At CapitalBop, we’re dedicated to making sure 2019 is a banner year for jazz in D.C. We’ve got a ton of high-caliber shows planned for the coming year — more than ever before — and today, for the first time in our history, we’re unveiling a full season all at once.

Our Spring ’19 season will be packed with creative energy from all over the improvised landscape — and as always, our ticket prices will stay very affordable, never exceeding $20 in advance. We are especially thrilled to be announcing a special “CB Presents” concert featuring the iconic Carla Bley Trio. And, as always, our Traveling Loft series will continue to welcome some of today’s most cutting-edge musicians from across the country, performing in double-bill concerts with D.C.’s best innovators at venues all over the city. Between February and May, we will present the bold sonic explorations of Nate Wooley’s Columbia Icefield, featuring guitarist Mary Halvorson, pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn and drummer Ryan Sawyer; the electrifying synergy of the Ben Wendel Seasons Band; and the D.C. debut of the Angelica Sanchez Nonet, a new project from one of today’s most creative improvisers.

On top of all that, we’ll still be hosting our regular monthly gigs: the DC Jazz Loft, our DIY show at Rhizome DC, on one Sunday each month, and the Spotlight Residency, our series showcasing local bandleaders at U Street’s Local 16. The artists-in-residence at Spotlight this season are all DMV heavyweights: drummer Dana Hawkins in February, bassist Kris Funn in March and vocalist Akua Allrich in April.

Read CapitalBop’s Director of Presenting Luke Stewart below on why we’ve chosen to bring these particular national artists to D.C., plus info on each major concert. Then scroll down for a full season calendar.

Traveling Loft: Nate Wooley’s Columbia Icefield

with Janel Leppin / Saturday, February 23, 2019 / 7 p.m. / The Corner Store: 900 South Carolina Ave. SE

There are few musicians who have created as a distinct an approach and style as Nate Wooley. A peerless trumpet player, his music is stark and distinctive; it can be as difficult to stomach as it is spiritually tantalizing. Each new project is an event in the community of Creative Musicians, and his latest is no different. Comprising a small who’s-who of original-voiced musicians – Susan Alcorn, Mary Halvorson, Ryan Sawyer – his Columbia Icefield comes complete with a theme from which to compose, improvise, and completely turn the audience inside out.

CB Presents: Carla Bley Trio

in partnership with the Washington Women in Jazz Festival

opening act TBA / Friday, March 22, 2019 / 8 p.m. / Atlas Performing Arts Center, Sprenger Theater: 1333 H St. NE

Truly one of the master innovators, and a progenitor of radical new approaches to jazz since the 1960s, NEA Jazz Master Carla Bley, 82, will make her first D.C. appearance with her trio in recent memory. As a pianist, she was involved in both performing and organizing alongside many other historic names in that period of New York City’s musical history. She helped establish the Jazz Composers’ Guild, which promoted lasting camaraderie and collaboration among the city’s innovative musicians, especially those associated with the burgeoning avant-garde movement. However, it is perhaps as a composer that Bley has received the most recognition and made the greatest impact. She has amassed dozens of recordings under her name, mostly dedicated to her own compositions, and her pen has helped define the sound of ECM Records. Quite simply, Ms. Bley is at the top of the pantheon of jazz composition. We are thrilled to present her here with her longstanding trio, featuring bassist Steve Swallow and saxophonist Andy Sheppard.

Traveling Loft: Ben Wendel Seasons Band

with Lenny Robinson’s MadCurious / Saturday, March 30, 2019 / 8 p.m. / Tropicalia: 2001 14th St NW (entrance on U Street)

One of the most exciting saxophonists in mainstream jazz today, Ben Wendel brings his lauded Seasons Band to D.C. CapitalBop has featured Wendel with with his popular jazz-rock fusion band, Kneebody, and as a sideman for Linda May Han Oh. Each time, his ineffably soulful tenor sound stood out. This rising titan of the saxophone continues to set a high bar for modern and original jazz music, simultaneously steeped in the tradition and forging his own deeply personal path — and having a blast all the while.

Traveling Loft: Angelica Sanchez Nonet

opening act TBA / Saturday, May 4, 2019 / 8 p.m. / NYU in DC’s Abramson Auditorium: 1307 L St NW

For over a decade, pianist Angelica Sanchez has steadily created a strong identity as a skilled composer and formidable improviser. With each performance, with each new project, her voice on the piano has come to stand out among her peers. Her new, nine-piece chamber ensemble is yet another benchmark in a career that has continuously taken her music and focus to higher levels.

 

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