With her new book, millennial D.C. historian Briana Thomas aims to tell the ‘full story’ of U Street
For much of the 20th century, U Street was known as “Black Broadway,” a mecca of Black cultural life...
Category: Interviews
‘ESL: The Photo Book’ captures a unique place and time in D.C. nightlife
Editor’s note: In recognition of Jazz Appreciation Month, CapitalBop is publishing a series of articles throughout April on books that...
Photo collection aims to make a century of D.C. jazz history ‘personal’
Editor’s note: In recognition of Jazz Appreciation Month, CapitalBop is publishing a series of articles throughout April on books...
A chat with Sunny Sumter, DC Jazz Festival executive director and ‘Jazz Hero’
As the longtime executive director of the DC Jazz Festival, Sunny Sumter has guided the festival through over a...
Nicole Saphos brings in new voices — and refines her own — on ‘Takoma Sessions’
On her third album, the bassist and singer-songwriter Nicole Saphos introduces a slightly more intimate voice. She also introduces...
‘This is Black America standing up:’ a conversation with Katea Stitt about jazz and justice in D.C.
The murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of law enforcement have prompted a watershed moment...
Ben Williams speaks up, and sings out, on ‘I Am a Man’
After the 2016 presidential election, bassist Ben Williams began a new project to address the changing social climate in...
Melissa Aldana has burgeoning ‘Visions’ for her quartet
Melissa Aldana’s 2019 album Visions represents a new horizon for the tenor saxophonist. The 31-year-old, winner of the 2013...
Ahmad Jamal on having a ‘spiritual anchor,’ remembering Jimmy Heath and the world beyond the piano
Ahmad Jamal first sat down at a piano at the age of 3; was playing Liszt and Ellington by...
‘Every time something happened I found myself at the piano’: Elijah Jamal Balbed takes ‘Karma Suite’ to Kennedy Center
When Elijah Jamal Balbed premiered the “The Karma Suite,” his first long-form composition, at the final Union Arts D.C....