Weekend in Jazz | 1.10-1.12: Jazz and comedy, Ralph Peterson's drum dynamism & the D.C. Jazz Loft -

Editorial board

On Friday evening, the saxophonist and composer Jonathan Parker convenes a lively celebration of jazz and comedy at the Dunes, bringing together some of the area’s best young talents in both areas for a promising show with a reasonable ticket price. Both Friday and Saturday, the storied drummer Ralph Peterson — who was Art Blakey’s last protégé — headlines at Bohemian Caverns. And on Sunday, CapitalBop returns with a D.C. Jazz Loft featuring three young trail-blazers who represent the promising future of local jazz. You can also find our full listings at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar. All our favorite shows below have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10

cb picks:

Jonathan Parker’s Under the Counter, The Dunes, 8 p.m.
Lena Seikaly, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m.
Ralph Peterson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Jazz Jam, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Tribute to Dick Morgan, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | This week at Westminster Presbyterian, a quintet of straight-ahead musicians are paying tribute to Dick Morgan, the courtly and talented D.C. pianist and vocalist who died last year. The band includes Steve Abshire on guitarm Tadanaka Unno on piano, David Jernigan on bass, Percy Smith on drums and Bruce Swaim on saxophone. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Charles Rahmat Woods Duo, Firelake Grill, 7 p.m. | The saxophonist Charles Woods plays in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig leading a low-key duo at Firelake Grill, he keeps things within the traditional, swinging realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Firelake Grill website

Jacqui Simmons & Friends, Sala Thai (RI Ave.), 7 p.m. | Jacqui Simmons sings jazz standards with a heartfelt and elegant presentation. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai 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

Yamomanem, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Yamomanem Jazz Band plays a faithful take on New Orleans jazz, conjuring the days of King Oliver and early Louis Armstrong with its lush brass section. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Jacqui Simmons & Friends, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a jazz combo led by bassist Stan Hamrick that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. The cast of supporting musicians tends to rotate. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Jonathan Parker’s Under the Table, The Dunes, 8 p.m. | The area alto saxophonist Jonathan Parker bounces and bobs through his improvisations, always affable and sometimes witty. He’s also a wily composer, and apparently quite the ideas man: Here he presents his octet on a packed bill, alongside the local indie rock band Greenland and a lineup of four local comics. $8 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Dunes Facebook

David Wright & the Wright Touch, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The saxophonist David Wright explores overlapping traditions in Black music, from jazz to R&B to Afro-Cuban, often mixing in vocals and thick horn arrangements. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $16 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Gerald Albright, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Gerald Albright is a saxophonist who runs the gamut between soul jazz, R&B and smooth jazz. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $43 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Lena Seikaly, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | The precocious young vocalist Lena Seikaly performs jazz standards and her own relatively straight-ahead originals with a confident and playful demeanor. Here she’s joined by a small combo. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Loews website

Ralph Peterson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The drummer Ralph Peterson was Art Blakey’s last protege in the 1980s, and he now carries on Bu’s legacy as an educator and mentor. Behind the kit, Peterson is vigorous and unrelenting, washing his band members in polyrhythm (and often overpowering them). He harks back to the greats of the 1960s and ’70s: Elvin Jones and Tony Williams especially. Here he performs with a sextet featuring expert improvisers from around D.C. 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 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

Cheyney Thomas Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Bassist Cheney Thomas, a longtime D.C. resident and HR-57 stalwart, leads his own straight-ahead quartet. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 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

U St. Jazz Jam, 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 saxophonist Herb Scott helms the proceedings. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Ulah website

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

cb picks:

Herb Spice & Cinnamonstix, Chez Billy, 7:30 p.m.
Chuck Redd, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m.
Ralph Peterson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. 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

George Oakley Two-tet, Firelake Grill, 7 p.m. | The singer and reeds player George Oakley teams up with the guitarist Nick Lipkowski to present low-key jazz takes on classic repertoire, as background fare at the Firelake Grill. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Firelake Grill website

Herb Spice & Cinnamonstix, Chez Billy, 7 p.m. | Herb Scott is a young, soulful powerhouse of an alto saxophonist. As a bandleader, he sometimes veers into smooth jazz, but when working within the straight-ahead realm his fleetness and power are undeniable. Here he leads a trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Chez Billy 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

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (RI Ave.), 7 p.m. | The 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

Triple Double Jazz Band, 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

Chuck Redd, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | Chuck Redd, a deft and lyrical vibraphonist, performs here with a combo featuring talented area musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Loews website

Ralph Peterson Sextet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 p.m. | The drummer Ralph Peterson was Art Blakey’s last protege in the 1980s, and he now carries on Bu’s legacy as an educator and mentor. Behind the kit, Peterson is vigorous and unrelenting, washing his band members in polyrhythm (and often overpowering them). He harks back to the greats of the 1960s and ’70s: Elvin Jones and Tony Williams especially. Here he performs with a sextet featuring expert improvisers from around D.C. 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 profile

Kent Miller Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The strong and swinging bassist Kent Miller leads a straight-ahead quartet. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12

cb pick:

D.C. Jazz Loft, Union Arts, 7 p.m.
Michael O’Neill Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Bobby Muncy, Twins Jazz, 8 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

George Oakley Group, Redwood Restaurant, 11 a.m. | George Oakley invests all the reeds he plays – saxophone, clarinet and flute – with a whispering coolness. In this weekly brunch gig, he performs with a laid-back trio featuring Scott Giambusso on bass and Nick Lipkowski on guitar. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Redwood 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, 6:30 p.m. | The D.C. 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

Michael McNeill Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 8:30 p.m. | The music of pianist Michael McNeill and his Buffalo-based trio, a bounding but never overly sturdy organism, owes equally to Keith Jarrett’s 1970s work and the newer influence of Craig Taborn. It leaves wide open spaces, full of wind-like tremor and bowed acoustic bass, and fills its densest areas with high, splattered dissonance. Two separate sets at 7 & 9 p.m. $15 cover in advance, $20 at the door. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

D.C. Jazz Loft, Union Arts, 7 p.m. | At this month’s D.C. Jazz Loft, CapitalBop spotlights three young talents who are forging into new territory. There’s Noble Jolley, a pianist with an erudite swing feel and a deep pocket; Sam Prather’s Groove Orchestra, a band that makes finely polished jazz/R&B; and Jamal Moore, an avant-garde saxophone powerhouse. $15 donation suggested,

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

Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 11 a.m. | This big band of talented college jazz musicians is led by the saxophonist Chris Vadala, who heads the jazz studies program at the University of Maryland. $12 cover, $10 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues website

Bobby Muncy, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The saxophonist Bobby Muncy writes snaky tunes influenced by 20th century classical and alternative rock, as well as jazz. He appears at Twins with a strong, straight-ahead quartet. 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