H Street NE, which transformed quickly from a dilapidated commercial strip to a hypergentrified attractant of quirky businesses, is not immune to controversy. But there's probably one H Street story most people could agree is a success: the tale of Al, the orange tabby who lived at Palace of Wonders—then later Red Palace—during the neighborhood's [...]

Standout Track: No. 2, “Show Ya LOV3,” a spirited blend of wind instruments, floating piano keys, and deep bass stabs on which producer-rapper Yusef sounds unusually assured for a hyphenate MC. “A producer on some lyrical fly shit, we wise men,” rhymes Yusef, and soon he’s dropping in clips of Steve Harvey and Bernie [...]

Last month, D.C. producer Yusef released The EPIC, a refreshingly cool take on jazz/hip-hop fusion. On it, he piled obscure movie clips atop piano chops, and fused live instruments with crackling vinyl.
His recently released single, "Flip Side," treks the same path as his previous work. Here, the beat takes center stage: an atmospheric backdrop of light [...]

Hip-hop/jazz fusion isn't new; plenty of artists, from J-Dilla to Bop Alloy, have mixed the genres with impressive results. So D.C. producer Yusef may not be breaking ground with The EPIC, his recently released instrumental album. Still, it's a refreshing take on jazzy hip-hop breaks.
In some of The EPIC's best moments, Yusef fills space with live instrumentation and obscure movie [...]

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. [...]