Features
Brandee Younger/Courtesy Erin Patrice O'Brien

The REACH Opening Festival at the Kennedy Center places jazz in the spotlight

The REACH — the Kennedy Center’s new expansion, which opens to the public this Saturday — was specifically designed for both public outreach and emerging forms of artistic presentation. The 15-day REACH Opening Festival kickstarts those efforts in a major way. Starting this weekend and running through Sept. 22, the festival will bring some of […]
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Features
The REACH sculpture/CapitalBop

Take a look inside the REACH, the Kennedy Center’s new expansion (and jazz venue)

The Kennedy Center will open the REACH this Saturday, a 4.6-acre, $250 million expansion with a new state-of-the-art building that promises to modernize its presenting and outreach efforts. With the REACH, the center will have venues for functions that have rarely found natural homes at the institution. The expansion specifically targets community engagement, education and […]
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The Month in Shows
Theo Croker/Courtesy Valerie J. Bower

5 September D.C. jazz picks

As we head into September, with the onset of autumn’s cooler days and performing arts centers’ 2019-20 seasons, D.C.’s hometown jazz musicians are coming out in full force. This month kicks off with a series of strong shows right out of the gate. The trance-inducing bass/electronics and drum duo Blacks’ Myths (Luke Stewart, who is […]
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News

Reginald Cyntje takes over as jazz director at Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Trombonist, composer and bandleader Reginald Cyntje will become the next director of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ widely regarded jazz program, he announced last night. Cyntje takes over from the beloved educator and D.C. jazz stalwart Davey Yarborough, who retired in May after leading the Washington, D.C. performing arts public high school’s jazz […]
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Interviews

Ryan Porter, L.A. trombonist and Kamasi Washington collaborator, is now a DMV resident (for a limited time only)

How do you use your powers for good? When vested with newfound fame, how can you stay connected to a mission of inspiring people, rather than seeking to line your pockets? Ryan Porter has been contemplating such questions. Several years ago, the 40-year-old trombonist found himself in the limelight following the releases of Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper […]
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Videos

Interview: Linda May Han Oh answers your questions

CapitalBop and NPR Music’s Jazz Night in America teamed up to present Linda May Han Oh’s Aventurine Octet in a special filmed performance on July 1, 2019. I had the opportunity to sit down with Oh before the show to ask some questions collected from our community, covering her musical process, her inspirations, and her […]
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