by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

The NEA Jazz Master Benny Golson, whose strutting and beaming compositions and soloing raised the bar for the entire hard-bop scene of the 1960s, plays Bohemian Caverns this weekend. Down the road, Michael Thomas leads his swinging quintet at Twins Jazz. All our favorite shows below have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13

cb picks:

• JS Williams, Chez Billy, 8 p.m.
• Michael Thomas Quintet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Benny Golson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
• Jazz Jam, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m.

Eric Byrd & the Brother Ray Band, 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 hub for fish frying, communing and jamming on straight-ahead jazz. Eric Byrd performs this week on piano and vocals, with Bhagwan Khalsa on bass, Alphonso Young, Jr. on drums, Brad Clements on trumpet, Chris Watling on baritone saxophone, Antonio Parker on alto sax and Dan Vogel on guitar. $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

Jacqui Simmons Trio, Sala Thai (Rhode Island 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

Jacqui Simmons, 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

Yamomanem, 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

Michael Thomas Quintet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The trumpeter and composer Michael Thomas has been all over this country, growing up in Las Vegas, attending Grambling University in Louisiana, moving to upstate New York, leading a successful gigging career in Philadelphia. He’s settled in the D.C. area now, and has developed a reputation with his tenaciously swinging quintet, which tends toward the Jazz Messengers’ strain of no-compromises hard-bop. Thomas’ searing tone and dipping-and-diving improvisations have a lot in common with Lee Morgan’s. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $16 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Marcus Johnson, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The pianist Marcus Johnson makes highly danceable smooth jazz, with strong inflections of funk. He frequently indulges in pop covers, and is arguably the city’s best-known smooth jazz musician. Here he performs holiday fare. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $27.50 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

JS Williams, Chez Billy, 8 p.m. | The pianist Mark Meadows and the drummer Dante Pope play earthy but approachable modern jazz, deep in the groove and reaching upward. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Chez Billy website

Janine Gilbert-Carter, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Janine Gilbert-Carter has a fulsome set of pipes that she employs with masterful finesse and delicateness, in a style not entirely unlike Betty Carter’s. She often sings gospel, but she’s wonderfully at ease with straight-ahead jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Madison website

Benny Golson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The jazz luminary Benny Golson is one of the most important saxophonists of the hard-bop era – but his place in history is cemented by his compositions, energetic and driving and full of hummable melodies that soar and twine themselves into your brain. In his run with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, in Lionel Hampton’s band, and as a leader of the famous Jazztet in the 1950s and early ’60s, he helped define the incipient hard-bop sound, one that swung hard and dug into the bluesy roots of jazz while maintaining an emphasis on virtuosic improvisation. The many famous jazz standards that he wrote include “I Remember Clifford,” “Whisper Not” and “Killer Joe.” He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $35 cover online, $40 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 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

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, DECEMBER 14

cb picks:

• Mark Meadows & Dante Pope, Chez Billy, 8 p.m.
• Michael Thomas Quintet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Benny Golson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Marshall Keys, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 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

Triple Double, 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

Marshall Keys, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | Marshall Keys’ saxophone can sing the blues or swing to the rhythms of bebop with a laid-back sense of cool. A fluid, graceful player, Keys doesn’t have Cannonball Adderley’s boisterous wail, but he’s more than equipped to carry out his own kind of tribute to the alto sax great. That’s what is on the bill for this performance, where he’ll be joined by a small, drums-free trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Madison website

Michael Thomas Quintet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The trumpeter and composer Michael Thomas has been all over this country, growing up in Las Vegas, attending Grambling University in Louisiana, moving to upstate New York, leading a successful gigging career in Philadelphia. He’s settled in the D.C. area now, and has developed a reputation with his tenaciously swinging quintet, which tends toward the Jazz Messengers’ strain of no-compromises hard-bop. Thomas’ searing tone and dipping-and-diving improvisations have a lot in common with Lee Morgan’s. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $16 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Marcus Johnson, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The pianist Marcus Johnson makes highly danceable smooth jazz, with strong inflections of funk. He frequently indulges in pop covers, and is arguably the city’s best-known smooth jazz musician. Here he performs holiday fare. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $27.50 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Mark Meadows & Dante Pope, Chez Billy, 8 p.m. | The pianist Mark Meadows and the drummer Dante Pope play earthy but approachable modern jazz, deep in the groove and reaching upward. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Chez Billy website

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Church of the Epiphany, 8 p.m. | The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, one of the District’s most reliable emissaries of the traditional jazz repertoire, performs here in a slimmed-down quintet form, in conjunction with the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. Sold out. View event on calendar | Church of the Epiphany website

Benny Golson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 p.m. | The jazz luminary Benny Golson is one of the most important saxophonists of the hard-bop era – but his place in history is cemented by his compositions, energetic and driving and full of hummable melodies that soar and twine themselves into your brain. In his run with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, in Lionel Hampton’s band, and as a leader of the famous Jazztet in the 1950s and early ’60s, he helped define the incipient hard-bop sound, one that swung hard and dug into the bluesy roots of jazz while maintaining an emphasis on virtuosic improvisation. The many famous jazz standards that he wrote include “I Remember Clifford,” “Whisper Not” and “Killer Joe.” He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $35 cover online, $40 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian 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

AJ Parham, HR-57, 9 p.m. | AJ Parham is a smooth, deep-voiced vocalist who sings R&B with inflections of jazz. But on the bandstand at HR-57, where he’s long been a stalwart performer, Parham often tries his hand at jazz standards. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Chaise Lounge, Bethesda Blues & Jazz, 8 p.m. | In Chaise Lounge’s music, bossa nova interacts with other forms of pop. The sextet features Marilyn Older on vocals, Charlie Barnett on guitar, Pete Ostle on bass, John Jensen on trombone, Gary Gregg on saxophone and Tommy Barrick on drums. Here the group performs Christmas fare. Tickets $25, $10 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues

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, DECEMBER 15

cb picks:

• Benny Golson, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 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

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

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

Benny Golson, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 p.m. | The jazz luminary Benny Golson is one of the most important saxophonists of the hard-bop era – but his place in history is cemented by his compositions, energetic and driving and full of hummable melodies that soar and twine themselves into your brain. In his run with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, in Lionel Hampton’s band, and as a leader of the famous Jazztet in the 1950s and early ’60s, he helped define the incipient hard-bop sound, one that swung hard and dug into the bluesy roots of jazz while maintaining an emphasis on virtuosic improvisation. The many famous jazz standards that he wrote include “I Remember Clifford,” “Whisper Not” and “Killer Joe.” He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 7 & 9 p.m. $35 cover online, $40 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

Marcus Johnson, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | The pianist Marcus Johnson makes highly danceable smooth jazz, with strong inflections of funk. He frequently indulges in pop covers, and is arguably the city’s best-known smooth jazz musician. Here he performs holiday fare. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $27.50 cover, $12 minimum, $2.50 surcharge.View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Kenny Nunn, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The D.C. jazz community’s gravitational pull has welcomed and nurtured some of the more prominent musicians on the scene, and saxophonist Kenny Nunn is next in line. He has earned slots in the All-County and All-State bands, and continues to hone his craft as a student at Howard University. At Twins he performs with Stephen Synk on bass, Colin Chambers on piano and Nasar Abadey on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. [words by Luke Stewart] 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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