Midtown Youth Academy Founder, Eugene R. Hughes Walking under its peeling sign and into 14th Street's Midtown Youth Academy feels like walking into a museum. The well-traversed wood floors give the room a musty odor and decades worth of photographs and posters adorn the faded walls. Shelves of books line one wall while a row of personal computers line the other. But the institutional feeling goes away as soon as one sees the boxing... [continue]

Christian Scott >> Hawaiian folk artist Gary Haleamau brings his slack key guitar prowess and his unmistakably Hawaiian falsetto style of singing to the Millennium Stage tonight. 6 p.m. Free >> Many consider alto saxophonist Shenole Latimer a jazz star on the rise. You can catch this up-and-comer tomorrow night at Twins Jazz. Call 202-432-0072 for set time and cover information. >> Three Stars alums and DCist faves The Young Lions perform on Friday... [continue]

SMV, (l-r) Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke, and Marcus Miller Assembling a supergroup always seems like a good idea -- in theory. Practice proves otherwise, often leading to disappointment in the form of terrible music. The trepidation associated with SMV, a group co-led by groundbreaking bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten, and their new release, Thunder, came in several forms. Would this album be a chops-fest for these master technicians? How do you... [continue]

Drop Electric vocalist Padma Soundararajan and bassist Neel Singh performing earlier this year at the Rock and Roll Hotel Drop Electric was no different from many a local band. They played the occasional festival, headlined local clubs, and were on their way to garnering a decent local following. But their story took a tragic turn last month, and the band is still trying to recover. The family of vocalist Padma Soundararajan — her father,... [continue]

Dr. Lonnie Smith >> If you've never seen Chicago blues king Buddy Guy in concert, then you best make your way down to Wolf Trap tonight because at 72 years old, he's still one of the best performers around. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are $22-$40. >> Dr. Lonnie Smith, the turban sporting master of the Hammond B-3 organ, begins a four night stand at Blues Alley on Thursday. Tickets to the daily... [continue]

Herbie Hancock performing Monday night at Wolf Trap. Photo by Andrew Propp, courtesy of Wolf Trap Superlatives run free when describing Herbie Hancock's nearly 50 years on the music scene. A consummate artist, he has been a pioneer throughout his career, breaking ground in genres ranging from straight-ahead jazz to electronic music. Despite his status as a jazz legend, it was still somewhat of a shock to all when his latest album, River: The... [continue]

Danielle Eva >> Now's a good time to remind everyone of all the great jazz jam sessions that happen around town every week. HR-57 hosts sessions on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Columbia Station on 18th Street hosts afternoon jams on weekends, and Twins Jazz has a session on Sunday nights. All of the jam sessions are reasonably priced and a great opportunity for aspiring musicians to cut their teeth, as well as a chance... [continue]

Mojai >> Local saxophonist Stan Killian will be performing at Twins Jazz tonight and tomorrow. His group features Harry Appleman, one of the finest pianists in the area, and the Thursday night show will double as a fundraiser for Barack Obama's presidential bid. Call 202-234-0072 or visit the campaign web site for more information. >> Latin jazz vibist Alfredo Naranjo visits the Millennium Stage on Thursday. The jazz continues at the venue on Friday... [continue]

Ziggy Marley and band performing on stage at Wolf Trap. Photo by Andrew Propp, courtesy of Wolf Trap The afternoon got off to an ominous start with the skies opening and rain pouring down, eerily reminiscent of an earlier concert going debacle. Thankfully, the rain stopped, as if coaxed by the uplifting music of the Bob Marley Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival, held this past Sunday at Wolf Trap. But let's face it, even if... [continue]

Stanley Jordan. Photo by chascar, used under a creative commons license. Guitarist Stanley Jordan has achieved a goal that all musicians strive for yet only a select few attain, and that is total command over his instrument. But unlike many players with strong chops, Jordan does not use technique for technique's sake. Rather, his prodigious talent allows him to produce a gamut of sounds which represent every range emotion from the sensitive and delicate,... [continue]

Over the past several years, there has been an explosion of local dance companies specializing in South Asian dance. Organizations like SAPAN, Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh, Natyam, Dhoonya, and others are not only presenting the gamut of Indian dance, from the popular Bollywood to traditional forms, but are also looking to break new ground by fusing the classical styles of South Asia and the West. The Tehreema Mitha Dance Company is one such ensemble and is... [continue]

Stanley Jordan >> Tonight, check out local MC Christylez Bacon at Strathmore's outdoor summer concert series. The first hip-hop artist to be featured as a Strathmore Artist-in-Residence, Christylez's backing band includes some of the area's top young jazz and classical musicians. 7 p.m. Free >> Local jazz/soul singer Kenny Wesley will be performing Thursday night at Twins Jazz. Call 202-234-0072 for set time and cover information. >> Smooth jazz fans should head down to... [continue]

Esther Williams and Davey Yarborough>> Leslie Casey and Company comes back to D.C. tonight and tomorrow, bringing back their brand of jazz/neo-soul to Twins Jazz. The New York based band has been giving great and solid performances since forming last May. Call 202-234-0072 for set times and cover information. >> Fiery trumpeter and Latin jazz legend Arturo Sandoval begins a four night stint at Blues Alley on Thursday. Few instrumentalists can claim his level... [continue]

Music that attempts to fuse traditional and contemporary forms always draws some trepidation. Sometimes it works. After all, one of this year's best shows combined Indian classical music with electronic grooves. Many times, however, the results are just schmaltzy dreck, devoid of any emotion or integrity. Last night's performance by the Mystic Warriors fell somewhere in between these two extremes. While the musicianship was first rate and the melodies and rhythms were haunting, there were... [continue]

Rob Levit >> Tonight, legendary bluesman David "Honeyboy" Edwards pays a visit to Blues Alley to perform 8 and 10 p.m. sets. His latest album, Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live in Dallas! won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording. Tickets are $25 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge. Advance purchase required. >> The recently profiled Rob Coltun, guitarist and co-owner of the Bossa Bistro & Lounge, leads one of his groups, Improviso, on... [continue]

Joel Holmes>> Tonight, 22-year old pianist and recent Juilliard grad Jonathan Batiste will be performing at the Strathmore's Gudelsky Concert Gazebo as part of its summer concert series. 7 p.m. Free >> Stickman, a local jazz-fusion outfit that made a name for itself through the 1990s reunites tonight at Blues Alley for 8 and 10 p.m. sets. The band features Peter Fraize, head of GW's jazz program, on saxophone, drummer and Ellington School faculty... [continue]

Karsh Kale We last heard from Karsh Kale (pronounced Kursh Kah-lay) with the release of Breathing Under Water, the talented producer/composer/percussionist's genre blending collaboration with Hindustani music's heir apparent, sitarist Anoushka Shankar. But apart from that recording, and a DJ set here and there at Science Club or Bossa, the District has not seen Kale perform in concert since 2003's Asian Massive tour. That will change on July 4, when the fireworks on the... [continue]

"I wanted to do a tribute to Shirley Scott, my mentor and a good friend who was very generous with me in my younger years." That is how powerhouse saxophonist Tim Warfield describes his latest recording, One for Shirley, a warm and loving tribute to the organist who passed away in 2002 due to heart failure brought about by her use of the diet medication, Fen-Phen. Warfield, who is based out of the Philadelphia area,... [continue]

Omega Bugembe Okello >> Local mainstays The Redd Brothers, led by vibist Chuck Redd and pianist Robert Redd, celebrate the release of their latest album tonight at Blues Alley. Tickets to the 8 and 10 p.m. sets are $18 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge. >> On Thursday, head down to the Bossa Bistro & Lounge to check out recent Three Stars alum John Lee, as he plays with Improviso, a group that blends the improvisation of... [continue]

Those of you who caught Motel's performance at Unbuckled 7 will no doubt remember the scorching axe work of John Lee. The self-described "Chinese-Irishman" is a fixture on the local music scene, playing with a multitude of bands around town. The 28-year old guitarist's journey began at the age of ten, when MTV hair bands like Warrant, Poison, and Motley Crüe inspired the young Lee. In high school, he became a fan of improvisational music... [continue]