>> This week’s first must see takes place tonight at Blues Alley as one of the area’s finest drummers, Nasar Abadey, takes the stage with SuperNova (pictured right), a local jazz supergroup. The band features Allyn Johnson on piano, Gary Thomas, Jazz Studies Chair at Peabody, altoist Joe Ford, and bassist James King. Sets are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. $18 + $10 food/drink minimum. Tickets available here. >> Also tonight, Twins Jazz hosts…

The Young Lions personify the resurgence of U Street as the focal point of D.C.’s jazz scene. The original version of the group, formed in 1996, was a collaboration mainly of students attending Howard University. Over the past decade, the group has undergone various lineup changes and eventually settled on the genre-bending trio that heats up U Street’s clubs on a weekly basis. Though firmly rooted in tradition, the adventurous group explores and improvises…