Christie Dashiell reacts to her first Grammy nomination: ‘This is for all of us’
After receiving her first-ever Grammy nomination last week, for her sophomore album Journey in Black (2023), beloved D.C.-based vocalist Christie Dashiell gave credit to the city that she has called home for the better part of two decades. “It feels amazing,” Dashiell told CapitalBop, referring to her nomination in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category. […]
André 3000 opens up about his flute experiments: ‘What you’re hearing is me discovering a thing’
We all know the story by now, but here’s a synopsis: In the early ’90s, two young Atlanta rappers start recording in the dirt-floored cellar that serves as their crew’s base of operations, then go on to release six albums of material that today stands not only as some of hip-hop’s most creative and genre-stretching […]
Clarinet conclave: Don Byron dishes to Todd Marcus about the ‘white-centric’ history of their instrument, the genius of Joe Henderson and touring post-pandemic
Clarinetist, saxophonist and composer Don Byron has been a trailblazer in music since his first albums came out in the early 1990s. His contributions extend a small-but-powerful legacy of artists — including Eric Dolphy, Bennie Maupin and David Murray — whose work as improvisers and composers has established a prominent role for the clarinet and bass […]
CapitalBop Presents: Mendoza Hoff Revels with Nik Francis + Mark Cisneros @ Black Cat, Dec. 21
“Expertly navigating the border between free jazz and heavy, kick-down-the-door rock intensity … guaranteed to grab [your] attention.” — All About Jazz CapitalBop is thrilled to announce that the trailblazing Mendoza Hoff Revels will touch down in D.C. on Saturday, Dec. 21, for a special show at the Black Cat. This special concert will also […]
5 D.C. jazz picks for November 2024
Election season is upon us again. I do not need to enumerate what is at stake to you, dear readers of this column. With fencing already erected around the White House and the Capitol, in hopes of heading off another national trauma like January 6, it’s all too obvious to us in the capital just […]
John Patitucci on upholding the legacy of Wayne Shorter
During the 20-year lifespan of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, the group stood as one of the most ecstatic in music, let alone “jazz.” Anchoring the unit during those years was the bass work of John Patitucci, who held together the controlled chaos of Brian Blade’s blur behind the kit, Danilo Pérez’s speedy harmonic scaffolding on piano, and […]
Nasheet Waits remembers his relationship with Max Roach, and talks centennial edition of ‘Freedom Now Suite’
The cover art of Max Roach’s We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, from 1960, references the sit-in movement, which had taken off just that year in Greensboro, N.C. The piece “Tears for Johannesburg” was written in response to the even-more-recent Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa. In short, with this landmark piece of music, which draws from […]
‘The epitome of class:’ The D.C. jazz community remembers Benny Golson
When saxophonist, composer and NEA Jazz Master Benny Golson passed away on Sep. 21, he left a significant hole in the global jazz world. He also left a sizable gap in the fabric of the D.C. jazz community; a onetime Howard University student, Golson appeared frequently in town throughout his life, and many musicians, journalists […]
5 D.C. jazz picks for October 2024
Summer is officially over, according to the calendar and the drop in sweat-inducing weather. But the season for outdoor concerts continues through this month, as in the case of the DC Jazz Festival’s presentation of free concerts at National Landing’s Metropolitan Park on Thursdays (one of which is highlighted in detail below). And with the […]
At Sycamore & Oak, a powerful new jazz series rises in Congress Heights
A new jazz series is underway this month in Congress Heights, bringing some of the most buzzed-about young musicians from around the DMV — and beyond — to the Sycamore & Oak development on the former St. Elizabeths Hospital East campus. Jazz in the Heights kicked off earlier this month with a performance by Brandon […]