Steve Wilson plays a tribute to Charlie Parker at the Kennedy Center this weekend, opening the KC Jazz Club's 2011-12 season. Courtesy allaboutjazz.com
by Giovanni Russonello
Editor-in-chief
CapitalBop’s D.C. Jazz Loft is back this Sunday, with sets from singer Akua Allrich (the loft’s first-ever vocal performer!), bassist Herman Burney and experimental guitarist Anthony Pirog. But wait, you’ve got options: the funk-inflected Ebony Brass Sextet is at Bohemian Caverns in a Transparent Productions presentation, also on Sunday night; Blues Alley presents Roy Hargrove all weekend long; and the Kennedy Center’s KC Jazz Club rings in its 2011-12 season with two evenings of Charlie Parker tributes from Steve Wilson – quite possibly the best contemporary saxophonist you’ve never heard of (well, unless you have). You can find details on these performances and many others in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz,” a listing of every D.C. jazz show on our radar. Our favorites have a 
label, and as always, you can read CapitalBop’s full listings directly at our D.C. jazz calendar, if you’d rather. Happy hunting!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7
cb picks:
- Chris Grasso Quintet, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
- Steve Wilson, KC Jazz Club, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
- Roy Hargrove Quintet, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
- Tony Martucci Quartet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
- Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
Chris Grasso Quintet, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | Chris Grasso, a soulful pianist who specializes in accompanying vocalists, leads a quintet featuring singer Lena Seikaly and a handful of the area’s top instrumentalists: Paul Carr on saxophone, Tommy Cecil on bass and Lenny Robinson on drums. The band is great and the venue – the so-called Jazz Church – is one of the District’s best. What isn’t to like? $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website Continue reading
