How music defines D.C.’s history of ‘resistance and resilience,’ according to historian Maurice Jackson
To riff on Fred Moten, the history of Blackness in D.C. is testament to the fact that a sound can and did resist. Historian Maurice Jackson’s Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight For Equality is a trove of stories that situate what he calls “Great Black […]
CDepot, longtime haven for crate diggers in College Park, to close by March 1
When CDepot first opened its doors in College Park, in the early 1990s, it was easy to miss among the Route 1 environs of auto dealerships and strip malls. But over the years, the store expanded into its current location and became a venerated destination for crate-digging aficionados, University of Maryland students and passersby just […]
Your guide to the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival
The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival returns for its 16th year this coming President’s Day weekend, continuing its annual tradition of showcasing exceptional jazz performances, masterclasses, live artist interviews and jam sessions. And this year marks a step up, as well as a step forward: After many years at the Rockville Hilton, the festival this year will […]
Meet Sequoia ‘REDWOOD’ Snyder, the DMX-covering rising pianist from D.C.
Sequoia “REDWOOD” Snyder has long been regarded as a rising star on the local scene; now, she is settling into life as a full-time artist. Her most recent single — a cover of DMX’s “Who We Be,” fusing a hip-hop classic with lush jazz arrangements and bold improvisation – showcases her increasing comfort with a […]
‘Mercy’! Donvonte McCoy Trio burns the chill off U Street
Donvonte McCoy TrioJoJo Restaurant & BarThursday, Jan. 23, 2025 In the middle of a spate of icy January weather, I found my way out of the cold on a recent Thursday and into a packed JoJo Restaurant & Bar, to check out the Donvonte McCoy Trio. I arrived during the first set to discover that […]
5 D.C. jazz picks for February 2025
CB celebrates Black American Music 12 months a year, but with February being Black History Month, there are some particularly notable programs highlighting the heritage of jazz in the month ahead. Akua Allrich (disclosure: a CB board member) returns with her annual tribute to her great influences Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone at the Prince […]
Sullivan Fortner greets the challenge of tradition
Sullivan Fortner TrioBlues AlleyTuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 Throughout the second set of Sullivan Fortner’s recent appearance at Blues Alley, the one word that kept returning to me was “inventive.” The New Orleans-born pianist has been one of the most consistent voices in the “straight-ahead” idiom for well over a decade. Though he first came to […]
5 D.C. jazz picks for January 2025
Happy New Year! Twenty twenty-five gets off to a strong start at Takoma Station, where Jazz Kitchen Productions has booked a five-star line-up for the month of January. One of their shows is in the main list below, but each Saturday of the month features a first-rate D.C. artist: Akua Allrich and the Tribe on Jan. […]
After years of debate, D.C. Council passes new regulations on sound in public space
Amid a flurry of year-end legislative activity, the D.C. Council last week passed a pair of measures that seek to regulate sound in public spaces. These bills are the product of a years-long debate over managing public sound in D.C., one that has often pitted real-estate developers and residents of gentrifying neighborhoods against artists, venues […]
The top 5 D.C. jazz albums of 2024
This year, the DC Jazz Festival marked 20 years of service and the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival hit 15 — two indications, among many, of how robust the D.C. jazz scene remains as we approach the halfway mark of the 2020s. This list is another measure of that. Dozens of quality recordings were released by DMV […]