by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

A couple of very different tributes to famous jazz figures are coming to clubs around D.C. this weekend. At Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club on Friday evening, Omar Sosa’s Afri-Lectric Experience puts a highly original spin on Miles Davis’ classic Kind of Blue. (Read our interview with Sosa about the project here.) And at Twins Jazz on both Friday and Saturday, an assembly of excellent local musicians will take on the legacy of Herbie Hancock.

Also on Friday, the pianist Cyrus Chestnut and the soprano Kathleen Battle will duet on operatic renditions of jazz standards, at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater; and Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of Ravi Shankar — who in fact influenced Kind of Blue and much of the jazz that came after it — performs at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium. All our favorite shows below have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15

cb picks:

• Cyrus Chestnut & Kathleen Battle, Kennedy Center, 8 p.m.
• Maiden Voyage: Tribute to Herbie Hancock, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Anoushka Shankar, GWU Lisner Auditorium, 8 p.m.
• Omar Sosa’s Afri-Lectric Experience, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
• Jazz Jam, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m.

Earl Wilson, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | The guitarist Earl Wilson has a way with jazz that makes it clear he came up in the church. His mother was an Apostolic minister, and she taught him his instrument with spirituals, starting at age 12. At D.C.’s famed “Jazz Church,” he leads a strong quartet that includes fellow Baltimoreans Greg Hatza on organ, Craig Alston on saxophone and Robert Shahid on drums. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church 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

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

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

Cyrus Chestnut & Kathleen Battle, Kennedy Center, 8 p.m. | Kathleen Battle is an operatic soprano whose light and silvery voice has earned her wide renown since the 1970s, performs a selection of jazz standards and lost gems alongside the pianist Cyrus Chestnut. He’s an often-exuberant player who has it all down pat: the stride piano of the ’20s and ’30s, the bebop acrobatics of Bud Powell’s generation, and the heady groove of modern jazz. Ticket prices vary ($39-75). View event on calendar | KC Jazz Club profile

Maiden Voyage: Tribute to Herbie Hancock, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | A quintet featuring a broad sampling of some of the area’s finest musicians here pays tribute to Herbie Hancock, a master whose felt tipped pen has written jazz in the direction of expanse, delicacy and commercialism, and toward the contemporary headspace that many of its rising stars now inhabit. The band performing Hancock’s music includes the powerful pianist Allyn Johnson, the melodic trumpeter Kenny Rittenhouse and the tenor saxophone powerhouse Jeff Antoniuk, plus Mike Pope on bass and Todd Harrison on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $20 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Jonathan Butler, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jonathan Butler, widely recognized as the first Black musician to have his music 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 across the globe, including his 1987 U.S. breakthrough “Lies.” Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $50 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Bonnie Harris, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | The veteran vocalist Bonnie Harris performs with a spare, bass-piano backing. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Madison website

Anoushka Shankar, GWU Lisner Auditorium, 8 p.m. | The sitar player Anoushka Shankar learned from the best: Her father was the instrument’s modern guru, Ravi Shankar. Like him, she has become a master of the cross-cultural collaboration, working with such artists as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Sting. She performs here in a concert presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society. Ticket prices vary ($20-$40). View event on calendar | Lisner website

Omar Sosa’s Afri-Lectric Experience, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8 p.m. | The reputable Cuban jazz pianist Omar Sosa is taking a thoughtful approach to tackling one of jazz’s most imposing masterworks: Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. By plucking out individual moments from solos throughout the album’s classic tracks, then layering them over an aesthetic of punctuated electric Latin groove, Sosa puts jazz’s greatest vamps under a light of a different hue. His multinational band includes Joo Kraus on trumpet; Leandro Saint-Hill on alto saxophone, clarinet and flute; Peter Apfelbaum on tenor saxophone; Marque Gilmore on electronics and drums; and Childo Tomas on bass. $25 cover, $10 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues website

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 swinging and soulful, 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

Alfredo Mojica, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Alfredo Mojica, who sang at Bossa for years with the group Sin Miedo, unites salsa, jazz and Latin American balladry. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

Aaron Myers, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Vocalist Aaron Myers leads a straight-ahead jazz quartet, featuring piano, bass and drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Donvonte McCoy, 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, NOVEMBER 16

cb picks:

• Nasar Abadey Quartet & EU feat. Sugar Bear, Washington Court Hotel, 8 p.m.
• Maiden Voyage: Tribute to Herbie Hancock, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 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

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

Sara Jones, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | The vocalist Sara Jones sings jazz standards sweetly; her accompanists here are Chris Grasso on piano and Zack Pride on bass. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Madison website

Nasar Abadey Quartet & EU feat. Sugar Bear, Washington Court Hotel, 8 p.m. | Nasar Abadey, one of the District’s most reputable drummers, performs here with his straight-ahead quartet in a double-bill with EU, a famed go-go band that developed in the 1980s and has been a D.C. institution ever since. The show is a benefit for RAP, Inc. (Regional Addiction Prevention), a nonprofit heath care and human welfare organization. Tickets $50. View event on calendar | Washington Court website

Tom Principato, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8 p.m. | The roughshod-running guitarist and singer Tom Principato plays electric blues with early R&B, reggae and much else subtly mixed in. A D.C. native, Principato is one of the more successful musicians in the blues idiom to emerge from the nation’s capital in the past few decades. He’s won a number of area music awards, and has toured extensively overseas. $25 cover, $15 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues website

Maiden Voyage: Tribute to Herbie Hancock, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | A quintet featuring a broad sampling of some of the area’s finest musicians here pays tribute to Herbie Hancock, a master whose felt tipped pen has written jazz in the direction of expanse, delicacy and commercialism, and toward the contemporary headspace that many of its rising stars now inhabit. The band performing Hancock’s music includes the powerful pianist Allyn Johnson, the melodic trumpeter Kenny Rittenhouse and the tenor saxophone powerhouse Jeff Antoniuk, plus Mike Pope on bass and Todd Harrison on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $20 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Jonathan Butler, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jonathan Butler, widely recognized as the first Black musician to have his music 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 across the globe, including his 1987 U.S. breakthrough “Lies.” Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $50 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Cubista, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Cubista is a salsa band that plays at Bossa every Saturday. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa 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

Hot Club of DC, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Hot Club of DC plays Gypsy jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Lyrical bassist Steve Synk, a music major at the University of Maryland, leads a young trio that explores music ranging from standards to originals, groove-based contemporary jazz to swinging bop. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Donvonte McCoy, 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

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17

cb picks:

• none

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

Jazz Brunch, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana 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

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

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

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

Jonathan Butler, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jonathan Butler, widely recognized as the first Black musician to have his music 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 across the globe, including his 1987 U.S. breakthrough “Lies.” Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $50 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Kurtis Adams, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The saxophonist Kurtis Adams, director of jazz studies at West Virginia’s Shepherd University, plays savvy modern jazz. $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

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