January 1

Celebrate the start of 2020 with the Capitol Hill Jazz Jam under the direction of saxophonist Herb Scott at Mr. Henry’s. 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $15 per person minimum for attendees.

January 2

Vocalist Gigi McLaughlin takes the stage at Mr. Henry’s. 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $15 per person minimum.

Chris Thomas King is most often recognized for his playing a Robert Johnson-inspired character in the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? He also proudly represents the southern blues tradition of his native New Orleans, which will be on full display as King runs through four nights of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $25-$30 + minimum/surcharge.

January 3

Veteran area pianist Vince Evans brings a quartet to Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.

Dial 251 for Jazz plays Mr. Henry’s. 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $15 per person minimum.

Saxophonist Jeff Reid leads a quartet at Jojo’s from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover.

January 4

Vocalist Jeff Weintraub plays Mr. Henry’s from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $15 per person minimum.

January 5

Corcoran Holt is an area native now based in New York, where he tours regularly with the likes of saxophonist Kenny Garrett and a host of others. He comes to City Winery to lead his own quintet, featuring dynamic pianist ELEW and ace local drummer Carroll Dashiell III. 7:30 p.m. $25.

January 6

Local blues master Memphis Gold plays Blue Monday Blues from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.

Vocalist Renee Tannenbaum has been a regular at local venues since moving to the area in 2001. In addition to exploring the Great American Songbook, she also sings standards in French, Spanish, and Italian. Tannenbaum plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley as she prepares for an upcoming European tour. $22 + minimum/surcharge.

January 7

Griot master Cheick Hamala continues his Tuesday night residency at Bossa Bistro + Lounge. 9:30 p.m. No cover.

January 8

Yuliyana Krivoshapkina is a vocalist and master of the khomus, a jaw harp instrument popular in the tundra regions of Siberia. She joins forces with Tuvan throat singer Nachyn Choreve at Bossa Bistro + Lounge to present an evening of music that evokes Siberia’s vast landscapes. 8 p.m. $20 at the door.

January 9

Meshell Ndegeocello was part of the neo-soul movement in the ’90s but has spent the bulk of her career creating music that defies category. She has assembled a stellar band for a four night run at Blues Alley, which begins tonight. The ensemble includes locals Tarus Mateen and Federico Pena, as well as monster drummer Gene Lake. The band presents an experience that Ndegeocello titled “Exploration Through Geographical Memories.” 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets.

January 10

Local pianist Vince Smith leads a quartet at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.

Rai is a musical style that came out of Algeria in the 1980s, reaching its mainstream apex in the late ’90s through Cheb Mami’s guest appearance on Sting’s hit song “Desert Rose.” Singer Sofiane Saidi and his band, Mazalda Cosmic Rai, have updated the genre using 21st century technology. The band comes to Tropicalia for an 8:30 p.m. set. $20.

Trumpeter Kevin Cordt plays Mr. Henry’s from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $15 per person minimum.

Saxophonist Jordan Dixon brings his quartet to Jojo’s from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover.

January 11

Blues guitarist Tab Benoit takes the stage at The Hamilton for an 8 p.m. show. $25-$35.

Organist and local mainstay Bill Heid comes to Jojo’s with his band. 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover.

January 12

Step Afrika! is the first professional organization dedicated to the art of stepping. At Step Xplosion, Step Afrika! presents a showcase of the region’s best step squads and a new work, Drumfolk, that traces the evolution of step. Step Xplosion takes place at 5 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore. $35-$75.

January 13

Singer Queen Aisha brings a band to Blue Monday Blues. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.

The Capitol Lab Band plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $22 + minimum/surcharge.

January 14

Critics across the country have dubbed Connie Han as an artist deserving of widespread attention. The 23-year old pianist comes to Blues Alley for 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $25 + minimum/surcharge.

January 15

Smooth jazz trumpeter Willie Bradley comes to Blues Alley. 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $22 + minimum/surcharge.

January 16

Re-live the jump swing revival of the mid-’90s with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at The Birchmere. 7:30 p.m. $49.50.

Brazilian vocalist and Thievery Corporation collaborator ELIN plays Mr. Henry’s with her band from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $15 per person minimum.

Saxophonist Kirk Whalum draws from jazz, gospel, and R&B to create a sound that is often labeled as smooth jazz, but which has more depth than that genre often displays. Whalum comes to Blues Alley to begin a four night residency. 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $50-$55 + minimum/surcharge.

January 17

Jazz Night in Southwest celebrates its 21st anniversary with a band comprised of some of the local jazz community’s most respected veterans. Saxophonists Paul Carr and Marshall Keys, drummer Nasar Abadey, bassist Steve Novosel, and pianist Wade Beach are just a few of the masters take the stage tonight. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.

Bumper Jacksons has won honors at the Washington Area Music Awards with the band’s mix of roots jazz and country swing. The city-meets-country ensemble plays an 8 p.m. show at AMP. $22-$36.

Trombonist Jeff Bradshaw is a key player in both the neo-soul and nu-jazz movements, having played with Jill Scott, Jay-Z, and Robert Glasper. He leads his own band tonight at City Winery. 8 p.m. $35-$55.

Brazilian star Seu Jorge comes to The Howard Theatre with guitarist and composer Rogê to present the latest in samba and bossa nova. 8 p.m. $40-$45.

Drummer Harold Summey is the longtime drummer in “Pershing’s Own,” the U.S. Army Band, as well as a respected jazz educator. He steps out of his service and instructional duties to lead a quartet at Jojo’s. 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover.

January 18

Jazzmeia Horn won the prestigious Monk Competition and the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Award earlier this decade, and has already received a Grammy nomination. The prodigious singer’s fortunes will no doubt continue to rise in the 2020s, but here’s your chance to hear her in “Studio K,” which is the new intimate jazz performance space in the Kennedy Center’s REACH. 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. sets. $15-$35.

Singer Chris Mann pays tribute to Tony Bennett with an 8 p.m. performance at AMP. $35-$55.

Go-go pioneer Chuck Brown may be gone, but his music lives on. Alumni from his band play an 8 p.m. show at City Winery. $30.

Ubiquitous area vocalist Aaron Myers performs at Jojo’s from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover.

January 19

Dupont Brass began as a street band, performing outside various metro stations across D.C. during the holidays to help its members earn tuition money to attend Howard University. Now, the 9-piece band performs regionally with a full rhythm section and vocalists. Dupont Brass is at The Hamilton, opening for the legendary go-go band, Rare Essence. 8:30 p.m. $25-$35.

January 20

Guitarist Eddie Jones leads his band The Young Bucks at Blue Monday Blues. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.

Drummer Joe McCarthy formed the Afro Bop Alliance almost two decades ago when he lived in the D.C. area. McCarthy has since moved to New York and thus the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band was born. The ensemble plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Blues Alley. $22 + minimum/surcharge.

January 21

Polish jazz violinist Mateusz Smoczynski leads a quartet through 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Blues Alley. $25 + minimum/surcharge.

January 22

Guitarist Matt Kingsley and saxophonist Bobby Muncy co-lead a group at Wild Days on the Eaton Hotel’s rooftop. 8 p.m.-10 p.m. No cover.

Area bassist and 15-time Wammie winner Eric Scott celebrates the release of his latest album, The Charm City Sessions, with 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $22 + minimum/surcharge.

January 23

Elijah Jamal Balbed, a saxophonist who has been a fixture on the local scene since his teens, plays with the Chuck Brown Band and leads the JoGo Project, which fuses go-go’s infectious rhythms with jazz melody and harmony. Tonight, the graduate of the Kennedy Center‘s Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program returns to the venue with his quintet to play Studio K at The REACH. The band will play music from its new album, The Karma Suite. 7:30 p.m. $15-$30.

January 24

Sharón Clark is a jazz diva and the best and truest sense of the word. She plays Jazz Night in Southwest tonight with Paul Carr, pianist Chris Grasso, and others. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.

Rogue Collective is a string quartet that draws from improvisation influences and multiple genres—or the “language of their iPods,” as the group charmingly puts it—to put the classical chamber group in a new context. The ensemble shares a bill with bassist and visual artist Adam Goodwin at Rhizome. 8 p.m. $10.

Trumpeter Wallace Roney went through Howard University’s respected jazz program before becoming a protege of jazz icon Miles Davis during the 1980s. Maintaining his connection to the District, Roney commemorates the release of a new album, Blue Dawn-Blue Nights, with two nights of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $35 + minimum/surcharge.

Jose Ramirez is a rising blues star based right here in the DMV. His band plays Jojo’s from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover.

January 25

Kassa Overall‘s most visible gig was DJ-ing with Jon Batiste’s Stay Human, the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The talented multi-instrumentalist is stepping into the role of bandleader with his new project Blue Swamini, a tribute to the late jazz singer Alice Coltrane. The collective comes to the Kennedy Center to play Studio K at The REACH with master jazz singer Carmen Lundy as a featured guest. 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. sets. $15-$35.

Area vocalist Heidi Martin comes to Jojo’s with her band. 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover.

January 26

The Capital City Symphony explores the intersection between classical music and dance using Scott Joplin’s proto-jazz classics “The Entertainer” and “Maple Leaf Rag,” as well as other dance-like melodies, as a launch point. The symphony plays 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. concerts at the Atlas. $15-$25.

Bassists that come out of the West African tradition have a way of making the instrument sing, and Cheikh Ndoye is no different. The area musician leads a band tonight at Blues Alley. 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $25 + minimum/surcharge.

January 27

Full Power Blues plays Blue Monday Blues. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.

Senri Oe was a J-Pop superstar in the ’80s and ’90s, and as he outgrew the pop world he decided to pursue his true dream of a career as a jazz pianist. He enrolled at the New School to study music and released six jazz albums over the next decade. Oe is touring in support of his latest album HMMM, and comes to Blues Alley for 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $25 + minimum/surcharge.

January 28

Peter Fraize has been a regular on the local scene for over 25 years and has served on the faculty at the George Washington University since 1994. His band returns to Blues Alley for 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $22 + minimum/surcharge.

January 29

Letizia Gambi is an Italian singer who sees her music as a cultural fusion between her Neapolitan roots and American jazz. She has two albums under her name, each of which earned Grammy nominations, and she comes to Blues Alley with a group of world class musicians that includes groundbreaking drummer Lenny White. 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $25 + minimum/surcharge.

The District of Raga, a monthly showcase for Indian classical music, returns to Bossa Bistro + Lounge with vocalist Roopa Mahadevan as the featured performer. 8:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. $10 at the door.

January 30

Pianist Benito Gonzalez briefly lived in the D.C. area during the early 2000s, and took the area jazz scene by storm. Not much time passed before he relocated to New York and began playing with a number of jazz greats. He still plays regular visits to the District and comes to Blues Alley tonight for 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. James Genus, the long time bassist for the Saturday Night Live band, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, one of the finest drummers of his generation are also on hand. $25 + minimum/surcharge.

January 31

Born in New York, raised in Haiti, and now living in New Orleans, multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla draws influences from all three locations to explore a modern Creole identity. The former Carolina Chocolate Drops member plays MilkBoy ArtHouse at 8 p.m along with her quartet. $25-$30.

Saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Benny Golson is still going strong at 90-years old. “Killer Joe,” “I Remember Clifford,” “Along Came Betty,” and “Stablemates” are just a few Golson compositions that have become part of the standard jazz repertoire. Trumpeter par excellence Eddie Henderson is part of the band for the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets that Golson leads tonight and tomorrow. $45 + minimum/surcharge.

Bandleader and trumpeter Joe Herrera leads one of his several projects at Jojo’s. 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover.