its surest footing in its six-year existence.
9. D.C. jazz had its own "Revolution Summer", with a full plate of festivals and national acts colliding with seven nights a week of local jazz in the U Street/Adams Morgan corridor.
10. Saxophonist Elijah Balbed established himself once and for all as one of the major forces at work on the local jazz scene (and its best new musician).
11. CapitalBop, a comprehensive new website advocating jazz in the District run by local jazz lovers Giovanni Russonello and Luke Stewart, launched in July.
12. Butch Warren, the District's most significant (and significantly troubled) jazz ambassador, was fired from his longtime gig at Columbia Station.
13. Longtime U Street jazz venue Cafe Nema, one of the key locales in the District's recent jazz renaissance, closed its doors in October.
14. Among many great national acts performing in DC (including a live recording made here in November), free-jazz great Cecil Taylor performed a rare and extremely well-attended—not to mention brilliant—concert at the French embassy on Nov. 10.
15. The aforementioned jazz advocates at CapitalBop became jazz impresarios when they presented the DC Jazz Loft, one of the best and most important showcases for local jazz musicians in recent memory.
16. HR-57 Center for the Preservation of Jazz and Blues left its 15-year outpost on 14th Street NW for the greener, hipper pastures of H Street NE.

Not bad for a year's work, huh?

Friday, Oct. 8
Nasar Abadey is home! Just under a year ago, the imaginative virtuoso drummer (who calls his music "Multi-D") was accepted for a State Department cultural tour that took him and his Supernova quartet (saxophonist Joe Ford, pianist Allyn Johnson, and bassist James King) to Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Mozambique for a series of concerts and master classes. But now Abadey and Supernova have returned to D.C., and with them their profoundly spiritual, post-Coltrane jazz, to be put on display at a spectacular performance at Montpelier in Laurel— the proverbial "triumphant homecoming." They've also got a surprise in tow: Abadey's recording of his "Diamond in the Rough" suite, which had its world premiere at last year's DC Jazz Festival, which will be available at Supernova's homecoming concert at Montpelier Arts Center, 9650 Muirkirk Road in Laurel. $20.

Saturday, Oct. 9
OK—he's "The Other Eubanks Brother." You know guitarist Kevin, late of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, if for some reason you watch The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. You may also know trombonist Robin, right-hand man of Dave Holland and a fierce innovator in his own right. Duane Eubanks is their trumpet-playing youngest brother (actually, one of a set of twins, along with trombonist Shane). The least famous and least recognized of the three, he is nonetheless equally deserving...and different. Though they both have clean and precise tone, Kevin and (especially) Robin are first and foremost interested in rhythm and groove; Eubanks' concept is more melodic, navigating the changes with acrobatic phrases that are easily as clean and articulate as anyone else. It's a gorgeous, adventurous, intoxicating sound. And you can hear it this weekend when he leads a band at Bohemian Caverns, 2001 Eleventh Street NW. $22.

Tuesday, Oct. 12
With all the talk of Butch Warren's surprising departure from his longtime association with Columbia Station, it bears repeating that he still has a steady gig. Warren, 71, is among the last of the final generation of bebop players; the accolades he receives come from his decades as one of the most splendid bop bass players in the world. For all his many troubles and onstage antics over the years, if you catch him on one of his good nights he will emit at least one solo that will, guaranteed, knock your socks off. Ask around, and you'll hear the same awestruck description over and over again: "He makes it look so easy." That's why Warren has long been, and today remains, the most venerated living jazz musician in the District of Columbia—and why, if you haven't already, you should hoof it down to see him at the beloved hipster coffeehouse/bar/hangout Tryst, 2459 18th Street NW. Free.

Friday, June 18
The Carter-Barron Amphitheatre in Rock Creek Park seems to be gaining traction as a jazz venue. This weekend, it's booked for some of the area's finest musicians. At the top of the bill is Frederic Yonnet, the extraordinary French harmonica player who blends funk, soul groove, and jazz on his instrument—alongside Toots Thielemans, the first truly original jazz harmonicist. Also playing, however, is Supernova, the band led by drummer, composer, and educator Nasar Abadey. Abadey is the godfather of percussionists in DC, in terms of his tenure here and his ability; he works with a post-Coltrane spiritual jazz sound. He's also a mystic and a thinker who calls his music "Multi-D" to signify that it is both multidimensional and multidirectional. You'll understand when you hear it. Yonnet and Abadey perform at 7:30 pm at the Carter-Barron Amphitheatre, 16th Street and Colorado Avenue NW. Free, with tickets (distributed at the Carter-Barron box office on the day of performance).

Sunday, June 20
Has any jazz musician coined a phrase that's been as quoted, co-opted, distorted, paraphrased, and/or parodied as much as Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised?" Well, yes, actually: The Louis Armstrong phrasebook is hand-in-glove with the American vernacular. But Scott-Heron's 1971 song title has become the foundation for a certain kind of conversation: the merger of politics and media in the last half-century. That innovation has become so big that it obscures the others that Scott-Heron has achieved: He was a proto-hip-hopper, and one of the most active artists in bringing militant politics into the "new thing" jazz of the '60s and '70s, as well as demonstrating the rhythmic possibilities of spoken-word poetry in a jazz context. After some trouble in the early 2000s related to drug possession, Scott-Heron is still working, as conscientious and sharp as ever, and has just released I'm New Here, his first album in 16 years. He's also still making headlines, having recently announced in spectacular fashion (from the stage) that he was canceling a concert in Tel Aviv and won't play in Israel again "until everyone is welcome there." Agree or not, his chutzpah is undeniable, and it will be on full display at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $35.