Outside of her relatively small but loyal following, the United States has not seen much of Sinéad O’Connor over the past decade, though she has continued to release albums and perform. Despite having a massive hit with the Prince-penned “Nothing Compares 2 U,” she is remembered equally for the controversy she generated with her infamous appearance on Saturday Night Live and her refusal to have the national anthem played before a concert in New Jersey….

Raised in Lisbon, Mariza, the daughter of Mozambican and Portuguese parents, is the reigning queen of a traditional style of Portuguese music called fado. After just a few notes of her show at The Music Center at Strathmore last night, it was obvious why she has garnered international acclaim as one of the world’s finest vocalists. Over the course of her performance, she proved that talent, passion, and emotion will connect any form of music…

D.C.’s jazz community lost its matriarch when Ronnie Wells (pictured right) succumbed to lung cancer in March 2007. One of D.C.’s premier jazz vocalists, Wells began her career in the mid-60s when she started performing at clubs throughout the city. Over the course of her career, her music took her to festivals and around the world. In 1983, she accepted an appointment to the University of Maryland’s music program, where she designed a jazz vocal…

Written by DCist contributor Genevieve Smith. In a deal brokered by the District government, the historic Carnegie Library will soon house the National Music Center (NMC), replacing the ill-fated City Museum of Washington and putting an end to speculation that it would re-open later this year after abruptly closing in 2004. Though Mayor Williams announced that the deal will be beneficial for both the NMC and the Historical Society of Washington (HSW), which ran the…

FRIDAY: >> The Sixpoints Music Festival, which highlights good local music played at good local venues, continues this weekend. Make sure to check out the schedule here and support your local music scene. >> Ross Douthat, blogger extraordinaire and reporter at The Atlantic Monthly, managed to pull a pretty nifty trick: he attended Harvard, reaped the rewards of the degree, and then got a hefty advance to write “Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the…

Today will start cloudy and become partly sunny in the afternoon, with highs around 60. The photo is of the brand-new Music Center at Strathmore. Bush Budget Mixed Bag for Region: Although Chesapeake Bay cleanup and library programs would be cut, President Bush’s budget would increase military spending in the region. See the Post article the budget’s local impact. Whitman Remembered: Walt Whitman spent 10 years living in Washington, D.C., and the attraction to…