Jon Faddis performs at Blues Alley this weekend. Courtesy marcmonaghan/flickr
by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board
On the final weekend of Jazz Appreciation Month, a broad cross-section of jazz talent from around the city and the country will be performing in a range of settings. Friday and Saturday nights, trumpet master (and onetime Dizzy Gillespie protégé) Jon Faddis is at Blues Alley; pianist Orrin Evans, a rising patriarch on the Philadelphia scene, plays Bohemian Caverns; and organist and pianist Radam Schwartz comes to town with saxophonist Anthony Nelson for a couple shows at Twins Jazz.
But there are also a handful of shows spotlighting leading local talent: Liner Notes – an imaginative stage production that brings together hip-hop, jazz and spoken-word and features bassist Kris Funn – is at the Dunes Friday and Saturday; Artisphere spotlights avant-garde sounds on Friday night; and the Anacostia River & Jazz Festival, running all day Saturday, might be the perfect way to kiss April goodbye. Find details on those performances and many more in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz,” a listing of every D.C. jazz show on our radar. Our favorites have a 
label, and as always, you can read CapitalBop’s full listings directly at our D.C. jazz calendar, if you’d rather. Happy hunting!
FRIDAY, APRIL 27
cb picks:
- Thad Wilson Quartet, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
- Signal to Life Ratio, Artisphere, 7:30 p.m.
- Jon Faddis, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
- Liner Notes, The Dunes, 8 p.m.
- Orrin Evans Quartet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
- Radam Schwartz, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
- Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
Thad Wilson, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | Trumpeter Thad Wilson plays with articulation and lyrical clarity, and he privileges melody in a way that makes it easy to fall in love with his sound. A prominent member of the D.C. jazz community in the years of its mid-2000s revival, Wilson once led a resident big band at Bohemian Caverns and now teaches at George Washington University. He’s joined here by an all-star backup band of local hard-bop veterans: pianist and vocalist Johnny O’Neal; bassist James King; and drummer Lenny Robinson. $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
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
Night & 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
Signal to Life Ratio, Artisphere, 7:30 p.m. | A coterie of the District’s most promising jazz and noise experimentalist
Irene Jalenti, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Italian vocalist Irene Jalenti sings in a tone that’s husky and hushed. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website
Jon Faddis, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jon Faddis was a Dizzy Gillespie protege in the 1970s who by many accounts – including Gillespie’s own – eventually surpassed the bebop master in technical acuity. He spent some time playing first trumpet in the decade’s most important big band – the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – then embarked on a solo career. The post-bop-orient
Liner Notes, The Dunes, 8 p.m. | Remember those fascinating narratives lain across the back side of old LP’s, or sprinkled across 10 pages in the CD booklet of jazz and soul reissues? The liner notes. Sometimes they bore out the perspective of an out-of-touch producer or journalist, but often they were filled with gems of information, little clues about what had inspired a particular tune or why a singer was sounding more gravelly on track three than she was on track one. Recent decades have seen liner notes’ decline; and the employment of professional writers for the task, instead of the musicians themselves, has almost vanished – which is not an altogether bad thing. But here actress Paige Hernandez-Funn revives the genre in the form of spoken-word readings and a full-on stage production, including a DJ and backing from her husband Kris Funn’s Corner Store Jazz Quintet. The show examines liner notes from a range of Black musical genres – specifically jazz and hip-hop – thereby pointing to the invisible thread of history that ties them together. Tickets $20, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Dunes website
Distinction, THEARC, 8 p.m. | Distinction, a band comprised of an eclectic array of local musicians, blends jazz with R&B and other influences. The lineup includes Dennis Turner on bass, Sam Prather on piano, Robert “BJ” Simmons on saxophone and Marcus Jackson on drums. Tickets $15 (with discount code THEARC), no minimum. View event on calendar | THEARC website
Orrin Evans Quartet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Orrin Evans, a versatile and pliant pianist, plunges deep into rhythms in search of pearls. And he usually finds them – somewhere between his jagged shells of left-hand chords and his oscillating waves of right-hand harmony. Still in his mid-30s, Evans is fast becoming the dean of Philadelphia jazz, and he often performs internationally
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, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is swingin’ and soulful, with 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 to Kenny Garrett’s. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 website
Sin Miedo, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Sin Miedo is an energetic, nine-piece Salsa band that plays highly danceable Afro-Cuban jazz, Mambo and Samba. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile
Radam Schwartz, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Radam Schwartz plays boisterous straight-ahead jazz on the Hammond B3 organ. Here he’s joined by the stalwart saxophonist Anthony Nelson. Two separate sets at 9 and 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz 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
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
SATURDAY, APRIL 28
cb picks:
- Anacostia River & Jazz Festival, Anacostia Park, 10 a.m.
- Jon Faddis, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
- Liner Notes, The Dunes, 8 p.m.
- Orrin Evans Quartet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
- Radam Schwartz, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
- Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
Anacostia River & Jazz Festival, Anacostia Park, 10 a.m. | Straight-ahead, Latin jazz and smooth jazz coexist at this daylong festival, which will span two stages and include a collection of workshops and exhibits. The performers to make sure you check out are swinging steel pan whiz Victor Provost and Brazilian combo Origem. Other performers include smooth jazz harmonica player Frederic Yonnet and pianist Marcus Johnson. Free. View event on calendar | American Art Museum’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
Charles Woods, Johnny’s Half Shell, 6 p.m. | Saxophonist Charles Woods plays and has recorded in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig at Johnny’s Half Shell he keeps things within the traditional bop realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Johnny’s Half Shell 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
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
Nancy Scimone, Henley Park Hotel, 7:30 p.m. | Nancy Scimone reaches into the jazz and popular American songbooks during this weekly gig at the Henley Park Hotel in downtown D.C., where she’s accompanied by a pianist. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Henley Park’s website
Lena Seikaly Trio, Extra Virgin Restaurant, 7:30 p.m. | Vocalist Lena Seikaly sings jazz standards with a confident and playful demeanor, displaying a haziness reminiscent of Esperanza Spalding and a fulsome power that approaches Sarah Vaughan’s. Here she leads her own drumless trio, joined by guitar and bass. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Extra Virgin’s website
Jon 
, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jon Faddis was a Dizzy Gillespie protege in the 1970s who by many accounts – including Gillespie’s own – eventually surpassed the bebop master in technical acuity. He spent some time playing first trumpet in the decade’s most important big band – the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – then embarked on a solo career. The post-bop-orient
Sendy Brown Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Sendy Brown, a D.C. native, sings standards with warmth and energy. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website
Liner Notes, The Dunes, 8 p.m. | Remember those fascinating narratives lain across the back side of old LP’s, or sprinkled across 10 pages in the CD booklet of jazz and soul reissues? The liner notes. Sometimes they bore out the perspective of an out-of-touch producer or journalist, but often they were filled with gems of information, little clues about what had inspired a particular tune or why a singer was sounding more gravelly on track three than she was on track one. Recent decades have seen liner notes’ decline; and the employment of professional writers for the task, instead of the musicians themselves, has almost vanished – which is not an altogether bad thing. But here actress Paige Hernandez-Funn revives the genre in the form of spoken-word readings and a full-on stage production, including a DJ and backing from her husband Kris Funn’s Corner Store Jazz Quintet. The show examines liner notes from a range of Black musical genres – specifically jazz and hip-hop – thereby pointing to the invisible thread of history that ties them together. Tickets $20, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Dunes website
Lydia Lewis Trio, Tasting Room, 8 p.m. | Tasteful drummer and composer Lydia Lewis leads her trio in background fare at the Tasting Room, a wine bar in Friendship Heights. She’s consistently joined by expert side musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Tasting Room website
Orrin Evans Quartet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Orrin Evans, a versatile and pliant pianist, plunges deep into rhythms in search of pearls. And he usually finds them – somewhere between his jagged shells of left-hand chords and his oscillating waves of right-hand harmony. Still in his mid-30s, Evans is fast becoming the dean of Philadelphia jazz, and he often performs internationally
Palanke Music Company, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Led by vocalist and guitarist Jaime Andrés Salazar, a.k.a. Gato, Palanke Music Company is tropicalia meets electro meets Samba meets Afro-Cuban jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa 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-Chisho
Maureen Mullaney, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Saxophonist Kurtis Adams, the director of jazz studies at West Virginia’s Shepherd University, plays savvy and modern jazz. $15 cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox Lounge profile
Radam Schwartz, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Radam Schwartz plays boisterous straight-ahead jazz on the Hammond B3 organ. Here he’s joined by the stalwart saxophonist Anthony Nelson. Two separate sets at 9 and 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz 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, APRIL 29
cb picks:
- Marshall Keys, Acadiana, 11 a.m.
- Jazz at the Jefferson, Jefferson Memorial, 12 p.m.
- Jason Kao Hwang, Bohemian Caverns, 7 p.m.
- Diamond Terrifier, Back Alley Theater, 8 p.m.
Marshall Keys, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Marshall Keys’ saxophone can sing the blues or swing to the rhythms of bebop with a laid-back sense of cool; the native Washingtonian is a fluid, graceful player. He plays every Sunday brunch at Acadiana, usually with a group consisting of the city’s top jazz scene veterans: Federico Peña on piano, Tarus Mateen on bass and either Lenny Robinson or Mark Prince on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana 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
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
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
DC Choro, Grill from Ipanema, 7:30 p.m.| DC Choro is a sextet that plays Brazilian music drawing on European folk traditions. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Grill from Ipanema 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
Lena Seikaly, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Vocalist Lena Seikaly sings jazz standards with a confident and playful demeanor, displaying a gentle ephemerality reminiscent of Esperanza Spalding as well as a debt to traditional greats. She’s also a deft composer and arranger. Here she appears in front of the Alan Baylock Orchestra. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $25 cover, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
GWU Latin Band, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The George Washington University Latin Band is a large ensemble that plays Latin jazz. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $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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