March 1
Longtime area vocalist Heidi Martin pays tribute legendary jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln at the Atlas as part of the INTERSECTIONS festival. 4:30 p.m. $30.
Zoë Keating is perhaps best known for her work with electro-pop artist Imogen Heap, but her solo cello performance are entrancing and equally noteworthy. Keating comes to The Hamilton for an 8 p.m. concert. $15-$39.75.
Rhizome hosts an evening of freely improvised music with string duo Marbleous, the saxophone-driven Implicit Bias, and area saxophonist Sarah Hughes. 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $10.
March 2
Local pianist Levon Mikaelian plays music inspired by that of his native Armenia. His band plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $22 + minimum/surcharge.
March 3
Postmodern Jukebox is a collective of musicians that takes contemporary hits and arranges them in a Jazz Age style. The popular ensemble comes to The Music Center at Strathmore for an 8 p.m. performance. $36-$86.
March 4
Smooth jazz saxophonist Jessy J plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $25 + minimum/surcharge.
March 5
Squirrel Nut Zippers were part of the swing revival in the ’90s and are currently on a 25th anniversary tour. The band plays The Birchmere at 7:30 p.m. $45.
Smooth jazz guitarist Peter White begins a three night run of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $45-$50 + minimum/surcharge.
March 6
Saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk was one of the first local jazz musicians DCist profiled. His quintet plays Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.
Trumpeter Brandon Woody is one of the top up-and-comers in Baltimore’s underrated jazz scene. His band plays 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. sets at Sotto. $20 in advance/$25 at the door.
Legendary jazz vocalist Patti Austin comes to The Howard Theatre for an 8 p.m. performance. $39.50-$45.
Red Baraat conducts an annual spring tour to coincide with Holi, India’s festival of colors. The bhangra-brass band comes to The Hamilton with local singer-songwriter Anjali Taneja opening. 8 p.m. $20-$25.
Bassist Nat Baldwin is a core member of Dirty Projectors, but on his album, AUTONOMIA I: Body Without Organs, a broken bow inspired a new approach to solo upright bass playing. He headlines a bill at Rhizome that includes Jax Deluca and Weed Tree. 8 p.m. $10.
Future Band brings its hip-hop infused blend of styles to Marvin from 9 p.m.-midnight. No cover.
Tony Martucci, a local drummer who is a first call for many local bandleaders, steps out to direct his own group tonight and tomorrow at Twins Jazz. 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. sets. $15 + minimum/surcharge.
March 7
Rhizome hosts an evening of experimental guitar with headliner Elkhorn. Matt Cohen, a former DCist editor in chief, also performs as his sound collage alter ego, Mount Rainier. 8 p.m. $10.
Drummer Stan Banks, Jr. leads a band at Marvin from 9 p.m.-midnight. No cover.
March 8
Vibraphonist Chris Barrick leads his band at Alice’s Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $10.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Boulanger Initiative presents WoCo Festival 2020 with the theme of local action and grassroots. The Boulanger Initiative is dedicated to promoting women in the classical and contemporary classical sphere. This year’s headlining performer is Third Coast Percussion, theGrammy Award-winning percussion quartet out of Chicago. The concert at All Souls Church is a world premiere of composer JLin’s Perspective, Boulanger Initiative’s first commissioning project. 8 p.m. $10-$35.
Pianist Omar Sosa and violinist/vocalist Yilian Cañizares come from different generations, but they share deep Cuban roots and come together at AMP to present material from their album, Aguas. The duets pay homage to the Santeria goddess Oshun, who is associated with water, purity, fertility, and love. 8 p.m. $28-$48.
March 9
Trombonist Steve Swell is a mainstay of New York’s experimental jazz community. He comes to Rhizome to lead a group of longtime collaborators from that scene. 8 p.m. $20.
Ubiquitous area saxophonist Herb Scott leads his band through 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $22 + minimum/surcharge.
March 10
Area trumpeter Joe Brotherton plays at Sotto every Thursday this month from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. $10.
Rising pianist/composer George Burton comes to Blues Alley for 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $22 + minimum/surcharge.
March 11
Brooklyn-based trumpeter Jaimie Branch has played with jazz masters, pop acts, and metal bands. Her latest album, FLY or DIE II: bird dogs of paradise, has rightfully earned critical praise and her band plays material from the recording at the Kennedy Center‘s Studio K. 7:30 p.m. $15-$35.
Marshall Keys has been a fixture on the local scene for decades. He’s assembled a group of D.C.-area A-listers in tribute to Billy Strayhorn, the jazz composer who was Duke Ellington’s most important collaborator. The band plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $25 + minimum/surcharge.
March 12
David Torn pioneered the use of looping technology and other electronic enhancements in his guitar playing, leading to collaborations with a wide-ranging array of artists that includes David Bowie, k.d. lang, John Legend, and Madonna. Torn’s latest project is Sun of Goldfinger, a trio with saxophonist Time Berne and drummer Ches Smith. The band comes to Rhizome for an 8 p.m. performance. $20.
Reggae scion Stephen Marley plays an acoustic show at The Howard Theatre. 8 p.m. $38.50-$48.
Joey DeFrancesco is not only the finest jazz organist of his generation, but in the top handful of all time. His trio launches a four-night residency of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $25-$30 + minimum/surcharge.
March 13
Vocalist W. Allen Taylor celebrates the release of his new album at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.
Lyuti Chushi brings its Bulgarian sounds to Bossa Bistro + Lounge. 7:30 p.m. $10 at the door.
Saxophonist Elijah Easton plays with funksters Nag Champa and the go-go fusion of Marc Cary’s Indigenous Fusion. He brings his own band to Sotto. 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. sets. $20 in advance/$25 at the door.
March 14
Keroncong is a style of folk music from Indonesia. Rumput, a group out of Richmond, specializes in this style and comes to Rhizome for a 3 p.m. performance. The ensemble’s latest project is “Nicotiana,” in which Rumput performs alongside a scrolling panorama that illustrates tobacco’s colonial history. Gusti Sudarta, a dancer and shadow puppeteer, also shares the stage. $10.
Singer/guitarist Camila Meza has been blowing up the New York jazz scene since arriving from her native Chile in 2009. She is a vocalist of the highest order and her fretwork is no less impressive. Meza comes to the Kennedy Center’s Club at Studio K with her Nectar Orchestra to perform selections from her latest recording, Ámbar. 7:30 p.m. $15-$30.
Talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Dante Pope leads a group through 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. sets at Sotto. $20 in advance/$25 at the door.
Flautist Jamie Baum formed debut her ensemble Short Stories in 2015 after previously touring and composing with slightly larger ensembles. Short Stories is made up of a core quartet with guest musicians, and performances are built on a series of short compositions that serve as a launch pad to explore a specific concept. Trumpeter Jason Palmer is the guest soloist for this concert at the Atlas. 8 p.m. $14-$30.
March 15
Tony Bennett is still hitting the stage at 93 years old. A master of the Great American Songbook, Bennett comes to The Music Center at Strathmore with his daughter, Antonia Bennett, opening the concert. 8 p.m. $76-$156.
Horse Lords is a band out of Baltimore that defies categorization, offering music that is mathematical and polyrhythmic, yet somehow danceable. The quartet tops this bill at Rhizome. 8 p.m. $15.
March 16
South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, whose founder Joseph Shabalala recently passed away, comes to the Barns of Wolf Trap tonight and tomorrow. 8 p.m. $42.
Veronneau is a local band that draws from a number of classic styles, ranging from gypsy to Brazilian jazz. The group teams up with violinist Dave Kline‘s band tonight and tomorrow at Blues Alley to record a live album. 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $25 + minimum/surcharge.
March 17
Pianist/composer Amy K. Bormet once again curates the Washington Women in Jazz Festival, now in its tenth year. This year’s program runs through March 28 and begins tonight with an opening gala at the Italian Embassy with Italian musicians Silvia Bolognesi (bass) and Chiara Lazzerini (trombone) joining Bormet and drummer Angel Bethew. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. FREE, RSVP required.
March 18
Modell, Soderstrom & James is a fusion trio that plays Bossa Bistro + Lounge at 8 p.m. with a jam session to follow. $10 at the door.
Talented area vocalist Rochelle Rice plays Wild Days on the Eaton rooftop from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. No cover.
Casey Abrams of Postmodern Jukebox is a talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who was a finalist on American Idol. He stops at AMP for an 8 p.m. set. $26-$34.
Local piano prodigy José André Montaño is still only a teenager, but plays with a skill far beyond his years. His trio plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Blues Alley. $22 + minimum/surcharge.
March 19
To mark Beethoven’s 250th birthday this year, Israeli American pianist Yael Weiss commissioned composers from various conflict zones around the globe to create new works connected to the German composer’s 32 piano sonatas. Weiss presents the results, titled 32 Bright Clouds, tonight at Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art. Composers for the program hail from Syria, South Africa, Philippines, Turkey, Afghanistan, and other regions. 7:30 p.m. $6 in advance, any remaining seating is free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Violinist Nistha Raj and hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon are veterans of the local scene and have collaborated on-and-off for nearly a decade, fusing her Indian classical tradition with Christylez’s fusion of hip-hop with a multitude of genres. The two artists reconvene at the Mansion at Strathmore for an intimate 7:30 p.m. performance. $24.
Violinist Maureen Choi has performed with luminaries like Kanye West and Josh Groban. Her quartet draws from Spanish classical and folk traditions for its performance at Mr. Henry’s. 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $15.
Area saxophonist and visual artist Sarah Hughes presents an evening of music at sPACYcLOUD from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. as part of the Washington Women in Jazz Festival. Donations accepted at the door.
Kevin Eubanks is best known for his 18-year tenure as the bandleader on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show. That run ended a decade ago, but he is still a prolific composer and performer who comes to Blues Alley for a four night stand of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $40-$45 + minimum/surcharge.
March 20
Saxophonist Peter Fraize leads a quartet at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.
Robert Glasper was at the vanguard of the nu-jazz, a style that arose out of musicians who were schooled in jazz tradition, but also willing to incorporate hip-hop culture into the overall aesthetic. Glasper’s trio begins a two night stand of 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. $59.50-$79.50 + minimum/surcharge.
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah has emerged as one of the most notable trumpeters of his generation. The New Orleans musician uses the term “stretch music” to describe his style, which is a genre blind form. His band comes to The Kennedy Center’s Club at Studio K tonight and tomorrow for 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. sets. $40-$60.
Girma Bèyènè is a legend in his native Ethiopia, known for writing and arranging some of the biggest hits from the country’s golden era of popular music in the ’60s and ’70s. After moving to the United States and taking a 25-year hiatus, he accepted the invitation from the Parisian band Akalé Wubé to return to the stage. The collaboration comes to AMP. 8 p.m. $20-$38.
English percussionist Laul Pytton and American trumpeter Nate Wolley are from different generations and geographies, but they come together to create a noise that moves in any and all directions. The duo comes to Rhizome along with opener Jenny Moon Tucker. 8 p.m. $10.
The monthly jazz singer spotlight continues at Mr. Henry’s with featured artist Sharón Clark, a chanteuse in the most classic sense. 8 p.m.-11 p.m. $20 + food/beverage minimum.
March 21
Trombonist and activist Shannon Gunn conducts a workshop and performance for Jazz Girls Day DC at Annandale’s John Calvin Presbyterian Church. Jazz Girls Day DC is aimed at female-identifying middle and high school students who are looking to develop the skills needed for self-confidence in jazz performance. Gunn and other faculty run a workshop from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the day concludes with a 4 p.m. concert featuring the students. FREE, with registration for the workshops closing on March 13. Donations accepted at the performance. Part of the Washington Women in Jazz Festival.
Brother’s Keeper is percussionist/vocalist Rahsaan “Wordslave” Eldridge and guitarist/vocalist Cullen DeChant. The duo comes to Sotto for 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. sets. $20 in advance/$25 at the door.
Saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, whose collaborators have included—Solange Knowles, Bob Dylan, and Wynton Marsalis—leads a quartet at the Kennedy Center’s Justice Forum. 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. sets. $26.
La Mecanica Popular is a Latin experimental group from New York City led by Peruvian musician/researcher Efraín Rozas. The group draws from various South American styles while incorporating psychedelic elements of American music from the late ’60s and early ’70s. La Colombopercutiva, a cumbia band with an activist bent, shares the stage at Comet Ping Pong. 10 p.m. $12.
March 22
The Washington Women in Jazz Festival hosts its annual Emerging Artist Showcase at THEARC Levine Recital Hall. A professional rhythm section comprised of bassist Zoe Jorgenson Speirs and drummer Angel Bethea back a talented group of up-and-coming performers. Femme, an all-female student ensemble from The University of the Arts also performs. 2 p.m.-4 p.m. $5-$10.
March 23
Local jazz choir Capital City Voices teams up with Cloudburst for 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $22 + minimum/surcharge.
March 24
Local mainstay Wade Beach leads a piano trio at Alice’s Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $10 at the door.
Guitarist Mark Whitfield teams up with pianist Kirk Lightsey for 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $25 + minimum/surcharge.
March 25
Christine Jensen is a saxophonist and composer based in Montreal who won a 2011 Juno Award (Canada’s equivalent to a Grammy) for the ambitious recording Treelines – The Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra. Jensen performs at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital along with Amy K. Bormet, bassist Karine Chapdelaine, and drummer Ana Barreiro as part of the Washington Women in Jazz Festival. 7 p.m.-9 p.m. $18 in advance/$20 at the door.
Manacá is a trio featuring vocalist Marcelle Pena. The band plays Wild Days from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. No cover.
Practitioner is a duo comprised of clarinetist Ben Goldberg and pianist Michael Coleman. The project is a tribute to soprano saxophone great Steve Lacy and his 1983 album, Hocus-Pocus, and it comes to Rhizome at 8 p.m. $15.
Celebrated jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix at AMP. 8 p.m. $34-$48.
Virtuoso guitarist Frank Vignola assembled a trio for tonight’s 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. performances at Blues Alley. $25 + minimum/surcharge.
Saxophonist Bobby Muncy brings his Radiohead Jazz Project to Twins Jazz. 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $10 + minimum/surcharge.
March 26
Miguel Zenón is among the most innovative composers and saxophonists working today. The MacArthur “genius” often looks to the folk traditions in his native Puerto Rico for source material, but he is equally at home playing the more heady music of the SFJazz Collective. Zenón leads his long running quartet through 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. sets at The Arthouse (formerly MilkBoy ArtHouse). $10-$30.
The Carlyle Club hosts SheBop Manouche, an accomplished local gypsy jazz ensemble, which pays tribute to legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt as part of the Washington Women in Jazz Festival. Brooklyn-based guitarist Lisa Liu is the featured soloist. 7:30 p.m. $22 + minimum/surcharge.
Lena Seikaly is a singer’s singer and local favorite. Her band plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Blues Alley. $25 + minimum/surcharge.
March 27
Longtime area saxophonist Antonio Parker comes to Jazz Night in Southwest with his quintet. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 at the door.
Saxophonist BJ Simmons plays Sotto along with his group. 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. sets. $20 in advance/$25 at the door.
Notable performers from the Washington Women in Jazz Festival convene as the Washington Women in Jazz All-Stars at Montpelier Arts Center. 8 p.m.-10 p.m. $25.
Local guitar wizards Joel Harrison and Anthony Pirog team up for a duo performance at Rhizome. 8 p.m. $10.
Trumpeter Joe Herrera leads Remix, his jazz-electronic hybrid, at Marvin from 9 p.m.-midnight. No cover.
The heady SFJazz Collective comes to Blues Alley for three nights, paying tribute to Miles Davis and Sly Stone to celebrate the 50th anniversaries of the classic recordings, In A Silent Way and Stand! 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $50 + minimum/surcharge.
March 28
The Washington Women in Jazz Festival concludes with a performance from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, which highlights the contributions of women to jazz throughout the genre’s history. The concert takes place at the National Museum of American History at 7:30 p.m. $25-$30.
Black Folks Don’t Swim? is a Maryland-based collective led by a group of queer musician-activists whose energetic performances aim to create safe and creative spaces for all. BFDS? comes to Sotto for 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. sets. $20 in advance/$25 at the door.
Snarky Puppy is one of the most popular jazz groups working today, and the members of that collective often peel off to lead their own groups for a spell. The band’s driving percussion duo of Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth form Ghost-Note, an explosive jazz-funk outfit whose members have played with some of the greats in R&B and hip-hop. Ghost-Note comes to the Atlas for an 8 p.m. performance. $14-$30.
Brass-A-Holics brings its blend of New Orleans funk and go-go to The Hamilton. 8 p.m. $19.50-$25.50.
March 29
The Firm Roots organ trio plays Alice’s Jazz & Cultural Society. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $10 at the door.
March 30
Benny Green rose to prominence in the ’90s and is now an acclaimed veteran pianist. His trio plays 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. $25 + minimum/surcharge.
March 31
World-renowned blues guitarist Coco Montoya takes the stage at AMP. 8 p.m. $24-$38.
Fado is a melodramatic musical form with origins in Portugal. While female vocalists are common in fado, they are rare among instrumentalists. Marta Pereira da Costa is an exception and the guitarist comes to Blues Alley for 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. $25 + minimum/surcharge.
