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Reginald Cyntje’s ‘Spiritual Awakening:’ uncanny band chemistry and brilliant compositions

In February, trombonist Reginald Cyntje was featured on NPR Music’s Jazz Night in America, where his band debuted the music that would appear on Cyntje’s next record. It was a rare moment of national exposure for one of D.C.’s grandest talents. Hopefully some of his new fans kept up with him, because that spring Cyntje […]

January 5, 2016 2

Trio OOO’s ‘Days to Be Told:’ The long-awaited debut of a powerhouse avant-garde trio

Aaron Martin’s alto saxophone may register in your brain as an eruption, but it hits your ear with a kind of liquid grace. Sometimes it’s a stream, cutting a rapid path downhill, elsewhere it opens up wide and unexpected, like an inlet revealing itself just around the bend. Martin received a mixed accolade last year […]

January 5, 2016 0

Tim Whalen’s ‘Oblivion:’ paying tribute to Bud Powell, with a dash of D.C. flavor

Tim Whalen’s Oblivion is an album dedicated to the late pianist Bud Powell, one of the golden era bebop musicians who was essential to the development of the art form. He came through the ranks of the New York jazz scene, frequenting the clubs of Harlem and Midtown, learning from the multitude of masters and […]

January 3, 2016 0

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December 31, 2015 0

Live reviews

The meaning of a legacy: Frank Sinatra’s 100th year gets a creative celebration at the Kennedy Center

A Salute to Sinatra Kennedy Center Millennium Stage Sat., Dec. 12, 2015 Tribute shows are among the most demanding—and often disastrous—kinds of live music performance. Too often they are wracked by an existential peril; artists are commanded to perform in a way that’s authentic to themselves, yet they are expected to serve as a channel […]

December 30, 2015 0

Videos

Remember that time in June when we turned an empty warehouse into jazz heaven? Watch this beautiful recap video

We’re in the season of the best-of lists, when everyone’s trying to wrap their minds around all that’s happened over these very eventful past 12 months. Here in CapitalBop land, it’s been a remarkably productive year—full of exciting shows, activism, educational programs and an ever-increasing amount of long-form journalism on our website. But for now, […]

December 21, 2015 0

Announcing...

Fabulous young talent at the DC Jazz Loft: Elijah Easton, Hope Udobi & introducing Levon Mikaelian

At last month’s loft, we heard from such a wide range of amazing musicians, it was dizzying. There was Warren “Trae” Crudup III, joined by Allyn Johnson, playing starry-eyed, butt-moving free funk. And the storied alto saxophonist Aaron Martin in a fiery duo with drummer Sam Lohman. A good, old-fashioned jam session led by Shannon […]

December 9, 2015 0

Features

Straight-ahead, no chaser: The artist-run Jazz and Cultural Society is D.C.’s newest jazz club

On a recent Sunday night at Brookland’s Jazz and Cultural Society, Dr. John Lamkin II piped luscious, honey tones from his trumpet, propelling his quartet through Miles Davis’ “Seven Steps to Heaven.” Trading crisp solos, the group of dapperly suited musicians went on from there to play a range of jazz standards, electrifying the intimate, […]

November 30, 2015 1

Features

Nasar Abadey: Supernova Spirit

Nasar Abadey, among the most respected drummers and bandleaders in Washington, D.C., first fell in love with his instrument as a young boy marching through the streets of Pittsburgh with his grandfather. Big, open bass drums resounded around him as he strode in the middle of a Shriners march, drummers in front of him and […]

November 24, 2015 1

Announcing...

Riffin’ this Saturday: Flute innovator Jamie Baum joins us for a video listening session

Among the leading jazz flautists in New York City, Jamie Baum had the benefit of learning from late masters in jazz, many of whom participated in the powerful movements and changes in the Music during the 1960s and ’70s. Baum learned firsthand from musicians like Jaki Byard, whose fiery piano playing helped to redefine the role […]

November 18, 2015 0