by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

This weekend, one of the most storied saxophonists of the past 35 years comes to D.C. That saxophonist is David Murray, and he’s playing Friday and Saturday at Bohemian Caverns, with an all-star band called the Black Music Infinity Quartet. Young, local musicians are also finding a chance to shine: Drummer Aaron Seeber is leading a band at Twins, the Afro Blue Vocal Band plays at Strathmore and Herb Scott is at Black Fox Lounge on Sunday. 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, JULY 13

cb picks:

• Vince Evans, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
• David Murray, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Aaron Seeber Quintet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Juanita Williams, Jazz in the Garden, 5 p.m. | Juanita Williams, a soul-baring jazz singer, performs as part of Jazz in the Garden, a weekly series at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Free. View event on calendar | Jazz in the Garden website

Vince Evans, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | At this week’s installation of “Jazz Night,” the soulful, rhythmic pianist Vince Evans leads a hard-hitting band that includes the drummer Jay Jefferson and the saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Rockville Swing Band, Rooftop at Rockville Town Center, 7 p.m. | The Rockville Swing Band, a large ensemble specializing in classic Jazz Age repertoire, performs here at the picturesque Rooftop at Rockville’s Town Center. $5 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Rooftop 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

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

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

Julian Hipkins Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Julian Hipkins sings with a swinging flair and jaunty, deep voice that recall Jimmy Rushing. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Marcus Johnson, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | 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. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $27.50 cover, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

David Murray Black Music Infinity Quartet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | It’s easy to talk about the way jazz developed in the 1970s and ’80s without mentioning saxophonist David Murray, and many have done it – it was a quicksilver time for the music, and there’s lots of ground to cover. But that would be an act of vast omission. Murray came to New York in 1975, when the loft jazz scene was spreading an ethos of self-sustainment and assertiveness throughout lower Manhattan, and quickly became a centerpiece of that world. He opened his own loft space, Studio Infinity, and became a founding member of the influential World Saxophone Quartet. He was a disciple of the shrieking, torrential saxophonist Albert Ayler, but in Murray’s wide wavelengths of vibrato and his fierce tone you can hear the entire lineage of saxophone protagonism that preceded him, from Coleman Hawkins through John Coltrane. In his Black Music Infinity Quartet, Murray appears with three of contemporary jazz’s most inquisitive, tenacious performers: pianist Marc Cary, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Nasheet Waits. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns 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

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 Seeber Quintet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Drummer Aaron Seeber is just 19 years old. He looks it, but he sure doesn’t play like it. The lithely swinging drummer is steeped in the lessons of post-boppers like Tony Williams, Eric Harland and other top drummers of today. This weekend, the dynamic young face on the D.C. scene leads a quintet of local all-stars: alto saxophonist Tim Green, tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed, pianist Allyn Johnson and bassist Eric Wheeler. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz 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

Black Fox Lounge, 9 p.m. | Guitarist Peter Fields and vocalist Tara Hoffman team up for a light dose of jazz standards and pop tunes. Here they’re joined by bassist Claude Arthur. 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

SATURDAY, JULY 14

cb picks:

• Afro Blue Vocal Band & Cluster, Strathmore, 8 p.m.
• David Murray, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m.
• Aaron Seeber Quintet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
  
• WKP Jazz Trio w/Herb Scott, Black Fox Lounge, 9 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street 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

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

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

Afro Blue Vocal Band & Cluster, Music Center at Strathmore, 8 p.m. | The Afro Blue Vocal Band grows out of Afro-Blue, Howard University’s award-winning jazz a capella ensemble. The Vocal Band is the iteration of the group that wowed audiences last year on NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” neatly stepping into pop terrain with covers of songs by the likes of Roberta Flack, Corinne Bailey Rae and Sam Cooke. Here they appear with Italian a capella ensemble Cluster. Tickets vary ($18-$38). View event on calendar | Strathmore website

Marcus Johnson, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | 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. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $27.50 cover, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Cheryl Jones Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Singer Cheryl Jones – who had a weekly engagement every Sunday at Utopia until the venue closed for renovations earlier this year – sings with depth, force and clarity. She’s equally likely to sing jazz standards, pop tunes or gospel classics. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 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

David Murray Black Music Infinity Quartet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | It’s easy to talk about the way jazz developed in the 1970s and ’80s without mentioning saxophonist David Murray, and many have done it – it was a quicksilver time for the music, and there’s lots of ground to cover. But that would be an act of vast omission. Murray came to New York in 1975, when the loft jazz scene was spreading an ethos of self-sustainment and assertiveness throughout lower Manhattan, and quickly became a centerpiece of that world. He opened his own loft space, Studio Infinity, and became a founding member of the influential World Saxophone Quartet. He was a disciple of the shrieking, torrential saxophonist Albert Ayler, but in Murray’s wide wavelengths of vibrato and his fierce tone you can hear the entire lineage of saxophone protagonism that preceded him, from Coleman Hawkins through John Coltrane. In his Black Music Infinity Quartet, Murray appears with three of contemporary jazz’s most inquisitive, tenacious performers: pianist Marc Cary, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Nasheet Waits. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Aaron Seeber Quintet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Drummer Aaron Seeber is just 19 years old. He looks it, but he sure doesn’t play like it. The lithely swinging drummer is steeped in the lessons of post-boppers like Tony Williams, Eric Harland and other top drummers of today. This weekend, the dynamic young face on the D.C. scene leads a quintet of local all-stars: alto saxophonist Tim Green, tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed, pianist Allyn Johnson and bassist Eric Wheeler. 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, 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 sounds of Victor Provost. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 website

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

Dee Stone, Black Fox Lounge, 9 p.m. | Dee Stone sings soul, blues, jazz and rock. The first set of every performance is usually comprised of jazz standards. 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

SUNDAY, JULY 15

cb picks:

• D.C. Jazz Jam feat. Victor Provost, Dahlak, 6:30 p.m.
• Herb Scott, Black Fox Lounge, 8 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

Blue Crescent Syncopators, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | No description available. 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

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 feat. Victor Provost, Dahlak, 6 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. This week, the tremendous steel pan player Victor Provost helps lead the jam, as part of its Monthly Masters series. 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

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

Tom Tallitsch, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Saxophonist, composer and recording artist Tom Tallitsch performs modern jazz with a punchy sense of swing. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Marcus Johnson, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | 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. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $27.50 cover, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Herb Scott, Black Fox Lounge, 8 p.m. | Herb Scott is a young, soulful powerhouse of an alto saxophonist. Here he leads his own combo. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox Lounge profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 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 

Comments

comments