Photo by volcanojw

JAZZ: The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival officially kicks off tonight. Don’t forget to consult our own Sriram Gopal’s picks for the festival.

READING: Worried you’ve become just another soulless Washington lobbyist? Have your suspicions confirmed tonight when Joseph S. Miller talks about his memoir, The Wicked Wine of Democracy, at Politics and Prose. 7 p.m.

MUSIC: Incomparable country songstress Patty Loveless is at the Birchmere. She’s there Thursday, too. 7:30 p.m., $45.

LECTURE: At 7:30 p.m., the National Zoo will have a free lecture by field biologist and Wildlife Conservation Society head conservationist George Scheller. At A Life in the Wild, Schaller will discuss his research in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Tibetan Plateau. Reservations required, call 202-633-4085 or go online.

MUSIC: San Diego’s Pinback bring their lo-fi indie pop to the Black Cat, with sBACH. 8 p.m., $15.