by Giovanni Russonello

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz,” our list of every D.C. jazz show on our radar. A head-turning cast of headliners has made its way to the District for shows this weekend. At this weekend’s jazz shows, even most of the major out-of-town acts were once local: Marc Cary, who went to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, returns to Bohemian Caverns; and D.C. native Allison Miller is back at Bossa Bistro with the Honey Ear Trio. In addition, at Bayou CapitalBop is highlighting some of the best D.C.-based bop improvisers – the U St. All-Stars – on Friday night (tonight!).  Those and all of our favorite shows have a  label. As always, you can read CapitalBop’s full listings directly at our D.C. jazz calendar, if you’d rather. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, APR. 22

cb picks:

• Phil Woods, Blues Alley, 8 p.m.
• Marc Cary Focus Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Jeremy Pelt & Noah Haidu, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
• U St. All-Stars presented by CapitalBop, Bayou, 10 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

‘K.C.-D.C. Connection,’ Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6:30 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. This week, the program is called “K.C.-D.C. Connection,” featuring Ernie Douglas on piano and vocals, Lyle Link on saxophone, David Jernigan on bass and Ron Compton on drums . $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Night and Day Trio, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | The Night & Day Trio plays traditional, swing-oriented jazz, featuring Renée Tannenbaum on vocals, Mike Suser on piano and vocals and Dennis Johnson on saxophone. 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 is joined by guitarist Matvei Sigalov and bassist Leonardo Lucini in her laid-back renditions of jazz standards. 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

Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 7 p.m. | The Jolley Brothers, Noble on keyboard and Nate on drums, play thrice a weekend at B. Smith’s, the upscale soul-food restaurant in Union Station’s massive East Hall. The Jolleys, who perform with a bassist, comprise one of D.C.’s most exciting and auspicious acts. With roots in gospel, soul and the modal bop of the 1960s, the brothers (who also compose prolifically) bring some of the most creative elements in the African-American music canon forward into the 21st century, all while stamping it with their own distinctive flavoring. But B. Smith’s is a restaurant first, and the music remains in the background – no matter how expertly played. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | B. Smith’s website

Elijah & the Po’ Boys, Bayou, 7 p.m. | Tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed leads the Po’ Boys trio — usually with drums and guitar — four nights a week during dinnertime hours at the New Orleans-themed Bayou. A strong, Dexter Gordon-like player, he performs mostly tunes from hard bop’s heyday and other standards. To hear Balbed stretch out with a full quintet, stay late on a Thursday night, when he plays Bayou’s featured set. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bayou profile

Phil Woods, Blues Alley, 8 p.m. | Alto saxophonist Phil Woods, an NEA Jazz Master, learned from Lennie Tristano. This forceful, poetic player moved on to become one of the most important musicians of the bebop era. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $45 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar| Blues Alley profile

Lena Seikaly Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Lena Seikaly sings jazz standards with a confident and playful demeanor, displaying a haziness reminiscent of Esperanza Spalding, but also nodding to traditional greats. She’s backed by a trio featuring Chris Grasso piano, Zack Pride on bass and Todd Harrison on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Andréa Wood & Michael Kramer, Tasting Room, 8 p.m. | Singer Andréa Wood has started catching people’s ears since returning to D.C., her hometown, in 2009. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts graduate moves fearlessly up and down octaves, all the while maintaining a distinct sense of purpose. She can explore the upper register in a beguiling waft, or plunge into the basement with buoyant, swelling articulation. Wood and guitarist Michael Kramer play Brazilian and classic jazz standards every week as background fare at the Tasting Room, a wine bar in Friendship Heights. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Tasting Room website

Marc Cary Focus Trio, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Pianist Marc Cary grew up in D.C., playing in go-go bands and attending the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He eventually moved up to the Big Apple, where he’s become a major star and leads his own trio. He has continued to incorporate hip-hop and go-go into his music, both in the groovy and mystical compositions he plays with his Focus Trio and with Stefon Harris’ Blackout, an electric-acoustic quintet for which he plays keyboards. Cary won the first-ever Billboard and BET “Best New Jazz Artist Award” for his 2000 album Rhodes Ahead Vol 1. Here, he performs with the Focus Trio – David Ewell D.C.’s own Tarus Mateen on bass and Sameer Gupta on drums and tabla. The group meshes with forceful fluidity, undulating grooves punctuated by blue notes and harmonies shot through with a dash of sunlight. $22 cover in advance, $28 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. What form the band will take at HR-57 is far from certain. $12 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 website

Jeremy Pelt & Noah Haidu, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt has flourished in a variety of settings – playing with groups from the soul-funk outfit Soulive to the Mingus Big Band – but he’s developed an identity as a leader of the new generation of New York City’s post-bop players. It’s music that springs from Miles Davis’ work with Wayne Shorter in the 1960s and prizes original compositions that both swing and groove. Pianist Noah Haidu, who co-leads a quartet with Pelt at Twins Jazz this weekend, is on his way to becoming another major part of that landscape. He writes punchy melodies that get stuck deep in your head. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every week leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Maureen Mullaney, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Maureen Mullaney sings jazz and blues songs with a light ensemble. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox Lounge profile

U St. All-Stars presented by CapitalBop, Bayou, 10 p.m. | CapitalBop presents the eight-piece U St. All-Stars, a group that was assembled for the D.C. Jazz Lofts and includes some of the city’s most vigorous jazz improvisers. So far, the All-Stars have been a huge hit – swinging through some of the fieriest jazz classics in an open-ended, jam-oriented format. A trio opens things up at 10 p.m., then the whole band hits by 11. $5 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bayou 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. He’s joined every Friday by the talented, Billie Holiday-indebted singer Integriti Reeves. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

DeAndrey 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, APR. 23
cb picks:

• Phil Woods, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Marc Cary Focus Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10: 30 p.m.
• Noah Haidu & Jeremy Pelt, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
• Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia, 11 p.m.

Origem, African Art Museum, 2 p.m. | This local band plays electric Brazilian jazz, mixing samba, bossa nova, forro, afoxe, maracatu, and partido alto. Free. View event on calendar | Museum 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

Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 7 p.m. | The Jolley Brothers, Noble on keyboard and Nate on drums, play thrice a weekend at B. Smith’s, the upscale soul-food restaurant in Union Station’s massive East Hall. The Jolleys, who perform with a bassist, comprise one of D.C.’s most exciting and auspicious acts. With roots in gospel, soul and the modal bop of the 1960s, the brothers (who also compose prolifically) bring some of the most creative elements in the African-American music canon forward into the 21st century, all while stamping it with their own distinctive flavoring. But B. Smith’s is a restaurant first, and the music remains in the background – no matter how expertly played. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | B. Smith’s website

Triple Double Jazz Band, 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

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

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

Elijah & the Po’ Boys, Bayou, 7 p.m. | Tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed leads the Po’ Boys trio — usually with drums and guitar — four nights a week during dinnertime hours at the New Orleans-themed Bayou. A strong, Dexter Gordon-like player, he performs mostly tunes from hard bop’s heyday and other standards. To hear Balbed stretch out with a full quintet, stay late on a Thursday night, when he plays Bayou’s featured set. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bayou profile

Lena Seikaly & Potomac Jazz Project, 7:30 p.m., Extra Virgin Restaurant | Vocalist Lena Seikaly sings jazz standards with a confident and playful demeanor, displaying a haziness reminiscent of Esperanza Spalding as well as a deference to traditional greats. 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 | Extra Virgin’s website

Phil Woods, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Alto saxophonist Phil Woods, an NEA Jazz Master, learned from Lennie Tristano and moved on to become one of the most important horn players of the bebop era. His powerful sound here is complemented by the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra and vocalist Kim Nazarian. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $45 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Sara Jones Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m.| Vocalist Sara Jones sings jazz standards sweetly; her band here includes Chris Grasso on piano, Zack Pride on bass and Todd Harrison on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Marc Cary Focus Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Pianist Marc Cary grew up in D.C., playing in go-go bands and attending the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He eventually moved up to the Big Apple, where he’s become a major star and leads his own trio. He has continued to incorporate hip-hop and go-go into his music, both in the groovy and mystical compositions he plays with his Focus Trio and with Stefon Harris’ Blackout, an electric-acoustic quintet for which he plays keyboards. Cary won the first-ever Billboard and BET “Best New Jazz Artist Award” for his 2000 album Rhodes Ahead Vol 1. Here, he performs with the Focus Trio – David Ewell D.C.’s own Tarus Mateen on bass and Sameer Gupta on drums and tabla. The group meshes with forceful fluidity, undulating grooves punctuated by blue notes and harmonies shot through with a dash of sunlight. $22 cover in advance, $28 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Jeremy Pelt & Noah Haidu, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt has flourished in a variety of settings – playing with groups from the soul-funk outfit Soulive to the Mingus Big Band – but he’s developed an identity as a leader of the new generation of New York City’s post-bop players. It’s music that springs from Miles Davis’ work with Wayne Shorter in the 1960s and prizes original compositions that both swing and groove. Pianist Noah Haidu, who co-leads a quartet with Pelt at Twins Jazz this weekend, is on his way to becoming another major part of that landscape. He writes punchy melodies that get stuck deep in your head. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz 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. What form the band will take at HR-57 is far from certain. $12 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 website

Kaos Theory, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Kaos Theory is a smooth funk band. No cover, 1-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. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia, 11 p.m. | Young powerhouse tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed heads up one of the swinginest shows on U Street every Saturday night. His sound drips with the blues, and from the bell of this 20-year-old’s horn seem to rise the ghosts of Coleman Hawkins and Dexter Gordon. With the Washington City Paper‘s 2010 Best New D.C. Jazz Musician award under his belt, Balbed can always be expected always to deliver the goods. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Utopia profile

The Hang (with Will Rast), Bohemian Caverns, midnight | Bohemian Caverns’ late-night jam, The Hang, is hosted by a different band every week of the month. The kitchen remains open until 1 a.m., so there’s a chance to get a late bite without having to traipse to Ben’s Chili Bowl. This week, the jam is led by pianist Will Rast. $7 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

SUNDAY, APR. 24

cb picks:

• Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 12 p.m.
• Honey Ear Trio, Bossa Bistro, 8 p.m.
• Danny Janklow, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Sunday Jazz Lounge (feat. Anthony Pirog), BloomBars, 8 & 10 p.m.

Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 12 p.m. | The Jolley Brothers, Noble on keyboard and Nate on drums, play thrice a weekend at B. Smith’s, the upscale soul-food restaurant in Union Station’s massive East Hall. The Jolleys, who perform with a bassist, comprise one of D.C.’s most exciting and auspicious acts. With roots in gospel, soul and the modal bop of the 1960s, the brothers (who also compose prolifically) bring some of the most creative elements in the African-American music canon forward into the 21st century, all while stamping it with their own distinctive flavoring. B. Smith’s is a restaurant first, and the music remains in the background – no matter how expertly played. But as far as jazz brunch goes, it’s hard to top the Jolleys’ music. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | B. Smith’s 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

Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra, Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, 6 p.m. | Alan Baylock, a composer whose music is widely performed, leads his big band. Free. View event on calendar | Millenium Stage website

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

Sunday Jazz Lounge (feat. Anthony Pirog), BloomBars, 8 p.m. | Guitarist Rodney Richardson and trumpeter Joe Herrera are looking to broaden jazz’s reach in D.C. while challenging the city’s musicians creatively. Increase popularity and raise the quality bar at the same time? you ask skeptically. Sure, the two don’t always go together – but Richardson and Herrera’s Sunday Jazz Lounge effort has its head in the right place, and it’s worth getting behind. Plus, from the crackling, friendly vibe and strong turnout that their first few lounges have enjoyed, it seems they’re succeeding. Each week, the show starts with a special unaccompanied performance by a different local jazz talent. This week, experimental electric guitarist Anthony Pirog takes on the challenge. After his set, Richardson and Herrera will lead their quartet – featuring bassist Eric Harper and drummer Dave McDonald – through some of the less-traversed compositions in the bop songbook. The lounge spent all of March (its debut month) at Twins Jazz, but is now bouncing from venue to venue. This edition takes place at Bossa Bistro, which used to have more jazz but now focuses on world music. It will be good to see bop return to the Bossa stage. $10 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | BloomBars website

Danny Janklow, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Philadelphia saxophonist Danny Janklow is very young (he was born in 1989), but he’s got a fierce swing and a thoughtful, commanding soloing style that’s well beyond his years. He also composes deft, post-bop tunes. The winner of first place honors at 2010 the North American Saxophone Alliance Competition in Athens, Ga., is sure to make a bigger name for himself in the years ahead. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins profile

Honey Ear Trio, Bossa Bistro, 8 p.m. | The Honey Ear Trio is a rising force in the New York City jazz scene – and it features D.C.’s own Allison Miller on drums. A heady performer and composer, Miller plays in a range of styles but is most well-known as a jazz innovator. Undeniable rock grooves coexist with swing in this sax-bass-drums trio, which is inspired by steampunk. The group lays in fury and passion, along with the occasional haunting ballad. $5 cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa 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

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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