Weekend in Jazz | 4.19-4.21: Suave swing from Tim Green and Mark Whitfield, and much more -

Tim Green plays at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Friday. Courtesy timgreenmusic.com

by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

In its annual Best of D.C. poll, the City Paper last week declared Westminster Presbyterian as having the best jazz audience. Michael J. West’s argument is hard to contest. But why not go and see for yourself on Friday evening, when the rising star saxophonist Tim Green, a respected young standard-bearer on the Baltimore jazz scene, plays at Westminster? Also this weekend, The Flail plays at Twins Jazz and Mark Whitfield is at Bohemian Caverns. There’s info on all those shows and many more in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz.” As always, you can find our full listings at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar. Our favorites have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, APRIL 19

cb picks:

Tim Green, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
The Flail, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
Mark Whitfield, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Tim Green, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | A chittering alto saxophonist, Tim Green ruminates with command and passion. Meditative and cerebral don’t cancel out. The Baltimore native’s touchstones are in gospel and blues, and when he ups the ante on a solo, you can feel soul dripping from the horn. Green, who was runner-up in the definitive Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, will perform with a stellar quartet in celebration of his wide-ranging new CD, “Songs from this Season.” $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | Commanding vocalist Karen Gray sings laid-back renditions of jazz standards in a drumless trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Potomac Jazz Project, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its lineup rotates. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

L’Tanya Mari Trio, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Singer L’Tanya Mari is influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, singing jazz with depth and soulful warmth. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

The Flail, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The Flail is a New York-based quintet that writes taut originals, and hits them hard. Its rhythms tend to bounce around, like a Super Ball in a tin can, relentless and aggressive. The group’s post-bop approach is tinged with rockish grooves here and there, but new ideas about jazz’s history are in this music too, if you go looking. $16 cover, $10 minimum. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Earl Klugh, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The Grammy-winning smooth jazz guitarist Earl Klugh performs grooving music with a small backing band. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $43 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Lyle Link Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | This weekend, the Mandarin Oriental – regularly home to jazz vocalists and cabaret acts giving a light dusting to the Great American Songbook – moves into instrumental jazz. It’s hardly a “listening room” (the vibe is more oriented toward food, drink and conversation) but the music on offer here is top-notch. Hardly any D.C. saxophonist is more worth hearing than Lyle Link, who plays his horn with a command that’s always spry and often sultry. His message is clear: This music is about feeling as much as hearing. Here he performs with a strong quartet featuring Chris Grasso on piano, Tommy Cecil on bass and Quincy Phillips on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

Mark Whitfield, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Swing rhythm, and the big, invisible tug that it promises, dusts itself off and cleans up nice in the hands of Mark Whitfield. He’s a dignified and sapient guitarist who came of age with the Young Lions of the early 1990s, releasing a string of albums on Warner Brothers and Verve throughout the decade that was jazz’s illusive renaissance. His sound has more in common with George Benson than Wes Montgomery or Grant Green – rounded, merry and affirmative. He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $10 cover in advance, $15 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Antonio Parker Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is swinging and soulful, colored by a bright, aggressive tone. He casually sprinkles neo-soul and R&B influences into his otherwise straight-ahead bop, and his improvisation shows a redolence of Kenny Garrett. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Friday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Alfredo Mojica, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Alfredo Mojica, who sang at Bossa for years with the group Sin Miedo, unites salsa, jazz and Latin American balladry. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

Aaron Myers, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Vocalist Aaron Myers leads a straight-ahead jazz quartet, featuring piano, bass and drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

SATURDAY, APRIL 20

cb picks:

The Flail, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
Mark Whitfield, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Charles Woods, Johnny’s Half Shell, 6 p.m. | Saxophonist Charles Woods plays and has recorded in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig at Johnny’s Half Shell he keeps things within the traditional bop realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Johnny’s Half Shell website

Mark Mosley Trio, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Baltimore guitarist Mark Mosley plays a slick hand as a smooth jazz guitarist, but he can also hunker down on serious bop. He performs laid-back straight-ahead here with his trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Full Ascent, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | This jazz band plays in a number of traditional styles, from hard-bop to Dixieland to calypso. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Victor Provost Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Victor Provost isn’t just the only jazz steel pan player in D.C. – he’s one of the region’s best improvisers, on any instrument. He performs at the Mandarin Oriental, where presenting instrumental jazz on the weekends is a new venture, with a strong band: Chris Grasso on piano, Zack Pride on bass and Lenny Robinson on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

Michael Feinstein, Strathmore, 9 p.m. | Michael Feinstein knows what he likes: It’s the past, and the privilege of selection that the process of looking back gives us. Look at his recent projects: “The Sinatra Project,” “Change of Heart: The Songs of André Previn,” etc. At the Strathmore, he performs an all-Gershwin program, applying his wide-honey tenor to songs that can sway and stagger with depth, or they can not – depending on the angle at which you’re looking over your shoulder. Ticket prices vary ($40-105). View event on calendar | Kennedy Center website

Cubista, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Cubista is a salsa band that plays at Bossa every Saturday. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

Some Like It Hot, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Some Like It Hot is a small jazz and that performs traditional music from the swing era. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Dee Stone, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Dee Stone sings soul, blues, jazz and rock. The first set of every performance is usually comprised of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Lyrical bassist Steve Synk, a music major at the University of Maryland, leads a young trio that explores music ranging from standards to originals, groove-based contemporary jazz to swinging bop. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

SUNDAY, APRIL 21

cb picks:

Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 p.m.

Gospel Brunch, The Hamilton, 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Every Sunday morning, the Hamilton presents two sets of rafters-raising gospel, along with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Two separate shows at 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Hamilton website

TBA, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana website

Harlem Gospel Choir, Howard Theatre, 12 p.m. | The talented Harlem Gospel Choir, which has been active since 1986, performs a Sunday brunch show every week at the Howard Theatre. Either an all-you-can-eat buffet or an a la carte menu are available. Doors open at noon, and the music starts at 1:30 p.m. Tickets vary ($35 for all-you-can-eat or $20 for admission and a la carte options in advance, $45 or $30 at the door). View event on calendar | Howard website

Todd Simon, Kellari Taverna, 12 p.m. | The sturdy and swinging pianist Todd Simon performs every Sunday in a duo setting; his accompanists vary from bass to guitar to saxophone, depending on the week. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Kellari Taverna website

D.C. Jazz Jam, Dahlak, 6 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Dahlak profile

Potomac Jazz Project, Laporta’s, 6:30 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its rotating lineup often features some of D.C.’s best musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Laporta’s website

Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra is one of the District’s most exciting acts. This 17-piece swing big band commands the caves with a repertoire ranging from Count Basie to Coltrane to originals by the band members. Some truly excellent soloists, too, strengthen the big band’s already-nimble arrangements, which it has performed every Monday evening at the Caverns for the past three years. The orchestra celebrates its anniversary with this special Sunday-night show. Two separate sets at 7 & 9 p.m. $20 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Jazz Direct, Zoo Bar Café, 7:30 p.m.| This combo specializes in traditional New Orleans-style jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Zoo Bar website

Jason Hammers, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jason Hammers, a young saxophonist from Gaithersburg, Maryland, leads a small combo here. $10 cover, $10 minimum. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” no cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile