Dave Douglas, on tour to celebrate his 50th birthday, will lead a quintet on Monday at Blues Alley. >> Saxophonist Steve Lehman‘s music is at the cutting edge of jazz, with many believing that his ensembles are pointing the way in which the music will go in coming decades. Lehman will bring his critically acclaimed octet to the Atlas tonight for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets $20-$33.50. CapitalBop will host a free listening session with Lehman at 7 p.m.
>> Sean Jones broke onto the scene about ten years ago and is now considered among the finest trumpeters of his generation. He will be leading a group through 8 and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Blues Alley. Tickets $25 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Guitarist and South African native Jonathan Butler is among the most prominent voices in the world of smooth jazz. He will be at Blues Alley on Thursday to begin a four night run of 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $50 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Guitarist Earl Wilson will lead a group on Friday at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets $5.
>> In 2009, the Barcelona Jazz Festival commissioned pianist Omar Sosa to compose a tribute to Miles Davis’s seminal Kind of Blue album. The result was EGGUN: The Afri-Lectric Experience, a recording that doesn’t draw from the material on Davis’s release, but rather draws from the spirit of freedom and expression that Kind of Blue captured. The mix of jazz and global rhythms will be on display this Friday at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, where Sosa and his sextet will be playing music from EGGUN. 8 p.m. Tickets $25 plus food and drink minimum.
>> Saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk has assembled a group of the city’s finest for Maiden Voyage: The Music of Herbie Hancock. The band, which plays Friday and Saturday at Twins Jazz, includes pianist Allyn Johnson and trumpeter Kenny Rittenhouse. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $20 plus food and drink minimum.
>> HR-57 hosts regulars Antonio Parker (Friday) and Alfredo Mojica (Saturday). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets $15.
>> Kathleen Battle is one of the most celebrated sopranos in the world. On Saturday, the opera star will team up with jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut at the Kennedy Center for Something to Sing About, an evening of music by music by Gershwin, Ellington, Joplin, and others.8 p.m. Tickets $39-$75.
>> Guitarist Tom Principato has been a prominent voice in D.C.’s blues scene for over 40 years. The 22-time WAMMY winner will be at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club on Saturday to celebrate the release of his new album, Robert Johnson Told Me So. 8 p.m. Tickets $25 plus food and drink minimum.
>> Trumpeter Chris Botti started his career in the jazz world playing big band dates with Sinatra and Buddy Rich along with more avant-garde explorations with drummer Bill Bruford. He then became a first call session player and did extensive tours with Sting and Paul Simon. Now, he lives at the intersection between jazz and pop. Botti will be performing an 8 p.m. show at Strathmore on Thursday. Call (301) 581-5100 for ticket information.
>> Jorge Ben Jor was among the most prominent artists in Brazil’s Tropicalia movement in the 1970s. He will be performing on Saturday at The Howard Theatre along with opener Alma Tropicalia. 6 p.m. doors/8 p.m. show. Tickets $55 in advance/$65 day of show.
>> Saxophonist Kurtis Adams is not only an accomplished player, but also an educator directing the jazz program at Shepherd University in West Virginia. Adams will lead a group on Sunday at Twins Jazz. 8 and 10 p.m .sets. Tickets $10 plus food and drink minimum.
>> Blue Monday Blues hosts Anthony “Swampdog” Clark and the Blues All-Stars. 6 to 9 p.m. $5.
>> Both with his own ensembles and with the likes of avant-garde artists like John Zorn, trumpeter Dave Douglas has been forging a career as one of the most relentlessly exploratory artists in jazz. Douglas is touring to celebrate his 50th birthday and will bring a band to Blues Alley on Monday for 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $35 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> On Tuesday, saxophonist Paul Winter leads a sextet on the Millennium Stage that blends jazz with elements drawn from various international cultures. 6 p.m. Free.
>> If you’re of a certain age, i.e. a child of the ’80s, then you remember the days when Molly Ringwald seemed to be everywhere. The former angst-ridden Brat Packer has transitioned to a career as a successful cabaret singer. Ringwald will bring her act to Blues Alley on Tuesday to support her album, Except Sometimes. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $45 plus minimum and surcharge.
