Blog -

Announcing...

CapitalBop’s first house show: Mary Halvorson & Ches Smith come to Paperhaus for this Sunday’s Traveling Loft

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already aware of how diverse and exciting D.C.’s jazz scene is. You might also know that in D.C. we’re lucky to have one of the most thriving house-concert scenes in the country. Most house shows feature rock and electronic acts, but that’s not always the case. And this […]

September 7, 2015 1

Live reviews

Kamasi Washington at the Howard Theatre: Sounds of rampant freedom from a new jazz hero

Kamasi Washington & the West Coast Get Down Howard Theatre Thursday, August 27, 2015 Kamasi Washington stood onstage at the Howard Theatre last Thursday night in a bluish robe and knit cap, planted and upright, as if withstanding heavy winds. When he raised the tenor saxophone to his lips, his eyes seemed to sink down […]

August 31, 2015 0

Live reviews

Roy Haynes can take you to the fountain of youth: The drum legend celebrates 90 years with a joyful weekend at Blues Alley

Roy Haynes & the Fountain of Youth Band Blues Alley Friday, July 31, 2015 Blues Alley was packed last Friday night, an orchestra of light chatter and clanking glasses filling the room. The club had just celebrated its 50th birthday the previous weekend, and now Roy Haynes was in the house for a two-night run […]

August 7, 2015 0

Announcing...

CapitalBop Block Party at Capital Fringe: Marc Cary’s Rhodes Ahead leads an innovative lineup on August 9!

It’s the high heat of summer right now, but these warm and clear afternoons won’t be around for long. Let’s enjoy it while we can: Come grab a drink and invite your friends along for the second annual CapitalBop Block Party on Sunday, Aug. 9, featuring Marc Cary’s Rhodes Ahead. Cary will lead a three-band […]

July 29, 2015 1

Announcing...

DC Jazz Loft this Sunday: Introducing three new acts—Rochelle Rice, Jeron White & an all-star duo making its debut

Last month’s DC Jazz Loft Series at the DC Jazz Festival was special because of the huge variety of styles and sounds on display: All the performers brought something personal and connected with the audience in their own way. The music covered straight-ahead jazz, electronic futurism, and deeply rooted experimentalism, and lots in between. As […]

July 8, 2015 0

CapitalBop

Looking back on three enchanted nights at the warehouse: Thundercat, AACM at 50 and a Trio of Trios

Photography by Katherine Thompson/CapitalBop. For the fifth annual DC Jazz Loft Series at the DC Jazz Festival earlier this month, we decided to go all in. The result was three of the most radical nights of music and art that the District’s jazz scene has seen in a long time. From Thursday, June 11 to […]

June 24, 2015 2

Interviews

A Walk Through Time with Jack DeJohnette

There is a hard line between good and great in jazz. Many cats can play well, with a deep knowledge of the language, but a only a handful can step outside genre lines and be recognized as a true innovator in the field. Jack DeJohnette is one of the greats. The drummer/ pianist/ composer is […]

June 11, 2015 0

News

DC Jazz Fest 2015: What to hear!

The DC Jazz Festival is back this week for its 11th annual edition, running from Wednesday, June 10 through Tuesday, June 16. It’s grown steadily over the years: What began as largely a spotlight on the local scene has graduated into a fully fledged international festival, still with dozens of D.C.-based talent performing at venues […]

June 9, 2015 0

Announcing...

CapitalBop’s 5th annual DC Jazz Loft Series: Thundercat at the Warehouse, AACM at 50 + a Trio of Trios from Baltimore!

We love hearing music in jazz clubs. Big arts centers can provide pristine sound and book fabulous artists. But at the DC Jazz Festival this month, we’re doing things a little differently: We’re turning a storage building in the Hecht Warehouse District into a pop-up theater, with fabulous art, food and drink, and the most […]

May 31, 2015 0

Live reviews

With ‘U Street Lights,’ Kennedy Center pulls go-go into the canon by way of jazz

Harlem Nights/U Street Lights The Kennedy Center May 10, 2015 Concerts rarely go off without a hitch. There’s usually a moment, or two or three, that leaves you with your head cocked in unexpected disappointment. But Jason Moran and Marc Cary’s “Harlem Nights/ U Street Lights”—which was presented at the Kennedy Center on Sunday, one […]

May 15, 2015 0