Jazz drumming legend Roy Haynes performs at The Howard Theatre on Saturday as part of the 2017 DC Jazz Festival (Photo by Carol Friedman).
While there were some precursor events this past weekend, the DC Jazz Festival kicks off in earnest on Friday. There are some excellent shows taking place this week that are not affiliated with the festival, such as Joey DeFrancesco‘s return to Blues Alley, but this week’s jazz roundup is meant to serve as a guide for the festival. This Week In Jazz will return next week. Without further ado, here are DCist’s picks for this year’s event.
FRIDAY, JUNE 9
Top Pick:
CapitalBop specializes in bringing under-the-radar artists to alternative venues as part of its DC Jazz Loft programming. The team at CB once again presents a series of performances at this year’s festival, beginning with a performance from harpist Brandee Younger and her excellent trio at The Fridge. Christie Dashiell, one of D.C.’s top vocalists, opens the show. 9 p.m. $20.
Runner-up:
Lalah Hathaway is gifted vocalist whose superior instrument allows her to fit into any musical genre. This has led to a Grammy-winning collaboration with Snarky Puppy as well as work with a who’s who of R&B and jazz greats. This versatility makes her a great choice to perform at the festival’s official opening concert at The Howard Theatre. 8:30 p.m. $75-$95.
Also:
Transparent Productions has been presenting cutting edge, experimental music throughout the D.C. area for two decades. TP is teams up with Rhizome to present The Joseph Daley Trio. Daley plays a variety of brass and wind instruments, and has been at the creative music scene’s forefront for 40 years. Trombonist Craig Harris and guitarist Robert Banks round out the group. 9 p.m. $20.
SATURDAY, JUNE 10
Top Pick:
A pair of jazz legends perform at The Howard Theatre. At 91, Roy Haynes still refuses to age and leads his Fountain Of Youth quartet. Ron Carter rose to prominence with Miles Davis’s second great quintet and has been a prolific bassist ever since. He plays in an intimate duo setting with guitarist Russell Malone. 7 p.m. $40-$65.
Runner-up:
East River Jazz is presenting a series of performances in parallel to the DC Jazz Festival to celebrate the legacies of Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk. The organization’s mission is to bring live jazz to D.C. communities that lie east of the Anacostia River. On Saturday, veteran area bassist Pepe Gonzalez leads a group at the Smithsonian Anacostia Communithy Museum to explore the Latin American and African influences on jazz. 2 p.m. FREE
Also:
Mary Halvorson is one of the most distinctive guitarists on the scene today. Her octet performs at Tropicalia as part of CapitalBop’s loft series. Saxophonist and D.C. jazz mainstay Brian Settles opens with his ensemble. 8:30 p.m. $20.
Also:
Dance Place presents acclaimed choreographer Princess Mhoon in the second installment of In Jazz We Trust: Music in Motion, an evening of dance inspired by the Dizzy” Gillespie and the 100th anniversary of his birth. Performances at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 7 p.m. on Sunday. $15-$30.
Also:
Local drummer Abinnet Berhanu is curating a jazz series for Gallery O on H, beginning with his band. The series also includes performances from Nicole Saphos (June 15) and Mark G. Meadows (June 16). 8-11 p.m. FREE
SUNDAY, JUNE 11
Top Pick:
D.C. has a long tradition of producing world class bassists. The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage is taking part in this year’s festival by presenting ensembles featuring the DMV’s top bass players. The series, called Bass-ically Yours kicks off with Amy Shook. 6 p.m. FREE
Runner-up:
Nicole Saphos has played in all of the area’s top venues in the five years she has been in D.C. The talented bassist/vocalist leads an excellent trio, which performs a 1 p.m. set at Tudor Place. $15-$20.
MONDAY, JUNE 12
Top Pick:
Pat Metheny long ago took his place in the pantheon of great jazz guitarists. He comes to the Kennedy Center with the latest version of his quartet, which includes drummer Antonio Sanchez, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and pianist Gwilym Simcock. 7:30 p.m. $39-$79.
Runner-up:
Ubiquitous area saxophonist Brad Linde leads his 17-piece Expanded Ensemble at the Atlas to celebrate the music of Thelonious Monk. The band will be playing arrangements by composer Miho Hazama, who will also be on hand to conduct the group.
Also:
The Millennium Stage‘s Bass-ically Yours series continues with James King, who has been one of D.C.’s first-call bassists for decades. 6 p.m. FREE
Jazz virtuosi Hiromi and Edmar Castaneda will perform as a duo on Tuesday at The Howard Theatre as part of the DC Jazz Festival (Photo courtesy The Howard Theatre).
TUESDAY, JUNE 13
Top Pick:
Hiromi is not only a virtuoso pianist, but she is also one of the world’s most adventurous jazz composers. She is taking a break from leading her long-running trio by launching a new collaboration with the equally skilled jazz harpist, Edmar Castaneda. There is sure to be some high-level interplay and musical fireworks when the two perform at The Howard Theatre. 8 p.m. $40-$65.
Runner-up:
The Logan Fringe Arts Space is the place as it hosts the iconic Sun Ra Arkestra. Costumes, mysticism, and merrymaking will be the order of the day as the 93-year old Marshall Allen leads the jazz institution through 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $20.
Also:
John Lee is one of D.C.’s best guitarists and he has made Sotto a musical home over the past year or so (Disclosure: I have performed and recorded with Lee). His trio continues its residency at the venue. 8 to 11 p.m. Free with dinner reservation.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14
Top Pick:
Allyn Johnson is our favorite local jazz pianist here at DCist, ever since he held court every week at the now defunct Cafe Nema with The Young Lions. JAZZAlive at UDC is hosting a series of events this week in conjunction with the DCJF, beginning with a performance by Johnson with the UDC Jazztet and veteran D.C. drummer, Nasar Abadey. 7 p.m. FREE
Runner-up:
Irene Jalenti originally hails from Italy, but is now a key player in Baltimore’s under-rated jazz community. She brings her classic vocal style to Twins Jazz for 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
Also:
Bass-ically Yours continues on the Millennium Stage with Tommy Cecil‘s trio. Cecil is one of D.C.’s in-demand bassists, but is perhaps known for his duo with pianist Bill Mays, which masterfully interprets Stephen Sondheim’s songbook. 6 p.m. FREE
THURSDAY, JUNE 15
Top Pick:
Jeff Antoniuk was among the first local jazz musicians we profiled here on DCist. Ten years later, his Jazz Update is still going strong and with all that experience has become an incredibly tight unit. The quartet plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Twins Jazz. $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
Runner-up:
For the second year, the DC Jazz Festival has staged the DC JazzPrix Competition, whose winner receives a cash award, professional development, and a performance slot at next year’s festival. The 2017 finalists perform at JAZZAlive at UDC. 7 p.m. FREE
FRIDAY, JUNE 16
Top Pick:
Odean Pope is a living legend of Philadelphia’s jazz scene. He founded his Saxophone Choir 40 years ago and will headline CapitalBop’s final jazz loft of the festival. D.C. stalwart Reginald Cyntje opens the show. The performance takes place in NYU in DC’s Abramson Family Auditorium. 8:30 p.m. $20.
Runner-up:
DC JazzFest At The Yards is the DCJF’s marquee event. The three days of outdoor concerts at Yards Park begins with evening performances from area vocalist Lori Williams and British-Nigerian vocalist Ola Onabule. 5 p.m. FREE
Also:
Slavic Soul Party! is a Brooklyn-based ensemble that specializes in the infectious brass band traditions of Eastern Europe. For this performance at the Atlas, the band presents its take on Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite. Ellington’s 1963 world tour, sponsored by the State Department, inspired the compositions that became a forerunner to “world music.” 8 p.m. $28-$32.
Area bassist Kris Funn celebrates the release of his debut album, CornerStore, on Monday, June 19, at the Millennium Stage (Photo courtesy of Kris Funn).
SATURDAY, JUNE 17
Top Pick: Day 2 of DC JazzFest At The Yards features the nu-jazz sounds of The Robert Glasper Experiment, saxophonist Kenny Garrett‘s quintet, 2016 JazzPrix winner New Century Jazz Quintet, and more. $49-$150.
Runner-up: Drummer Lenny Robinson is one of the area’s finest. A much sought after sideman, he also occasionally leads his own group. He has assembled a band to celebrate Thelonious Monk at Fort Dupont Park. 2 p.m. FREE
Also:
Alison Crockett has one of the most nimble voices you’ll hear. Hear her up close and personal in the intimate confines of The Alex from 8 to 11 p.m. $20 minimum, reservations recommended.
SUNDAY, JUNE 18
Top Pick:
Star vocalist Gregory Porter headlines the final day of DC JazzFest At The Yards. Also on the bill are Black Violin, the Youngjoo Song Septet, and more. 2 to 9:30 p.m. $49-$150.
Runner-up:
Saxophonist Anthony Nelson leads his group through 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Twins Jazz. Tickets $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
MONDAY, JUNE 19
Just as the festival had a couple preliminary events before the official start, it also has a coda with the final concert in the Bass-ically Yours series on the Millennium Stage. Earlier in this column we mentioned Allyn Johnson playing with The Young Lions. The bass player in that exciting trio was Kris Funn, whose earthy and deeply soulful playing anchors any group in which he is a member (Disclosure: I have performed and recorded with Funn). Funn’s experience includes lengthy stints with saxophonist Kenny Garrett, trumpeter Christian Scott, and he has recently been performing with jazz/hop-hop crossover star, Kamasi Washington. For the past five years, Funn has been composing original material for his own group, CornerStore. The band entered the studio earlier this year and will celebrate the release of its self-titled album to close out the DCJF. The snippets we’ve heard of the recording have only whet our appetites for what promises to be an excellent offering from one of D.C.’s finest. 6 p.m. FREE
