Weekend in Jazz | 11.12-11.14 -

Christian McBride performs with his group Inside Straight at the University of Maryland on Friday. courtesy flickr user leewrightonflickr

by Giovanni Russonello

Welcome to this week’s installation of “Weekend in Jazz,” a full list of every D.C. jazz show that we can get our hands on. If you’re just breezing through, check for the shows with a label — those are our favorites. As always, you can read CapitalBop’s full listings directly at our monthly calendar, if you prefer. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, NOV. 12

cb picks:

Christian McBride & Inside Straight, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (University of Maryland)
Jeremy Pelt, KC Jazz Club
Allyn Johnson Trio, Bohemian Caverns
Jamie Baum, Twins Jazz
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge

Jeff Antoniuk & Jazz Update, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | What began as an experiment over a decade ago continues today as one of Washington’s greatest weekly traditions: Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “Jazz Night.” Every Friday night, the house of God becomes a not-so-likely hub for fish frying, communing and jamming on straight-ahead jazz. This week, the band is Jeff Antoniuk and Jazz Update, featuring Antoniuk on saxophone, Wade Beach on piano, Tom Baldwin on bass and Tony Martucci on drums. The show will be followed at 9:15 by a screening of the movie “Evil Gal Blues,” a BBC presentation on the life of singer Dinah Washington. $5 cover for adults, none for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Christian McBride & Inside Straight, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (University of Maryland), 7 p.m. | Christian McBride, performing here with his group Inside Straight, is arguably today’s top bassist in the classic jazz idiom. He and Inside Straight, which comprises some of the best musicians in the jazz game, released a stellar album, “Kind of Brown,” last year. Its complexity and contemporary bent combined with a groundedness in tradition, forging a complete whole that was hard-swingin’ and bluesy as well as cerebral and ambitious. The group includes Warren Wolf on vibraphone, Christian Sands on piano, Jaleel Shaw on alto and soprano saxophones and Ulysses Owens, Jr. on drums. $42 cover for general audience, $9 for University of Maryland students, no minimum. View event on calendar | Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center website

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | Commanding vocalist Karen Gray is joined by pianist Bob Sykes and bassist Hugh Johnson in her laid-back renditions of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Yamomanem Jazz Band, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Yamomanem Jazz Band plays a faithful take on New Orleans jazz, conjuring the days of King Oliver and early Louis Armstrong with its lush brass section. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Jacqui Simmons & Friends, Sala Thai (Petworth), 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

Night & Day Combo, Hollywood East Café, 7 p.m. | The Night & Day Combo plays traditional, swing-oriented jazz, featuring Renée Tannenbaum on vocals, Mike Suser on piano and vocals, Dennis Johnson on saxophone and Steve Scott on bass. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Hollywood East Café website

Jeremy Pelt, KC Jazz Club, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt arrives in D.C. in support of his latest LP, Men of Honor, having earned a spot on DownBeat magazine’s “Rising Star on the Trumpet critics poll five years running. He’s got a smoky tone, with a striking degree of control, and he’s a top-notch composer. Two separate sets at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $26 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | KC Jazz Club profile

Jonathan Butler, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jonathan Butler, the first Black musician played on white-controlled South African radio, sings R&B and smooth jazz, often with gospel influences. Over the past four decades, he has had hits in various continents, including his 1987 U.S. breakthrough “Lies.” Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $20 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Allyn Johnson Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Pianist Allyn Johnson glides over the keyboard with soulful fire, lathering his jazz playing, steeped in hard-bop’s traditions, with the gospel he learned in the church. Johnson began to make his name in D.C. in the 1990s as one-third of the Young Lions, a group that fused R&B with jazz innovations and became the leading light on the District’s resurgent jazz scene. Nowadays, that scene is fully reinvigorated, and Johnson is a village elder: He’s a teacher and the director of the University of the District of Columbia’s Jazz Studies Program. This weekend he leads a trio. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $15 cover in advance, $20 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar| Bohemian Caverns profile

Saltman Knowles, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Saltman Knowles is a band that blends Latin, straight-ahead and soul-jazz influences. The core trio consists of joyous and smooth-voiced singer Lori Williams-Chisholm, pianist William Knowles and bassist Mark Saltman. But the group’s ancillary instrumentation — like its musical ambitions — is always changing: On the band’s latest CD, Saltman Knowles refashioned itself as an octet, complete with the steel pan drum sounds of Victor Provost. Suffice it to say, what form the band will take at HR-57 is far from certain, but it will be a captivating show. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Jamie Baum, Twins Jazz, 9 p.m. | Flutist Jamie Baum has a deep, contemplative tone, and likes to explore modal themes in her original compositions. She teams up here with trumpeter David Smith, pianist Harry Appelman, bassist Paul Langosch and drummer Rob Mitzner. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar| Twins Jazz profile

Brulee, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Brulee is a jazz and alt-pop fusion quartet featuring vocalist Aura Kanegis. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 11 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. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

DeAndre Howard’s Collector’s Edition, Utopia, 11 p.m. | Trumpeter DeAndre Howard’s weekly engagement at Utopia brings hordes to the restaurant and bar every Friday night. He and his small group, Collector’s Edition, play standards with a friendly, inviting touch, and they add to the positive vibes already flowing throughout the room — especially when Howard tosses aside the trumpet to sing a spontaneous blues. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Utopia profile

SATURDAY, NOV. 13

cb picks:

Allyn Johnson Trio, Bohemian Caverns
Jamie Baum, Twins Jazz
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge
Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia

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 some serious bop. He performs straight-ahead with his trio here. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Triple Double Jazz Band, Sala Thai (Petworth), 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

Jonathan Butler, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jonathan Butler, the first Black musician played on white-controlled South African radio, sings R&B and smooth jazz, often with gospel influences. Over the past four decades, he has had hits in various continents, including his 1987 U.S. breakthrough “Lies.” Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $20 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia, 11 p.m. | Young powerhouse tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed heads up one of the swingin’est shows on U Street every Saturday night. The lineup of musicians on this late-night gig varies from week to week, but it’s consistently outstanding. Plus, with the Washington City Paper’s 2010 Best New D.C. Jazz Musician award under his belt, the 20-year-old Balbed can always be expected always to deliver the goods on sax. no cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Utopia profile

SUNDAY, NOV. 14

cb pick: Ramsey Lewis, Kennedy Center

Kevin Pace Trio, Chef Geoff’s, 11 a.m. | Kevin Pace has a strong command on the bass and an intuitive ear as a composer. He puts both on display at the restaurant Chef Geoff’s, where he performs every week during Sunday brunch. This is background music, but that’s because of the environment, not the performance — which is anything but second-rate. (To hear Pace stretch out a bit more, catch him at Utopia with the Bobby Muncy Quartet, every Wednesday except the third of the month.) No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Chef Geoff’s website

Jazz Jam, Dahlak, 6:30 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. This week’s house band features Peter Runk on keyboard, Mark Caruso on guitar, Percy White on bass and Lydia Lewis on drums. 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 with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. Its features Steve Wolfe on tenor and soprano saxophones, Tala Faral on piano, Stan Hamrick on bass and Gary Taylor on drums and percussion. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Laporta’s website

Ramsey Lewis, KC Jazz Club, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | A soul-jazz legend and NEA jazz master, Ramsey Lewis arrives at the Kennedy Center to perform a special suite he has composed to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. Entitled “Proclamation of Hope, the music features a wind ensemble, rhythm section, and vocals; the Chicago Tribune critic Howard Riech writes that this music illuminates “the sweep of Lincoln’s life, as well as the galvanic aftereffects of his achievements, in the distinct cadences of Chicago jazz.” Lewis is no stranger to major performances in D.C., having recorded two albums at the Bohemian Caverns in the 1960s. Cover varies ($20-$65), no minimum. View event on calendar | Kennedy Center website

Jam Session, HR-57, 7 p.m. | This is a chance for local musicians to stretch out and see which of their new ideas stick when thrown against HR’s craggy brick walls. It’s also an inexpensive way for jazz fans to get a peek into the raw collaborations of D.C.’s rising stars. $8 cover for audience members, $4 cover for musicians, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Jonathan Butler, Blues Alley, 8 p.m. | Jonathan Butler, the first Black musician played on white-controlled South African radio, sings R&B and smooth jazz, often with gospel influences. Over the past four decades, he has had hits in various continents, including his 1987 U.S. breakthrough “Lies.” Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $20 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Dan Ryan Quartet, Twins Jazz, 8 p.m. Guitarist Dan Ryan, a recent graduate of the Towson University music program, leads his quartet through jazz classics and original compositions. The music is firmly rooted in Freddie Hubbard and Herbie Hancock’s 1970s fusion explorations and modal sensibilities — although drummer Charles Wilson pushes against this with brimming beats. The quartet includes saxophonist Russell McCray and bassist Alex Weber. $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 every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar| Columbia Station profile

Cheryl Jones Trio, Utopia, 9 p.m. | Singer Cheryl Jones has a weekly engagement every Sunday at Utopia, where she sings with depth, force and clarity. Jones is equally likely to sing jazz standards, pop tunes or gospel classics. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Utopia profile

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