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Interviews

What’s next for rising vocalist Christie Dashiell? The young talent talks about family, reality TV fame and Janet Jackson

I first witnessed Christie Dashiell performing with Howard University’s jazz choir Afro Blue some years ago. I was struck immediately by the creamy richness to her voice; it soothed like a good home-cooked meal. There was an astute confidence and classic aura that transported me back to the days of classic jazz singers like Sarah […]

February 16, 2016 0

Announcing...

This Thursday: Riffin’ with young piano maestro Aaron Diehl

The idea behind Riffin’: CapitalBop Listening Sessions at the Atlas is to explore the roots of jazz, as they run through the work of today’s musical pioneers. Before each major jazz show at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, we sit down with the headliner and watch videos of artists who have impacted her or him. […]

February 9, 2016 0

CapitalBop

NPR’s ‘Jazz Night in America’ features the DC Jazz Loft: Go behind the scenes as we convert a warehouse into a theater

The reason we do what we do here at CapitalBop is simple: to help strengthen and support the fabulous jazz scene that exists in D.C. Too often, the city’s talent goes unrecognized — both within the city and across the country. So it’s always cool when the gatekeepers let us slide up onto the national […]

January 29, 2016 0

Announcing...

Darius Jones and the Elizabeth-Caroline Unit present ‘The Oversoul Manual,’ an Afrofuturist exploration for four voices

Darius Jones is, quite simply, one of the most important saxophonists of our time. He’s also a brilliant thinker. And oh, by the way, he is one of modern music’s most curious and creative composers. For the newest installment of our Traveling Loft series, CapitalBop is very proud to present the D.C. debut of The […]

January 28, 2016 0

Interviews

Marquis Hill: Jazz’s most celebrated young trumpeter on the ‘Modern Flows’ of Black music today

Marquis Hill is fast becoming one of the leading trumpet players of his generation. His sound is strong but pleasing, his concepts in tune with the current wave of innovation in jazz. He developed within the fertile music scene of Chicago, where he took advantage of many of the institutional opportunities available to talented youth. […]

January 21, 2016 1

Announcing...

The 2nd Annual Jazz + Freedom Fest: A marathon benefit show for Black Lives Matter, feat. DC’s jazz greats

Jazz has been the soundtrack to some of the most radical changes in the history of the United States. The music was often a vehicle to both reflect and influence the public. From Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” to John Coltrane’s “Alabama,” from New Orleans jazz to the avant-garde, musicians have used the music to reflect […]

January 12, 2016 0

Interviews

After a banner 2015, Reginald Cyntje uses a familiar musical family to conjure fresh ‘Moods and Colors’

Trombonist Reginald Cyntje was born on the island of Dominica and raised in St. Thomas, but for the past two decades he’s been a leading light on the D.C. jazz scene. Cyntje fuses multicultural influences and social justice into his continually expanding body of spiritual and dynamic work—and he continues to earn more recognition with […]

January 7, 2016 2

Album reviews

CapitalBop’s 5 best D.C. jazz albums of 2015

Two thousand and fifteen was a year when new jazz found its way into a lot of people’s lives, all over the country. Here at home, D.C. musicians put forward an extraordinary spread of fresh statements. From newfangled straight-ahead to incendiary avant-garde to earthy neo-soul jazz, D.C.’s contemporary creativity was springing from clear traditions, but […]

January 5, 2016 1

Akua Allrich’s ‘Soul Singer:’ Spirits rising

Perhaps one of the most anticipated releases to hit the jazz scene recently, Akua Allrich’s Soul Singer is simply magical, bursting at the seams with jubilance and grace. Over the years, Allrich has become one of the region’s most captivating performers: On stage, her voice and powerful presence suck in the audience, transforming any room […]

January 5, 2016 0

Elijah Jamal Balbed’s ‘Lessons from the Streets:’ hard-swinging new sounds from a leading young lion

At this point, Elijah Jamal Balbed is undoubtedly the ubiquitous, shining young lion of the tenor saxophone in D.C. jazz. With his sophomore album, Lessons from the Streets, he is commenting on the years he has spent deeply engaged in the jam sessions, gigs and “sitting-in” culture of this ever-changing city. Over the past 10 […]

January 5, 2016 1