Weekend in Jazz | 1.17-1.19: Westminster Presbyterian celebrates 15 years on the scene -

Editorial board

Westminster Presbyterian might represent the best kind of D.C. institution: positive, rooted, embracing of new faces and personalities, if not fresh-obsessed. It celebrates its 15th anniversary with a blowout jam this Friday. Benito Gonzalez returns to D.C. for a run at Twins Jazz, and Sam Prather brings his impressive nine-piece Groove Orchestra to Bohemian Caverns. You can also find our full listings at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar. All our favorite shows below have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

cb picks:

15th Anniversary Jam, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
Benito Gonzalez, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
Elijah Jamal Balbed, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m.
Sam Prather’s Groove Orchestra, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Jazz Jam, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

15th Anniversary Jam, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | Westminster Presbyterian articulates a slowly vanishing argument about where jazz comes from and how it moves forward, and how they might connect. It’s a triumph to see the weekly fish fry and straight-ahead jazz congregation notch up its 15th year in stride. Among the accomplished musicians onstage at this celebratory jam are the pianists Wade Beach and Ernie Douglas, the bassists James King and Herman Burney, and the drummers Percy Smith and Nasar Abadey. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Charles Rahmat Woods Duo, Firelake Grill, 7 p.m. | The saxophonist Charles Woods plays in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig leading a low-key duo at Firelake Grill, he keeps things within the traditional, swinging realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Firelake Grill website

Alan Palmer Group, Sala Thai (RI Ave.), 7 p.m. | The sometimes devastating pianist Alan Palmer leads a small, straight-ahead band. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | Commanding vocalist Karen Gray sings laid-back renditions of jazz standards in a drumless trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Potomac Jazz Project, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its lineup rotates. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

L’Tanya Mari Trio, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Singer L’Tanya Mari is influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, singing jazz with depth and soulful warmth. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Benito Gonzalez Quartet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Benito Gonzalez, a pianist of growing notice on the New York City scene, retains a special nook in the heart of D.C. jazz: The Venezuelan-born Gonzalez spent years on the scene in the aughts, and he was known as the guy who made pianos burn. He’s still at it, a gun-slinging McCoy Tyner feel matched up against fierce Cuban montunos. One of the best things about seeing Gonzalez play with his quartet is the joy he gets from pooling energy. Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $16 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Kevin Peter Jones All-Stars, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The drummer Kevin Peter Jones’ music toes the hazardous fault between smooth jazz and jazz-rock fusion. But his All-Star Band is true to its name: The lineup includes Cheikh Ndoye on bass, Dean Brown on guitar, Lenny Castro on percussion, Eric Marienthal on saxophone, Jeff Lorber on keyboards and Randy Brecker on trumpet. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $37.75 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Elijah Jamal Balbed, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | The young saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed, one of D.C.’s brightest rising stars, has a hard-driving and sparely metallic sound that’s redolent of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. But he refracts their lessons through the Young Lions of the 1990s, and speaks in the lingua franca of present-day post-bop. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Loews website

Sam Prather’s Groove Orchestra, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | It’s rare for a jazz band this size to play this type of music, or to get hired for a weekend at Bohemian Caverns. Celebrate it: The Groove Orchestra’s easygoing triangulation of Donny Hathaway and Herbie Hancock spreads groove thin and dense. Peanut butter. Here the multi-instrumentalist and singer brings his full orchestra (nine pieces on Friday and 10 on Saturday, with a stout rhythm section). The band’s stratospheric center is in the light-tongued vocals of Christie Dashiell. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $18 cover in advance, $22 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Friday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Antonio Parker Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is doggedly swinging, soulful and colored by a bright, aggressive tone. He casually sprinkles neo-soul and R&B influences into his otherwise straight-ahead bop, and his improvisation shows a redolence of Kenny Garrett. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

U St. Jazz Jam, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m. | U Street restaurant Ulah Bistro has stepped up to fill the void that Utopia left open last year, when it closed to make way for the construction of a new condos complex. That restaurant housed the block’s most reliable, convivial jam sessions. Ulah gives a taste of that energy once a week, late on Friday nights. This week the saxophonist Herb Scott helms the proceedings. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Ulah website

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18

cb picks:

Chuck Redd, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m.
Ralph Peterson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

George Oakley Two-tet, Firelake Grill, 7 p.m. | The singer and reeds player George Oakley teams up with the guitarist Nick Lipkowski to present low-key jazz takes on classic repertoire, as background fare at the Firelake Grill. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Firelake Grill website

Mark Mosley Trio, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Baltimore guitarist Mark Mosley plays a slick hand as a smooth jazz guitarist, but he can also hunker down on serious bop. He performs laid-back straight-ahead here with his trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Triple Double, Sala Thai (RI Ave.), 7 p.m. | Consisting of Joey Whitney on tenor sax, Ed Gallagher on guitar, Alan Pachter on bass and Tom Reed on drums, the Triple Double Jazz Band plays straightforward, straight-ahead versions of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Full Ascent, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | This jazz band plays in a number of traditional styles, from hard-bop to Dixieland to calypso. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Veronneau, Creative Cauldron, 7:30 p.m. | With a two-acoustic-guitar lineup and a strong siren out front in vocalist Lynn Véronneau, the band’s music hopscotches between Brazilian, gipsy jazz and Appalachian folk. Their first two albums were breakout successes, landing near the top of various jazz and world music radio charts. Tickets $20. View event on calendar | Creative Cauldron website

33 1/3, Zed’s Cafe, 8 p.m. | The trombonist Gary Gill, the bassist Harry Walker and the drummer Robin Ghertner perform flaring, sensitive and combustive free jazz with their Trio 33 1/3. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Zed’s Cafe website

Kevin Peter Jones All-Star Band, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The drummer Kevin Peter Jones’ music toes the hazardous fault between smooth jazz and jazz-rock fusion. But his All-Star Band is true to its name: The lineup includes Cheikh Ndoye on bass, Dean Brown on guitar, Lenny Castro on percussion, Eric Marienthal on saxophone, Jeff Lorber on keyboards and Randy Brecker on trumpet. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $37.75 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Paige Wroble Martin, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | Lead vocalist in the U.S. Air Force’s Airmen of Note big band, Paige Wroble Martin has a sharp and strong style, which she applies to a range of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Loews website

Sam Prather’s Groove Orchestra, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 p.m. | It’s rare for a jazz band this size to play this type of music, or to get hired for a weekend at Bohemian Caverns. Celebrate it: The Groove Orchestra’s easygoing triangulation of Donny Hathaway and Herbie Hancock spreads groove thin and dense. Peanut butter. Here the multi-instrumentalist and singer brings his full orchestra (nine pieces on Friday and 10 on Saturday, with a stout rhythm section). The band’s stratospheric center is in the light-tongued vocals of Christie Dashiell. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $18 cover in advance, $22 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian profile

EC3 Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Las Vegas-based Ernest “EC3” Coleman is a talented tipper – a straight-ahead drummer with serious chops. He spent years on the road with bass legend Al McKibbon, and nowadays leads his own groups, in addition to other sideman work. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19

cb pick:

Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Bobby Muncy, Twins Jazz, 8 p.m.

Gospel Brunch, The Hamilton, 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Every Sunday morning, the Hamilton presents two sets of rafters-raising gospel, along with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Two separate shows at 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Hamilton website

George Oakley Group, Redwood Restaurant, 11 a.m. | George Oakley invests all the reeds he plays – saxophone, clarinet and flute – with a whispering coolness. In this weekly brunch gig, he performs with a laid-back trio featuring Scott Giambusso on bass and Nick Lipkowski on guitar. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Redwood website

Harlem Gospel Choir, Howard Theatre, 12 p.m. | The talented Harlem Gospel Choir, which has been active since 1986, performs a Sunday brunch show every week at the Howard Theatre. Either an all-you-can-eat buffet or an a la carte menu are available. Doors open at noon, and the music starts at 1:30 p.m. Tickets vary ($35 for all-you-can-eat or $20 for admission and a la carte options in advance, $45 or $30 at the door). View event on calendar | Howard website

Todd Simon, Kellari Taverna, 12 p.m. | The sturdy and swinging pianist Todd Simon performs every Sunday in a duo setting; his accompanists vary from bass to guitar to saxophone, depending on the week. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Kellari Taverna website

Afro Blue, All Souls Unitarian, 4 p.m. | Afro Blue, Howard University’s prestigious a capella jazz ensemble, got some national attention when an all-star iteration of the band appeared on NBC’s “The Sing-Off” in 2011. Most of the members that appeared on TV are no longer in the band, but the group always delivers engaging, strikingly original arrangements of classic jazz tunes. Here they deliver a program in tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Free. View event on calendar | All Souls website

D.C. Jazz Jam, Dahlak, 6:30 p.m. | The D.C. Jazz Jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Dahlak profile

Potomac Jazz Project, Laporta’s, 6:30 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its rotating lineup often features some of D.C.’s best musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Laporta’s website

Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 8:30 p.m. | Baltimore’s Todd Marcus is quickly pulling away from the pack, asserting himself as a rare master of the bass clarinet. In his nine-piece orchestra, Marcus places his mordant tone and barreling swing attack amongst fiercely expansive arrangements. For this gig, the star-studded band is joined by a tenth member: the talented vocalist Irene Jalenti. Two separate sets at 7 & 8:30 p.m. $20 cover in advance, $25 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Jazz Direct, Zoo Bar Café, 7:30 p.m.| This combo specializes in traditional New Orleans-style jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Zoo Bar website

Kevin Peter Jones All-Star Band, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Drummer Kevin Peter Jones’ music toes the hazardous fault between smooth jazz and jazz-rock fusion. But his All-Star Band is true to its name: The lineup includes Cheikh Ndoye on bass, Dean Brown on guitar, Lenny Castro on percussion, Eric Marienthal on saxophone, Jeff Lorber on keyboards and Randy Brecker on trumpet. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $37.75 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Bobby Muncy, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The saxophonist Bobby Muncy writes snaky tunes influenced by 20th century classical and alternative rock, as well as jazz. He appears at Twins with a strong, straight-ahead quartet. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” no cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile