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by Giovanni Russonello

First of all, Herb Scott wants you to dance. Then, he’d like to get you thinking about what it is that’s making you move.

The alto saxophonist’s band, Herb Spice & Cinnamonstix, spends as much time playing the music of Dizzy Gillespie as it does on James Brown tunes. And if the quartet makes it hard to tell the difference between the two, well, that’s the point.

“The goal of this group is to contrast urban music with jazz music. I think what people will realize is that there is a link between the two styles,” said Scott, who will be performing with Cinnamonstix this Friday at Acre 121. “We want people our age to come to our shows and feel that they’re a part of something, in the same way that they would go see a go-go band or a rapper and get that sort of energy. They would dance and have a good time.”

Herb Scott at Bayou. Giovanni Russonello/CapitalBop

At CapitalBop, we got a call recently from the folks at Acre 121, Columbia Heights’ new Southern barbecue joint and barroom. When they said they were looking for a jazz group to spice up a Friday night, we knew where to turn. Cinnamonstix is a dirty-grooving soul machine of a band, loaded with modern urban flair. And with Terence Arnett behind the drum kit, danceable beats are a guarantee. It’s a musical meal that goes straight to the hips.

For Scott, this show will be something of a homecoming, since he’s a native son of the Columbia Heights neighborhood. “I started playing music at the Sitar Center, at 1700 Kalorama [Rd. NW],” he said. “I remember when I was young, there was nothing there. I’m glad to see the blossoming of the area and the culture there, and to be a part of it.”

This Friday, Herb Spice & Cinnamonstix will bring together jazz, funk and rap into one swirling, backbeat-driven monster of sound. The show runs from 8 p.m. to midnight, and there’s no cover charge (not that the band is morally opposed to tipping). So swing by, grab a bottle of Abita or a can of DC Brau, and let the rhythm take care of the rest.

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