Weekend in Jazz | 1.24-1.26: Christian Scott aTunde Adjah and the Afro-Bop Alliance light up U Street -

Editorial board

The prodigious young trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjah — a comfortable amalgamator of jazz, hip-hop, rock and other American music traditions — has become a lodestar for his generation over the past 10 years. He brings his influential quintet to Bohemian Caverns this weekend. Down the block at Twins Jazz, the excellent local group, Afro-Bop Alliance, performs its hybrid of bebop and Afro-Cuban music. 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 24

cb picks:

Vince Evans, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
Afro Bop Alliance, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
Sharón Clark, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m.
Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
Sammy Figueroa & His Latin Jazz Explosion, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8 p.m.
Christian Scott (aTunde Adjuah) Quintet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Elijah Jamal Balbed, HR-57, 9 p.m.
Jazz Jam, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Vince Evans, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | At this week’s installation of “Jazz Night,” the soulful, rhythmic pianist Vince Evans leads a hard-hitting band that includes the drummer Percy Smith, the bassist Eliot Seppa and the saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed. $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

Jacqui Simmons & Friends, Sala Thai (RI Ave.), 7 p.m. | Jacqui Simmons sings jazz standards with a heartfelt and elegant presentation. 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

Triple Double Jazz Band, Sala Thai (U St.), 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

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

Afro-Bop Alliance, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The Afro-Bop Alliance is a Latin Grammy Award-winning septet that fuses bebop with Afro-Cuban jazz. It’s an idea that’s been around a long time, back at least as far as Dizzy Gillespie and Machito, but this group proffers its own sound thanks to a rawboned horn arrangement and a powerful rhythm section. The pianist Harry Appelman is one of the District’s finest. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The vocalist and vibraphonist Roy Ayers – beloved by acid-jazz fans, hip-hop heads and disco lovers alike – touts the title “King of Neo-Soul Music.” But early in his career, work as an experimental jazz musician found him partnering with greats like Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Hubert Laws. Nowadays, Ayers typically sings sultry ballads over programmed drums and synthesizers; he’s experienced something of a vindicating renaissance as the greater jazz community finally embraces osmosis with hip-hop. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $35 cover, $2.50 surcharge. $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Sharón Clark, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | The vocalist Sharón Clark sings with fervor and soul, plus impressive precision. She’s one of D.C.’s top jazz singers. Here she appears with spare, piano-bass backing. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Loews website

Christian Scott (aTunde Adjuah) Quintet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Since his teenage years, when he played with his famed saxophonist uncle, Donald Harrison, the trumpeter Christian Scott has immersed himself in the history of jazz. It’s a story that you can’t tell without including the overlapping strains of swing, soul and social protest. On his latest album, a two-CD release called Christian Atunde Adjuah, Scott finds his taproot in the New Orleans music that incubated him and the West African rhythmic cycles that underpin it. But he’s a product of the hip-hop generation, and considered a leader during a time when the prevailing perspective on what belongs in jazz’s playground has been duly liberated. At the Caverns, he performs with a quintet. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $25 cover in advance, $30 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

Sammy Figueroa & His Latin Jazz Explosion, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8 p.m. | Sammy Figueroa smiles almost constantly while he plays the bongos and the congas. He plays small-band, big-energy music with his Latin Jazz Explosion, a six-piece ensemble that has twice been nominated for a Grammy. $20 cover, $10 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | View event on calendar

Elijah Jamal Balbed, HR-57, 9 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. $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 25

cb picks:

Afro Bop Alliance, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
Christian Scott (aTunde Adjuah) Quintet, 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

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 (Bethesda), 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

Julian Hipkins, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | Julian Hipkins sings with a swinging flair and jaunty, deep voice that recalls Jimmy Rushing. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Loews website

Christian Scott (aTunde Adjuah) Quintet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 p.m. | Since his teenage years, when he played with his famed saxophonist uncle, Donald Harrison, the trumpeter Christian Scott has immersed himself in the history of jazz. It’s a story that you can’t tell without including the overlapping strains of swing, soul and social protest. On his latest album, a two-CD release called Christian Atunde Adjuah, Scott finds his taproot in the New Orleans music that incubated him and the West African rhythmic cycles that underpin it. But he’s a product of the hip-hop generation, and considered a leader during a time when the prevailing perspective on what belongs in jazz’s playground has been duly liberated. At the Caverns, he performs with a quintet. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $25 cover in advance, $30 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian profile

Alfredo Mojica, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Alfredo Mojica, who sang for years with the group Sin Miedo, unites salsa, jazz and Latin American balladry. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26

cb pick:

Lucian Ban & Mat Maneri, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 8:30 p.m.
Ron Kearns Quintet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 7 p.m.
Roy Ayers, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 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

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

Lucian Ban & Mat Maneri, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 8:30 p.m. | The pianist Lucian Ban and the violinist Mat Maneri craft improvisations from within stirred, turbid waters — often dolorous, sometimes acid. They perform here as part of Transparent Productions’ “Sundays at 7 at the Caverns” series. Two separate sets at 7 & 8:30 p.m. $15 cover in advance, $20 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Ron Kearns Quintet, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 7 p.m. | The saxophonist Ron Kearns is a robust, skillful swinger. Here he plays a combination of standards and originals with a band that includes Michael Thomas on trumpet and flugelhorn, Larry Brown on piano, Kent Miller on bass and Greg Holloway on drums. $20 cover, $10 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz website

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

New West Guitar Group, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | With impeccable tone and refined presentation, New West Guitar Group blends three jazz boxes into a wide-ranging, orchestral sound on intricate original charts and instrumental covers of radio pop songs. The guitarists Perry Smith, Jeff Stein and John Storie play with the poise and speed of John McLaughlin in his safer moments, and pull equally from classic jazz and folk approaches. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $12 cover, $10 minimum. [words by Jeremy Mohler] 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