People tend to start hibernating as January sets in, but there are still plenty of jazz musicians making the rounds who would love to see D.C.-area audiences this month. Here are a few shows worth checking out, including a local jazz orchestra’s 25th anniversary bash and a meetup of free jazz musicians from D.C. and Baltimore.
If you only catch one show this month:
NEW YORK JAZZER WITH D.C. ROOTS: Marc Cary has a career that any aspiring jazz musician would envy. After graduating from Duke Ellington School For The Arts and coming up through D.C.’s go-go scene, he moved to New York and landed prized gigs with luminaries Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln. He has been at the forefront of modern jazz since the mid-1990s, performing in every imaginable context while recording over a dozen albums as a bandleader. Still an active performer, Cary also serves on the faculty at the world-renowned Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School. Cary returns to the District fairly regularly, and will make another homecoming visit this month to lead his latest trio. (Jan. 28 at Takoma Station, 7-10 p.m.; $20 in advance/$25 at the door)
If you want to see local talent:
ALBUM RELEASE: Vocalese is a subgenre within jazz in which lyrics are set to melodies and improvisations that were composed or played without words in mind. Area vocalist George V. Johnson is a master of this approach to jazz singing, and will celebrate the release of his latest album, Walk Spirit Talk Spirit, at Jazz Night in Southwest with a stellar band that includes trumpeter Donvonte McCoy, saxophonist Elijah Easton, and others. (Jan. 6 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 to 9 p.m.; $10 at the door)
JAZZ GUITAR: Joshua Bayer has deep connections to the D.C. area, having received a doctorate from the University of Maryland and currently serving on the music faculty at American University. Bayer regularly steps out front to lead his own bands, this time a quartet at what is becoming a go-to venue for listening to high quality local music. (Jan. 7 at Takoma Station, 7 to 10 p.m.; $15 in advance/$20 at the door)
PERFECT PAIRS: Pianist Chris Grasso has carved a niche for himself as a skilled accompanist and music director for some of the region’s best vocalists. Now, he’s teamed up with vocalist Lauren Scales and saxophonist Mike Flanagan to create a concert series honoring vocal-instrumental partnerships from different eras. On this stop of the aptly named “Perfect Pairs Tour,” Grasso and company play material by collaborations between Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley, of D’Angelo and Questlove, and more. (Jan. 29 at The Carlyle Room, 7 p.m.; $25 + food/drink minimum)
BIG BAND REUNION: Thad Wilson has long been a first call trumpeter and has recently devoted his time to scoring films and touring with the long-running D.C. funk band, The Blackbyrds. Since the 1990s, Wilson has also assembled and performed with a big band, the Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra. Wilson’s orchestra will hold a Tuesday night residency at Blues Alley this month, playing a tribute to vocalists Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine on Jan. 17, and a tribute to composer/bandleaders Horace Silver and Duke Ellington on Jan. 24. The run will culminate in a live recording to celebrate the orchestra’s 25th anniversary. (Jan. 31 at Blues Alley, 7 and 9 p.m. sets; $30 + minimum/surcharge)
If you want to see acts coming through town:
BROOKLYN JAZZ: As Manhattan gentrified over the past couple decades, much of New York City’s cultural cachet moved from there to Brooklyn. On his latest album, Brooklyn Calling, New York-based saxophonist Stan Killian evokes the thriving scene where he rose through the ranks. Killian is touring in support of the album and brings his band to D.C. this month. (Jan. 7 at Mr. Henry’s, 6 p.m. doors; $25 + food/drink minimum)
JAZZ PRODIGY: Born in Bali, Indonesia, Joey Alexander has been performing internationally as a jazz pianist since 2013, when he was just ten years-old. Now, he is moving past being viewed as an exceptionally talented youngster. His 2022 release, Origin, marks his first major effort as a composer, and his D.C. stop will no doubt include plenty of material from this recording. (Jan. 20 & 21 at Blues Alley, 7 and 9 p.m. sets; $40 + minimum/surcharge).
If you want to get out of your comfort zone:
I-95 CONNECTIONS: January will see a meeting of the minds between improvisors coming from the respective creative music scenes of Baltimore and D.C. Baltimore free jazzers Jim Ryan and Darian Baiza come to the District to share the stage with a lineup that includes bassist Steve Arnold, trombonist Kirsten Lies-Warfield, and drummer Alan Kirschenbaum for two sets of free music. (Jan. 8 at Rhizome, 7 p.m. $10-$20)
DCIST MUSICIAN TO WATCH: Last month, DCist highlighted seventeen musicians to watch in 2023, one of whom was french hornist Abe Mamet. He takes the stage as part of LMB, an improvised duo with frequent collaborator Jamie Sandel on violin. LMB shares the stage with Dream Feeder, which consists of area veterans Nelson Dougherty (guitar), Brad Linde (saxophone) and Keith Butler Jr. (drums). Dream Feeder performs original compositions alongside free improvisations, with its bass-less instrumentation allowing for extra harmonic space for its members to explore. (Jan. 20 at Rhizome, 7 p.m.; $15-$20)
If you’re in search of global sounds:
SOUNDS OF COLOMBIA: La Marvela is an all-female ensemble formed to honor Colombian ancestral music from a female perspective. The band explores that country’s indigenous culture and the sounds that arose out of African peoples who were forcibly brought there during the slave trade, which existed in Colombia from the early 1600s through its abolition in 1851. (Jan. 13 at Bossa Bistro + Lounge, 7:30 p.m.; $10 at the door)
