Keyboardist Marc Cary leads his Rhodes Ahead Project to headline CapitalBop’s Block Party at the Jazz Lot on Friday.Nobody knows how long the vacant lot at 945 Florida Avenue NW will remain in its current state — our guess is not too much longer — but for now, it’s a valuable resource for a number of different endeavors. The District Flea didn’t last, but it did serve as a venue during the U Street Funk Parade, and DCist is co-sponsoring a monthly concert series there. Another local online publication, CapitalBop, which has presented DIY concerts around the city for several years now, is going to be using the space for one of its biggest ventures yet: tomorrow’s Block Party at the Jazz Lot.
“Luke and I are always trying to break jazz out of its box. That is, we want people to know that this music is bracing, exciting, fun, lively, contemporary, and grassroots,” said CapitalBop founder Giovanni Russonello, referring to the other principal, Luke Stewart. “We realized that a block party, especially one right near U Street, would be the perfect venue for showcasing jazz in a straight-to-the-people, accessible, fun way.”
The block party is the second of three shows that CapitalBop is producing at the on-going DC Jazz Festival. The series begins tonight with a three-piano cutting contest with area master, Allyn Johnson, alongside Orrin Evans and Lafayette Gilchrist. Saturday’s show is at The Fridge, and features in-demand bassist Tarus Mateen‘s group opening for critically acclaimed saxophonist Matana Roberts and her band, COIN COIN. But it’s tomorrow’s concert that marks CapitalBop’s most ambitious effort.
“We wanted to find artists who made music that sounds fun, exciting, inviting — what you might call populist — but that is also clearly made by brilliant musicians with original ideas, people who are on the cutting edge of something spectacular,” Russonello said. Voila, there you have it: Braxton Cook, Butcher Brown and Marc Cary.
Braxton Cook is very familiar to area jazz fans, as he spent time at Georgetown and still gigs in the area regularly, despite having made the move to New York. Butcher Brown hails from Richmond. These two represent artists who, in Russonello’s words, “are helping to slowly move the boundary lines in jazz.” Cary also has strong ties to this city. He grew up in D.C. and cut his teeth playing go-go. Those roots hold strong even when Cary is playing jazz clubs, engaging the audience in call and response while getting people moving. His groove oriented Rhodes Ahead project is perfect for tomorrow’s setting, as the entire venue will make it easier for people to get into the vibe.
In addition to the concert, there will be a happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. with drink specials. The music starts at 7 p.m. with Braxton Cook. Butcher Brown goes on at 8:30 and Rhodes Ahead goes on at 10 p.m.
“This is a block party with a big dance floor and a lot of energy going around. We just want people to feel at liberty to get loose,” Russonello said.
CapitalBop’s Block Party at the Jazz Lot takes place tomorrow at 945 Florida Avenue NW from 4 p.m. to midnight. Tickets $15 in advance/$20 at the door.
