Bassist Michael Formanek (center) leads his big band on Saturday at NYU Washington’s auditorium (Photo courtesy Michael Formanek).
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19
Organist Bill Heid brings his group to Alice’s Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door.
Blues Alley‘s Japanese jazz series continues with saxophonist Ami Nakazono. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
Vocalist Abby Schaffer plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Twins Jazz. $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
THURSDAY, APRIL 20
The Atlas is hosting a fantastic series this week to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month. Things kick off with bass clarinetist Todd Marcus and his quartet. 7:30 p.m. $20-$32.
Junior Bryce, the local jazz-funk outfit, plays Sotto. 7:30 p.m. FREE
Steel pannist Victor Provost has long been among the top-tier area jazz musicians. With the release of his latest album, Bright Eyes, he is gaining recognition on the national scene. He performs a 7:30 p.m. show at The Hill Center, leading venue’s resident jazz ensemble. $20.
Tito Puente was a groundbreaking percussionist who helped bring Afro-Cuban music to the mainstream in the United States. His son, Tito Puente Jr., leads an orchestra in to celebrate his late father’s birthday and legacy at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. 8 p.m. $35 plus minimum and surcharge.
Rhizome hosts a bill of experimental music featuring Morgan Evans-Weiler, Luke Martin, Jen Gelineau, and Lauri McNamara. 8 p.m. $10 donation.
Pianist Senri Oe plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $22 plus minimum and surcharge.
Formed by its multilingual vocalist and band leader, Jean-Francis Varre, Sahel interprets musical genres influenced by African culture around the world. The band plays the Bossa Bistro & Lounge at 9:30 p.m. $10 at the door.
FRIDAY, APRIL 21
Organist Greg Hatza celebrates the release of his new album, Diggin’ Up My Roots, at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum presents a collaboration between renowned artist and filmmaker Mickalene Thomas, and Grammy Award-winning drummer and composer Terri Lyne Carrington. Entitled /’entrəpē/, the performance features Thomas mixing her newest video works, accompanied by Carrington on drums with a DJ and trumpet player. The performance takes place in the museum’s McEvoy Auditorium. 6:30 p.m. $30.
Sufism is a mystical form of Islam that gave rise to some of the greatest art to come out of Muslim culture. Capital Fringe hosts a showcase featuring the music, poetry, and dance that came out of Sufi philosophy. 7 p.m. $15.
Transparent Productions is celebrating its 20th anniversary of staging cutting edge music throughout the D.C. area. Bassist Michael Bisio performed at the very first concert in 1997 and joins reedist Avram Fefer for a 7 p.m. show at Rhizome. $20.
Saxophonist Herb Scott leads a band at Mr. Henry’s. 8 to 11 p.m. Two item per person minimum.
Woodwind artist Anna Webber is one of the up-and-coming voices in New York’s avant-garde scene. Her trio, featuring John Hollenbeck (drums) and Matt Mitchell (piano), put out an album, Simple, in 2014 and it received wide praise. The group comes to the Atlas for an 8 p.m. performance. $20-$32.
A native of Italy, Roberta Gambarini is a jazz chanteuse in the most classic and timeless sense. She begins a three-night run of 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. Tickets $30-$35 plus minimum and surcharge.
The Kennedy Center‘s DECLASSIFIED series continues with a collaboration between the National Symphony Orchestra and Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s great percussionists. They will perform the North American premiere of Hussain’s concerto Peshkar. 9 p.m. $39. The Brooklyn Raga Massive will also present a spin on South Asian music earlier that evening on the Millennium Stage. 6 p.m. FREE
Saxophonist Luis Faife splits his time between New York and D.C. He’ll be in town this weekend to play Twins Jazz on Friday and Saturday. 9 and 11 p.m. sets. Tickets $15 plus minimum and surcharge.
Anna Webber’s Simple Trio is among the groups performing this week at the Atlas to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month (Photo courtesy Anna Webber).
SATURDAY, APRIL 22
Star saxophonist Branford Marsalis invited vocalist Kurt Elling to record with his quartet last year. The result was Upward Spiral, a fantastic album of classic and contemporary material. Songs from the recording will likely be the focus as Elling joins Marsalis’s band for 3 and 8 p.m. sets at The Barns of Wolf Trap. $66-$78.
Michael Formanek is a world class bassist and educator, serving on the faculty at the Peabody Conservatory. CapitalBop presents his formidable big band, Ensemble Kolossus, at NYU Washington’s Abramson Family Auditorium. The ensemble’s 2016 album, The Distance, is considered one of the finest big band releases of the past decade. Bassist Jeron White opens with his band, Polarity. 7 p.m. $15 in advance/$20 at the door.
Vocalist Lena Seikaly plays The Alex from 8 to 11 p.m. $20 minimum, reservations recommended.
Vocalist Akua Allrich leads a band at Mr. Henry’s. 8 to 11 p.m. Two item per person minimum.
Bassist Ben Allison has performed with a host of jazz luminaries and has released a number of his own recordings over a career that spans nearly 30 years. His band, featuring Steve Cardenas (guitar) and Jaleel Shaw (sax), comes to the Atlas. 8 p.m. $20-$32.
Helen Hayes award winning vocalist Julia Nixon has long been a familiar face to D.C. audiences. She joins the Dave Ylvisaker Dozen to interpret the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David at The Hamilton. 8 p.m. $25-$50.
The Bossa Bistro & Lounge presents a triple bill of acts that present international sounds with a twist. The lineup includes Time Is Fire, MUNDY, and Loi Loi. 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
SUNDAY, APRIL 23
Drummer Dante Pope brings his group to Alice’s Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door.
The jazz series at the Atlas concludes with a local favorite. Saxophonist Brad Linde has been collaborating with Brooklyn-based musicians under the moniker, Urbane Outfit. Caroline Davis (alto saxophone), Russ Lossing (piano), and Deric Dickens (drums) join Linde to explore ballads written by some of jazz’s premiere composers and torch songs that were popular in the ’20s and ’30s. 7 p.m. $20-$32.
New York-based guitarist Tucker Flythe brings his quartet to Twins Jazz for 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
MONDAY, APRIL 24
The Calvin Jones Big Band Jazz Festival returns to the University of the District of Columbia on Monday, once again featuring ensembles from UDC, the University of Maryland and Howard University. Named after the late and beloved UDC director of jazz studies, the festival began in 1987 as part of a citywide tribute to Duke Ellington, and it remains a favorite on the local jazz calendar. 8 p.m. Tickets $10-$20.
Afro Blue is Howard University’s jazz vocal ensemble and is consistently one of the country’s best college vocal ensembles. Current students and alumni convene at Blues Alley to celebrate the group’s 15th anniversary. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $22 plus minimum and surcharge.
TUESDAY, APRIL 25
This year mark’s Ella Fitzgerald’s centenary and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra celebrates the occasion at Blues Alley with vocalist Sharon Clark. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $35 plus minimum and surcharge.
