Features

‘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 […]
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The Month in Shows

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 […]
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Features

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 […]
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Interviews

Cecily taps the healing power of joy on ‘Awakening Pt. II’

According to the late Black feminist scholar bell hooks, love is a verb — an action we choose every day. But whereas so much of our cultural programming limits our thinking about love to the context of sex and romance, hooks goes beyond that. In her seminal text All About Love, she characterizes love as […]
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The Month in Shows

5 D.C. jazz picks for September 2024

Happy Labor Day to everyone reading, and to the many hustlers, movers and shakers that keep all the plates spinning for the D.C. jazz scene. We’re forever grateful for the mountains you move. Hopefully those who went enjoyed the DC Jazz Festival over the past few days. While, as Mike West noted in his recent CapitalBop […]
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Features

CB’s guide to the 2024 DC Jazz Festival

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the DC Jazz Festival, and with that comes a lineup worthy of the milestone. This year’s offerings reflect the diverse weave of approaches, textures and philosophies that make up the tapestry of contemporary “jazz,” a.k.a. #BAM, while still reflecting the straight-ahead sound of the D.C. jazz scene that […]
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CapitalBop