Cecil Brooks III leads his band on Friday and Saturday at Twins Jazz (Photo via Facebook).
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26
Trumpeter Al Strong leads a band at Alice’s Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 to 9 p.m. $10 at the door.
Area guitarist Leron Young plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
Dialectical Imagination plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Twins Jazz. $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
Violinist Nistha Raj hosts the DC Raga Jam at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge. 8:30 p.m. $5 at the door.
THURSDAY, JULY 27
John Hammond was a fixture of the blues revival that took place in the 1960s. While he never received the same notoriety as some of his contemporaries, he was respected enough to perform with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters. Hammond plays an intimate solo acoustic show at AMP. 8 p.m. Tickets $30-$40.
Kohoutek and Cyrus Pireh present an evening of ambient and experimental music at Rhizome. 8 p.m. $10 at the door.
Loston Harris has forged an interesting career at the intersection of jazz and high society. He is an accomplished pianist who has held a residency at Manhattan’s Bemelmans Bar for over a decade, but who also played celebrity parties for the likes of George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker, and other stars. His trio plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley with featured guest Mark Whitfield on guitar. $25 plus minimum and surcharge.
Guitarist Jack Waugh is just 20 years old but has a surprising amount of experience under his belt. As with many artists coming up today, his music reflects the fact that genres are becoming increasingly blurred. Waugh’s group plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Twins Jazz. $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
Brazilian vocalist Cissa Paz is at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge for her monthly appearance. 10 p.m. $10 at the door.
FRIDAY, JULY 28
3Divas is a piano trio that is part of drummer Sherrie Maricle’s DIVA family of all-female jazz groups. This particular ensemble includes area bassist Amy Shook. The band plays Jazz in the Garden from 5 to 8:30 p.m. FREE
Vocalist Sendy Brown leads The Wolfolk Group at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 to 9 p.m. $5 at the door. A free screening of Let’s Get Lost, a documentary about vocalist/trumpeter Chet Baker, follows the concert.
Dounouya is The Hill Center‘s international music series. Tonight, it features guitarist Daniel Bachman, a 6-string and lap steel guitar player from Virginia currently living in North Carolina. His style is rooted in the Piedmont folk and roots traditions of those states. Mount Ranier, the name given to former DCist editor Matt Cohen’s music project, opens the show. 7 p.m. $12 in advance/$15 at the door.
Rhizome hosts an evening of haunting sounds with A Stick and a Stone, Br’er, and Tölva. 8 p.m. $10 at the door.
Busy area vocalist Aaron Myers leads his band at Mr. Henry’s. 8 to 11 p.m. Two item per person minimum.
Tony award winning vocalist Melba Moore brings her cabaret act to Blues Alley for a three night run of 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $30-$35 plus minimum and surcharge.
From 2003 to 2012, Cecil Brooks III owned Cecil’s Jazz Club in West Orange, NJ, one of the East Coast’s best jazz rooms. He is also a world class drummer, having performed with the likes of Etta Jones, Houston Person, Jack McDuff, and a host of other greats. He leads a saxophone quartet at Twins Jazz, playing 9 and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
SATURDAY, JULY 29
The Petworth Jazz Project returns to the lawn of 8th and Taylor streets NW. Baba Ras D performs a set for the kids at 6 p.m. and the 7 p.m. headliner is JaneliaSoul, a female-fronted world music ensemble out of Baltimore. FREE
Rhizome hosts another evening of ambient music this week, this concert features Janel Leppin, John Lindaman, Luciernaga, and Mike Nigro. 8 p.m. $10 at the door.
Vocalist Tarea Anderson plays Mr. Henry’s. 8 to 11 p.m. Two item per person minimum.
SUNDAY, JULY 30
Vocalist Kristine Key plays Alice’s Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 to 9 p.m. $10 at the door.
Cuarteto Bomba, a local Latin-jazz outfit, plays an early set at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge. 7 p.m. $5 at the door.
Veronneau, the 2013 WAMMY winners for Best Jazz Group, moves effortlessly from samba to gypsy jazz. The group is built around vocalist Lynn Veronneau, whose dexterity allows her to sound authentic in a number of styles. Veronneau plays a 7 p.m. set at The Carlyle Club. $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
New York-based saxophonist Dahi Divine brings his group to Twins Jazz for 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
MONDAY, JULY 31
Area drummer Carl “C-man” Anderson celebrates his birthday by leading his band through 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 1
Fairfax Swing Jazz, a community big band, plays 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $20 plus minimum and surcharge.
