Antonio Parker tomorrow night will perform the first show at HR-57's new location. Giovanni Russonello/CapitalBop
After much waffling and waiting for government approval, HR-57 is set to reopen tomorrow at its new H St. NE location.
Alto saxophonist Antonio Parker, a perennial headliner at HR’s beloved 14th St. NW location, will perform at the club’s “soft” reopening. Another group will perform on Saturday, but that band has yet to be announced. Both of those shows will go from 9 p.m to 1 a.m., in typical HR fashion.
The grand opening for the club’s fresh digs, at 816 H St. NE, will take place on April 15, with a performance by Eric Lewis (a.k.a. ELEW), according to drummer Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Parker said of the reopening. “We’ve been out of commission for a few months, so I’m just anxious to get back and get it started again.”
The more than 15-year-old club’s 14th St. location was an extremely popular hangout on Friday and Saturday nights. Jackson is optimistic that a strong contingent of fans will show up to support the new HR-57. “H Street’s gonna be great,” Jackson said.
Just as the weekend shows were popular among Washington socialites and jazz fans, the jam sessions on Wednesday and Thursday nights were hubs for musicians. Jackson will continue leading jams at the new location, beginning this Wednesday and Thursday. “The jam sesion’s gonna be off the chains, because people miss it,” he said. “People are ready to go back to the jam session.”
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