DC Jazz Composers Collective.>> Mary Alouette is a Maryland-based gypsy jazz vocalist who is April’s Artist-in-Residence at Strathmore. She will be performing tonight at the center’s mansion. 7:30 p.m. $12.
>> Jon Faddis is considered one of the most virtuosic and multi-faceted trumpet players on the scene today. He has led big bands, worked with a number of jazz greats and is a respected jazz academic. He will be leading his combo through 8 and 10 p.m. sets tonight through Saturday at Blues Alley. $35 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge.
>> Combining metal, classical music and jazz, Rodrigo y Gabriela bring their entirely unique brand of acoustic guitar music to the Warner Theater tonight for an 8 p.m. show. $55 + fees.
>> This spring, Strathmore is presenting a fascinating lecture series exploring the intersection between neuroscience and the arts.On Thursday at the Mansion at Strathmore, Dr. Charles Limb, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, will give a presentation called Your Brain on Jazz – The Neuroscience of Jazz Improvisation. 7 p.m. $21.
>> Last year, saxophonist Bobby Muncy, pianist Gene D’Andrea, drummer Andrew Hare and bassist Kevin Pace teamed up to form the DC Jazz Composers Collective. In addition to being a performing jazz group, they are an incorporated non-profit committed to promoting original jazz composers in the D.C. area. The group will celebrate the release of its first album on Thursday at Twins Jazz. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $10 + $10 food/drink minimum.
>> Trumpeter and local mainstay Thad Wilson will lead a quartet on Friday at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 to 9 p.m. $5.
>> Cécile McLorin Salvant, winner of the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition, returns to the site of her triumph on Friday for sold out sets at the Kennedy Center‘s KC Jazz Club. It’s worth contacting the box office to see if any last minute tickets are available to catch this rising star.
>> McCoy Tyner‘s work with John Coltrane’s classic quartet in the ’60s made the pianist a jazz legend all by itself. But he also broken plenty of new ground in the nearly half century since then. On Friday, he’ll be teaming up with tap dancing star Savion Glover for a special performance at the Howard Theatre. 8 p.m. $45 + fees.
>> Orrin Evans was among a talented crop of young lions to emerge in the 1990s. Now a veteran musician, he is breaking new territory with his new release Flip The Switch. He will lead a quartet in support of the album on Friday and Saturday at Bohemian Caverns. 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. sets. $20. Stay tuned for a full preview.
>> Veteran B3 organist Radam Schwartz will lead a group on Friday and Saturday at Twins Jazz that features the talented Anthony Nelson on saxophone. 9 and 11 p.m. sets. $15 + $10 food/drink minimum.
>> HR-57 hosts regulars Antonio Parker (Friday) and Saltman Knowles (Saturday). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. $15.
>> Celebrated Lebanese composer, singer and oud player Marcel Khalife performs and 8 p.m. show on Saturday at the Warner Theater. $25-$75 + fees.
>> Mallet percussionist Dave Samuels and his Caribbean Jazz Project are among the most influential groups in Latin Jazz. The group will be performing 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. sets on Saturday at the Kennedy Center‘s Terrace Theater. $26-$30 + fees.
>> Alan Baylock is currently the chief arranger for the U.S. Air Force’s Airmen of Note, one of the area’s many world-class military big bands. He will lead his own jazz orchestra at Blues Alley on Sunday, teaming up with talented local vocalist Lena Seikaly for a tribute to the great Ella Fitzgerald. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $25+$12.50 minimum/surcharge.
>> Local guitar wiz John Lee will show off his new trio on Sunday at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge. 9 p.m. $5.
>> Blue Monday Blues hosts the Stacy Brooks Band. 6 to 9 p.m. $5.
>> D.C.’s jazz scene has always been known for producing bassists that have that little something extra, and there’s no better example of this than Michael Bowie. He’ll bring his new project, Sine Qua Non, to Bohemian Caverns on Tuesday. The band features steel pannist Victor Provost, drummer Mark Prince and percussionist Tom Teasley, and puts Bowie’s love of classical Spanish guitar music into a jazz setting. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. sets. $10.
>> The Bad Plus is one of the most innovative piano trios to emerge in recent years, with material ranging from avant-garde to top 40 pop to prog-rock, all put into a jazz setting. Catch them on Tuesday for an 8 p.m. set at the Howard Theatre.
>> Saxophonist Marty Nau continues his Tuesday night residency at Twins Jazz. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $10.
