Well, we’ve definitely reached the doldrums of August, so things have slowed down quite a bit in Jazz Land. Nonetheless, there’s still some interesting stuff to check out this week. >> Tonight, catch the Afro Bop Alliance, a Latin jazz ensemble based out of Annapolis, as they pay a visit to the Millennium Stage. The free show begins at 6 p.m. >> Also tonight, 17-year old Elijah Balbed takes the stage at Twins Jazz with…

Republicans in Congress just haven’t been nice to the District lately — they delayed a vote on the voting rights bill by adding a rider to end D.C.’s handgun ban, and now they’re preventing a free concert from being held near the Capitol on July 7. The concert was to be part of Al Gore’s Live Earth series of concerts to raise environmental awareness and was to feature some combination of acts like the Police,…

The Vote for Change rockers have gone, but there’s still plenty of celebrity eye candy in town this weekend. Look for Billy Corgan (ex-Smashing Pumpkins) as he stops by the 9:30 Club on Sunday to read from his new work “Blinking with Fists.” If maudlin rocker poetry isn’t your thing, you can see the prettier Hollywood set at Saturday night’s Italian American Foundation Gala at the Hilton Towers. Expected to show are Tim McGraw, Faith…