Vocalist Carmen Souza performs on Monday as part of the Kennedy Center’s IBERIAN SUITE festival. >> Mark Meadows has quickly risen up the ranks to become one of the area’s first-call pianists. This month, he is serving as Artist-in-Residence at Strathmore and will perform the first of two concerts tonight at the mansion. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15-$17.
>> Local pianist Joe Vetter performs 8 and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Twins Jazz. Tickets $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Loston Harris was a protégé of the jazz patriarch, Ellis Marsalis. The pianist will be at the recently opened AMP on Thursday with his band, paying tribute to Frank Sinatra’s music. 8 p.m. Tickets $35.
>> The U Street Funk Parade is slated to take place on May 2, but there will be a kickoff party on Thursday at The Howard Theatre, celebrating the women of funk. 7 p.m. Tickets $20-$45.
>> Three Man Soul Machine features Carter Stevens on organ, Mylie Durham IV on drums and Frank Mitchell Jr. on tenor saxophone. Durham and Mitchell have played with a host of prominent local bands over the years, including The Funk Ark, See-I, and Thievery Corporation. The trio brings its pan-global sounds to the Bossa Bistro & Lounge on Thursday. 9 p.m. Tickets $5.
>> Veteran local saxophonist Marshall Keys has assembled a quartet of the area’s finest to perform on Thursday at Dukem Jazz. The band includes Mark Prince on drums, Benjie Porecki on keyboards and bassist Michael Bowie. 9 p.m. to midnight. No cover.
>> D.C.’s own all-female big band, The Bullettes, was a welcome addition to the local music scene when trombonist Shannon Gunn formed the ensemble a few years ago. The group will play Jazz Night in Southwest on Friday. 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets $5.
>> Tedd Baker is most often seen playing saxophone with the Airmen of Note, the premiere jazz ensemble of the U.S. Air Force. He is also a sought after sideman who has performed with the likes of George Duke and David Sanborn. He will lead his own band on Friday at Bohemian Caverns. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $18 in advance/$23 at the door.
>> Trumpeter Michael Thomas has long been an area mainstay and his quintet specializes in the hard swinging hard bop style of the ’50s and ’60s. The group will play 9 and 11 p.m. sets at Twins Jazz on Friday and Saturday. Tickets $15 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Acoustic smooth jazz guitarist Peter White comes to Blues Alley on Friday for a three night run of 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $37.75 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Elijah Balbed is all over the local scene, and the talented saxophonist will lead his group on Saturday at Bohemian Caverns. As with Tedd Baker’s performance the previous night, the gifted pianist, Alex Brown, will be a featured guest. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $18 in advance/$23 at the door.
>> Sunday marks the start of a four concert series at The Hill Center presenting musicians at the forefront of D.C.’s strong international music scene. Ahmed Janka Nabay is a Sierra Leonean musician who has been a major figure in Bubu Music, a traditionally Muslim music. He and his band, The Bubu Gang, will perform a 4 p.m. show. Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door.
>> Guitarist Pete Muldoon‘s Sunday sets round out a weekend of excellent local talent at Bohemian Caverns. His band will include trombonist Reginald Cyntje, pianist Allyn Johnson and rising bassist Eliot Seppa, plus others. 7 and 8:30 p.m. sets. Tickets $15 in advance/$20 at the door.
>> Jazxonix brings its blend of straight-ahead and Latin jazz to Twins Jazz on Sunday. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Carmen Souza is of Cape Verdean lineage, growing in Portugal in a multilingual environment that embraced her Creole background. The richness of her voice has led to comparisons with Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Eartha Kitt. Her blend of West African rhythms and soulful jazz has made her one of Europe’s top vocalists. Souza will be at the Kennedy Center on Monday as part of the IBERIAN SUITE: global arts remix festival. 8 p.m. Tickets $25-$60.
>> John R. Lamkin currently serves as the Director of Bands and the coordinator of Music Education at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The veteran musician will be at Blues Alley on Monday to lead his quintet. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Marcus Miller is a groundbreaking bassist, composer and producer who has worked with the likes of Miles Davis, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey. He always surrounds himself with world class talent and his latest band will be at The Birchmere on Tuesday. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $65.
>> Sofia Ribeiro is a past participant of the prestigious Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center. She will share a double bill with another of Portugal’s finest vocalists, Luísa Sobral on Tuesday at the Millennium Stage. 6 p.m. Free.
>> Zakir Hussain is universally recognized as a master tabla player and one of music’s greatest percussionists, regardless of genre. Schooled in the north Indian Hindustani classical tradition, he has also devoted much of his career to collaboration with artists from other parts of the world. His latest project, Celtic Connections, pairs traditional Indian styles with musicians from the United Kingdom, Scotland and Ireland. The ensemble will be at the Lisner Auditorium next Tuesday in a concert sponsored by the Washington Performing Arts Society. 8 p.m. Tickets $22-$39.
