The Harry Bells celebrates the release of its new EP on Thursday at Boundary Stone.
>> Drummer Abinnet Berhanu is an artist based in Richmond, but he performs across the region and his reputation is spreading accordingly. He will lead his band, Hebret Music, tonight at the Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door.
>> Saxophonist Marshall Keys is a native Washingtonian who has been a mainstay of the local scene for decades. He will perform a 7:30 p.m. show this evening at The Hill Center. Tickets $15 in advance/$20 at the door.
>> Jan Knutson is this month’s artist-in-residence at Strathmore and he will perform the first of two concerts tonight in the venue’s historic mansion. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $17.
>> As he does every Wednesday, trumpeter Joe Brotherton will lead a group at Jojo’s tonight. 7:30 p.m. No cover.
>> Local area musicians G.K. Ward and Lionel Lyles team up to co-lead their quartet, Placid Space, tonight at Twins Jazz. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Baltimore’s Orchester Praževica plays high energy music that comes from the traditions of Eastern European Czardas and Gypsy Swing, accompanied by a heavy dose of jazz and blues. The band will be at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge tonight. 10 p.m. No cover.
>> Vocalist and area native Nia Simmons performs a 7:30 p.m. show on Thursday at the Carlyle Club. Tickets $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Drummer Robert Sput Searight and percussionist Nate Werth serve as the heartbeat to the Grammy award winning band, Snarky Puppy. The two will co-lead their own group, Ghost Note, on Thursday at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. 8 p.m. Tickets $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> The Twins Jazz Orchestra plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at the club on Thursday. Tickets $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> The Harry Bells is a group that local saxophonist Matt Rippetoe (one of the first local jazz musicians we profiled here on DCist) co-founded with the ubiquitous trumpeter Joe Herrera. The band plays an infectious calypso style inspired by Harry Belafonte, and will celebrate the release of its new EP, Roosevelt Island, on Thursday at Boundary Stone. 9 p.m. No cover.
>> Pianist Levon Mikaelian is an Armenian native whose band, United Shades of Artistry, fuses elements of modern jazz, rock, and Eastern European, Latin, and African music and rhythms.The ensemble includes guitarist John Lee, bassist Blake Meister, and Nigerian drummer Tosin Aribisala, and they will perform with Mikaelian on Thursday at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge. 9:30 p.m. $10 at the door.
>> Legendary fusion outfit The Yellowjackets first formed back in 1977. While the lineup has changed many times over the years, the group continues to put out high quality music that lives up to its long history. The band begins a four-night run of 8 and 10 p.m. sets on Thursday night at Blues Alley. Tickets $35-$40 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Area veterans Herb Scott (saxophone) and John Lamkin (drums) join some of the city’s best up-and-comers on Friday at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door.
>> The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman are two of the most successful jazz acts of the the past two decades, measured in terms of creative output, notoriety, and artistic integrity. The trio and Redman have been periodically teaming up to form a quartet whose total is greater than the sum of its parts. The Bad Plus Joshua Redman will appear on Friday at the Kennedy Center’s Crossroads Club. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $35-$50.
>> The future of Union Arts looks dim, but that isn’t stopping the curators of the Creative Music series from moving ahead with strong programming. This Friday, the venue hosts Ayman Fanous who blends classical and flamenco guitar technique with the sound of his Egyptian ancestry and free improvisation. Joining him on stage will be bassist William Parker and percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani. 8 p.m. $15 suggested donation.
>> The Motet, and explosive improvisational funk band, plays an 8:30 p.m. show on Friday at The Hamilton. 8:30 p.m. Tickets $17-$20.
>> Area mainstay John Lamkin has played drums with a host of jazz greats, including Abbey Lincoln, Donald Harrison, Chick Corea, and Kenny Garrett. He will step out to lead his own band on Friday and Saturday at Twins Jazz. 9 and 11 p.m. sets. Tickets $15 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> The Creative Cauldron in Falls Church continues its Passport to the World festival. The Hot Club of Baltimore will bring its gypsy jazz to the venue on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and violinist Dave Kline will draw from a host of international sounds on Sunday (6 p.m.). Tickets $18-$20.
>> Mr. Henry’s hosts vocalists Denyse Pearson (Friday) and Barbara Papendorp (Saturday). 8 to 11 p.m. Two item per person minimum.
>> Seven-time Grammy nominated composer and pianist Omar Sosa, a native of Cuba, will lead his band through an evening of Afro-Cuban jazz on Saturday at AMP. 8 p.m. Tickets $30-$40.
>> Shemekia Copeland is widely regarded as the finest blues singer of her generation and she will be at The Hamilton on Saturday for an 8:30 p.m. show. Tickets $15.75-$30.75.
>> The Washington Performing Arts Society is bringing tabla master Zakir Hussain to the Kennedy Center on Sunday along with his drumming ensemble, Masters of Percussion. 1 p.m. Tickets $25-$65.
>> Area vocalist Petra Martin performs on Sunday at the Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door.
>> Japanese pianist/composer Eri Yamamoto brings her lyrical trio to the Atlas on Sunday for 7 and 8:30 p.m. sets. Tickets $15 in advance/$20 at the door.
>> Flutist Gina Sobel leads her quartet through 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Twins Jazz on Sunday. Tickets $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Blues Alley‘s Japanese jazz series continues next week with the Martha Kato Septet on Monday and the Miho Hazama Nonet on Tuesday. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> We mused that Esperanza Spalding’s latest project, Emily’s D+ Evolution, would have fared better indoors rather than outdoors at last year’s DC Jazz Festival. On Tuesday, we’ll get to see if that is, in fact, the case when the gifted bassist takes the stage with her band at 9:30 Club. 7 p.m. doors. Tickets $38.
>> Saxophonist Tedd Baker‘s Tuesday night trio sets at Jojo’s are proving to be quite the hang for jazz locals. 7:30 p.m. No cover.
