by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

This weekend, the great vibraphonist and vocalist Roy Ayers is in town for his typical weekend run at Blues Alley. Alternately, if you’re interested in a younger voice on the vibes, check out Warren Wolf on Friday night at Strathmore. (Here’s an interview with Wolf from earlier this week.) Also on Friday night, the experimental bass great William Parker will lead a workshop and concert with his wife, the dancer and poet Patricia Nicholson. And on Sunday, in the early evening, CapitalBop is presenting one of New York City’s most buzzed-about new jazz bands: Kneebody. That show is at the graffiti-coated church and arts space BLIND WHINO; more info is available here. All our favorite shows have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

cb picks:

• William Parker & Patricia Nicholson, Union Arts & Manufacturing, 6 p.m.
• Herb Scott, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
• Warren Wolf, Strathmore Mansion, 7:30 p.m.
• Tim Green, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8 p.m.
• Jeremy Pelt, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

William Parker & Patricia Nicholson, Union Arts & Manufacturing, 6 p.m. | William Parker, perhaps the preeminent bass player and instigator of the avant-garde’s baby boom generation, has been touring “They Put Vision in Handcuffs,” a duets project with his wife, the dancer and poet Patricia Nicholson. It arrives in D.C. this week for a two-day run of performances and workshops. Before a 9 p.m. performance, Nicholson and Parker will lead a workshop at 6. $10 suggested donation. View event on calendar | Union Arts website

Herb Scott, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | Herb Scott is among the suavest and most rousing young saxophonists in D.C. The alto phenom also has a genuine composer’s sensibility, bringing his love for the small-group jazz tradition à la Cannonball Adderley up to date with refractions of ’80s soul and ’90s hip-hop. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Julian Hipkins, Chez Billy, 7 p.m. | Julian Hipkins sings with a swinging flair and jaunty, deep voice that recalls Jimmy Rushing. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Chez Billy 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

Night & Day Trio, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | The Night & Day Trio plays traditional, swing-oriented jazz, featuring Renée Tannenbaum on vocals, Mike Suser on piano and vocals and Dennis Johnson on saxophone. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Triple Double, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Consisting of Joey Whitney on tenor sax, Ed Gallagher on guitar, Alan Pachter on bass and Tom Reed on drums, the Triple Double Jazz Band plays straightforward, straight-ahead versions of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Warren Wolf, Strathmore Mansion, 7:30 p.m. | Warren Wolf has a bold amiability on the vibraphone, refitting Milt Jackson’s sure-footed melodic narratives and minor blues inflections into an energized post-bop approach. The Baltimore resident is a linchpin of the bassist Christian McBride’s band, Inside Straight, and he’s an in-demand sideman on the national scene – able-bodied as a drummer and pianist as well as a vibes player. But on his new album, the strong and agreeable straight-ahead effort “Wolfgang,” he sticks to vibraphone. He performs at Strathmore with a quartet. Tickets $30. View event on calendar | Strathmore website

Tim Green, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Both chittering and ruminative, the alto saxophonist Tim Green resonates command and passion. The Baltimore native’s touchstones are in gospel and blues, and when he ups the ante on a solo you can feel the soul virtually dripping off his horn. Green, who was runner-up in the definitive Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, performs here with a small combo. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $16 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The vocalist and vibraphonist Roy Ayers – beloved by acid-jazz fans, hip-hop heads and disco lovers alike – calls himself the “King of Neo-Soul Music.” But before all that, his days as an experimental jazz musician found him partnering with greats like Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Hubert Laws. Nowadays, Ayers typically sings sultry ballads over modern R&B backing; he’s experienced something of a renaissance, too, as the greater jazz community finally embraces osmosis with hip-hop and highlights Ayers’s earlier prescience. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $35 cover, $2.50 surcharge. $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8 p.m. | The renowned Eric Felten plays trombone and sings. He recently released an album featuring the pianist Kenny Barron and the drum legend Jimmy Cobb, among others. But at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club this evening he’ll lead his large jazz orchestra through Nat “King” Cole’s repertoire. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $25 cover, $15 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues website

Jeremy Pelt Quintet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The trumpeter Jeremy Pelt carries heavy cachet in the straight-ahead jazz world. He’s been a part of various famed groups over the past 20 years, and has led his own bands to serious acclaim. He boasts a tone that’s both smoky and striking, always grounded by conviction. This year he’s working at an expansion into the realm of electric-acoustic fusion. If there is an easy historical parallel for the work of his current quintet, it’s Miles Davis’s stuff from just before he made his groundbreaking fusion opuses — think “Filles de Kilimanjaro.” Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $20 cover in advance, $25 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns 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

Oren Levine Ensemble, Black Fox Lounge, 9 p.m. | The pianist Oren Levine performs with his trio, playing straight-ahead jazz and shining a spotlight on two guest vocalists: Barbara Papendorp and Russwin Francisco. 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

Wayne Wilentz Trio, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m. | U Street restaurant Ulah Bistro has stepped up to fill the void that Utopia left open last year, when it closed to make way for the construction of a new condos complex. That restaurant housed the block’s most reliable, convivial jam sessions. Ulah gives a taste of that energy once a week, late on Friday nights. This week the Wayne Wilentz Trio performs. It’s a pianist-led group that played each week at Utopia, exploring straight-ahead and Brazilian music. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Ulah website

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

cb picks:

• Tim Green, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• WCJS Radio Benefit feat. Arturo Sandoval, Constitution Hall, 8 p.m.
• Jeremy Pelt, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Janine Gilbert-Carter, Bargain Bazaar, 11 a.m. | The vocalist Janine Gilbert-Carter has a set of fulsome pipes, which she employs with masterful finesse and delicateness. She often sings gospel, but she’s just as at ease doing straight-ahead jazz. Here she’s joined on the bill by the Flying Eyz, an R&B band. They will perform separate sets (Gilbert-Carter at 11 a.m., the Flying Eyz at 3 p.m.) at the Bargain Bazaar, a popup market and all-day festival. Free. View event on calendar | Bargain Bazaar info

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

Triple Double, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Consisting of Joey Whitney on tenor sax, Ed Gallagher on guitar, Alan Pachter on bass and Tom Reed on drums, the Triple Double Jazz Band plays straightforward, straight-ahead versions of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Tim Green, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Both chittering and ruminative, the alto saxophonist Tim Green resonates command and passion. The Baltimore native’s touchstones are in gospel and blues, and when he ups the ante on a solo you can feel the soul virtually dripping off his horn. Green, who was runner-up in the definitive Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, performs here with a small combo. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $16 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The vocalist and vibraphonist Roy Ayers – beloved by acid-jazz fans, hip-hop heads and disco lovers alike – calls himself the “King of Neo-Soul Music.” But before all that, his days as an experimental jazz musician found him partnering with greats like Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Hubert Laws. Nowadays, Ayers typically sings sultry ballads over modern R&B backing; he’s experienced something of a renaissance, too, as the greater jazz community finally embraces osmosis with hip-hop and highlights Ayers’s earlier prescience. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $35 cover, $2.50 surcharge. $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Jeremy Pelt, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The trumpeter Jeremy Pelt carries heavy cachet in the straight-ahead jazz world. He’s been a part of various famed groups over the past 20 years, and has led his own bands to serious acclaim. He boasts a tone that’s both smoky and striking, always grounded by conviction. This year he’s working at an expansion into the realm of electric-acoustic fusion. If there is an easy historical parallel for the work of his current quintet, it’s Miles Davis’s stuff from just before he made his groundbreaking fusion opuses — think “Filles de Kilimanjaro.” Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $20 cover in advance, $25 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

WCJS Radio Benefit feat. Arturo Sandoval, Constitution Hall, 8 p.m. | The Cuban trumpet icon Arturo Sandoval headlines this concert, a benefit hosted by the internet jazz station WCJS. All proceeds go to Ghanaian Mothers Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the building of schools, clinics, and other crucial institutions in Ghana, and to Innocents At Risk, an anti-sex-trafficking organization. The rest of the bill includes distinguished names like the saxophonists Marshall Keys and Grace Kelly, and the keyboardist John Beasley. Tickets $25-75. View event on calendar | More info

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

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

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

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

cb picks:

• Kneebody, Blind Whino: SW Arts Club, 4 p.m.
• Anthony Pirog Trio, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 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

Jazz Brunch, 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

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

Kneebody, Blind Whino: SW Arts Club, 4 p.m. | For week two of CapitalBop’s residency at the G40 Art Summit, Grammy-nominated quintet Kneebody will perform. The band is one of the Big Apple’s most buzzed-about groups in any genre, with a repertoire of thick-bodied original compositions that run in all different directions—toward funk, house, trip-hop, metal and so much else. You’ll hear Aphex Twin, Miles Davis and Radiohead all thrown in together. The band’s recently released debut on major label Concord Records, The Line, is a doozy, and they are on an international tour to promote it. The concert takes place at BLIND WHINO: SW Arts Club, a Gothic church from the 19th century that’s been covered floor-to-spire in graffiti. Tickets $10, includes free cocktail. View event on calendar | More info

D.C. Jazz Jam, Dahlak, 6:30 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

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

Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The vocalist and vibraphonist Roy Ayers – beloved by acid-jazz fans, hip-hop heads and disco lovers alike – calls himself the “King of Neo-Soul Music.” But before all that, his days as an experimental jazz musician found him partnering with greats like Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Hubert Laws. Nowadays, Ayers typically sings sultry ballads over modern R&B backing; he’s experienced something of a renaissance, too, as the greater jazz community finally embraces osmosis with hip-hop and highlights Ayers’s earlier prescience. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $35 cover, $2.50 surcharge. $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Anthony Pirog Trio, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The guitarist Anthony Pirog’s music runs the gamut from post-bop to electric fusion to ambient soundscapes. You’ve got the ideas of M83, Allan Holdsworth and Bill Frisell all vying for space. With a trio, Pirog pries away at the rhythmic logic of small-group jazz, wielding a battery of effects pedals and a patient improvisatory instinct. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. 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

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