Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard (pictured right) is a friend to D.C. The New Orleans native chose Blues Alley as the spot to release his latest CD, A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina). Though he is a celebrated bandleader and performer, he has also been quietly making his mark in the film world as Spike Lee’s chief musical collaborator. Tomorrow at 8 p.m., the Kennedy Center will host Terence Blanchard for what…

Fried Chicken Frenzy Returns Fried chicken fanatics have something to get excited about. Both Colorado Kitchen and Ray’s the Classics have restored their famous versions of the dish. Everyone lamented when Gillian Clark pulled her chicken from the menu a few years ago. But now, she is hosting burgers and fried chicken nights on December 11 and January 8 (the second Tuesday of the month). Apparently her chicken is so good that she told…

This weekend, Blues Alley hosts Terence Blanchard (pictured) and his fantastic quintet for the release of his new album, A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina). Going into Thursday’s early set, it was unclear how lushly orchestrated material would translate into a more traditional combo setting. As it turns out, it translates quite well, though we didn’t get to hear very many of the new songs. While the band was burning, they only…

>> Sigh. It’s the last night of Fort Reno, which means summer is officially ending soon. Hopefully it’ll dry out in time to make this a great final concert — scheduled to play are drag-rocker Edie Sedgwick, Sentai, and the adorable Eyeball Skeleton, a Maryland band featuring brothers age 8 and 10 (plus their dad) who are known to sing the lyric “eyeball skeleton” over and over again in what sound almost like fake…

This month marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s assault upon the city of New Orleans. The suffering and hardship of that city’s citizens no longer makes headlines, but the havoc caused by the storm is something many people still live with on a daily basis. Jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is one of those people. A son of the Crescent City and musical descendant of fellow New Orleanians Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, and…

What happens when a Cambridge trained historian goes foodie? In Lizzie Collingham’s case you get an interesting story that’s 5 parts history, 1 part culinary, and wholly entertaining to read. In her Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, Collingham couples excellent story telling with exhaustive research. The result is a historical perspective on Indian fare that is as mouth watering as it is informative. Lizzie scorns those seeking authenticity when searching for perfect Indian….

The nominations for the Helen Hayes Awards were announced last night, despite the cancellation of the traditional reception at the Canadian Embassy. As today’s Post notes, the nominations had their share of surprises. Not surprising, especially to veterans of the D.C. theater scene, was the dominance of the Kennedy Center (17 nominations), Signature Theatre (15 nominations) and the Shakespeare Theatre (14 nominations). With pockets significantly deeper than smaller theater companies, large theaters can spend significant…