Legendary comedian and social activist Dick Gregory hosts an evening of jazz and comedy on Saturday at the Kennedy Center.
>> The Greater U Street Jazz Collective plays the Jazz & Cultural Society tonight. 6 p.m. $5 at the door.
>> Vocalist Akua Allrich will give an intimate duo performance along with bassist Kris Funn tonight at Bakers & Baristas. 7 p.m. No cover.
>> The Annapolis Jazztet plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Twins Jazz. Tickets $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Nicholas Payton is among the most respected trumpeters of his generation. He will lead his band through 8 and 10 p.m. sets on Thursday and Friday at Blues Alley. Tickets $25-$30 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Charlie Young has taught saxophone at Howard University for over two decades and is the director of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. He has mentored many of the area’s best musicians and has assembled a group of local veterans to celebrate the music of Cannonball Adderley on Friday at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door. On Saturday, the venue will host a free screening of Walking Tall, a documentary on Adderley. 1 p.m.
>> Flautist Alex Hamburger plays 9 and 11 p.m. sets on Friday at Twins Jazz. Tickets $15 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Mr. Henry’s hosts vocalists Aaron Myers (Friday) and Di Daly (Saturday). 8 to 11 p.m. Two item per person minimum.
>> The Petworth Jazz Project takes place on Saturday, and this summer the free concert series has also started incorporating a dance element. Saturday’s happening will feature the Nom Nom South East Asian and Indonesian Food Truck, a kids’ dance class, The Beside Ourselves Duo feat. Banjoman Frank Cassel and Katy Morse, Moveius Contemporary Ballet, Ronya-Lee Dance Company, and music from Heidi Martin & Moon in Scorpio feat. Tarus Mateen, Herbert Scott, John R. Lamkin, Samuel Prather, and Donvonte McCoy. 6 p.m. Free.
>> During the ’50s and ’60s, it was common for jazz musicians and comics to share the same stage. Comedy legend Dick Gregory came up during this time and often was the opening act for musicians that would go on to become jazz icons. Gregory will revisit this period on Saturday at the Kennedy Center with help from pianist Joe Alterman, bassist Nathaniel Schroeder, and drummer Justin Chesarek. Part of the Center’s District of Comedy festival, this performance will focus on the that commonalities comedians and improvisors have has storytellers. 7 p.m. Tickets $59.
>> Cab Calloway’s grandson, C. Calloway Brooks, has dedicated himself to keeping his legendary grandfather’s legacy alive. Brooks will lead the Cab Calloway Orchestra on Saturday at The Carlyle Club. 8 p.m. Tickets $28 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Equilibrium is a well-regarded trio in Europe’s underground jazz scene. The band synthesizes elements of jazz, folk/world, classical, minimalism and the avant-garde in a mixture of free improvisation and original compositions. Equilibrium plays 9 and 11 p.m. sets on Saturday at Twins Jazz. Tickets $15 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Grammy-nominated vocalist Kathy Sledge pays tribute to Billie Holiday on Saturday and Sunday at Blues Alley. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $35-$40 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> The Jazz & Cultural Society hosts Project Natale on Sunday. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door.
>> The late jazz trumpeter, musical arranger, and bandleader Don Redman was a 1920 graduate of the now-closed HBCU Storer College, whose former campus is part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. As it celebrates the National Park Service’s centennial, the Kennedy Center will present the HFNHP Don Redman Jazz Heritage Awards to the 2016 winners, drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath and saxophonist Charles McPherson, on Monday at the Millennium Stage. 6 p.m. Free.
>> Dwayne Adell is a mind-blowingly talented area pianist whose reputation should extend much further than it does. A largely self-taught musician who reads very little music, Adell once won an international Rachmaninoff competition with a piece he learned by ear off a recording. Not only is he a gifted artist, his genius—and we don’t use that word lightly—carries over into mathematics and a variety of other subjects. He performs 8 and 10 p.m. sets on Monday at Blues Alley. Tickets $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
>> Trumpeter Al Strong leads a band through 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley on Tuesday. The area native has shared the stage with a number of greats and is now also teaching at North Carolina Central University. Tickets $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
