by Giovanni Russonello

If you’re a reader of these digital pages and you’ve never heard Brian Settles play, you might be pretty fed up with all our mouth-running on this guy’s account. Enough already, right? But if you’re a reader and you have heard the singular saxophonist, you probably have a bit of sympathy for our infatuation. No matter which category (if either) you fall into, this Sunday is your opportunity to hear the brooding, trenchant innovator at work: Bohemian Caverns hosts the D.C. debut of Central Union, the fully fledged quintet on his accomplished debut album. Friday and Saturday nights have their own share of top-tier jazz to offer, too. Find details on everything in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz,” our 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, AUGUST 19

cb picks:

• Akua Allrich, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Alex Brown, Jazz in the Garden, 5 p.m. | In his earnest blend of aggressiveness and quirkiness, 22-year-old pianist Alex Brown is clearly inspired by Chick Corea; but he also owes a debt of gratitude to his mentor and major advocate, the Latin jazz saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera. Brown is one of the major young forces rising on the national jazz scene. Here he helms a combo at a weekly outdoor concert that can tend to be less about hearing than about being seen. Free. View event on calendar | Jazz in the Garden website

Baltimore-Washington Flavor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | At this week’s edition of Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “Jazz Night,” a soulful gathering of jazz musicians from D.C. and Baltimore comes together. Drummer Nasar Abadey, bassist James King, pianist Allyn Johnson and vocalist Chad Carter are all D.C. natives, while saxophonist Carl Grubbs reps Baltimore. The evening is sure to be loaded with energy and interplay over jazz standards – and perhaps some originals from the able-bodied composers among the group. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Patty Ascher, Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, 6 p.m. | Brazilian singer Patty Ascher has a shadowy streak running through her vocals. She’s a capable and enticing storyteller, whose music fuses bossa nova, Afro-Cuban jazz and pop. Free. View event on calendar | Millenium Stage 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

Potomac Jazz Project, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a jazz combo, led by bassist Stan Hamrick, that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. The cast of supporting musicians tends to rotate, but it’s usually a very solid lineup. 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

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

Frederic Yonnet, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Frederic Yonnet is of a rare breed: a jazz harmonica player. This Frenchman has got tons of talent, and loads blues flavor lying just below the surface, but he chooses to use it all in service of a smoothed-over meld of jazz and R&B. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $37.75 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Denise Thimes Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Denise Thimes has a robust, intimate delivery, and typically employs it on age-old jazz standards. She’s joined here by Chris Grasso on piano, Zack Pride on bass and Lenny Robinson on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Akua Allrich, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba are two strong influences that bubble up in vocalist Akua Allrich’s Afrobeat-influenced neo-soul. The Howard University graduate, who composes many of her own tunes, is a strong and effervescent singer who wields a signature sense of optimism. Here she performs a tribute to Simone and Makeba. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $18 cover in advance, $23 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

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 Bistro website

Antonio Parker Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is swingin’ and soulful, with a bright, aggressive tone and inclinations that bring neo-soul and R&B influences into his otherwise straight-ahead bebop. Parker often pays tribute to John Coltrane with song dedications and covers, but his style on the horn often nods toward one of his personal favorites, the contemporary master Kenny Garrett. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 website

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

Michaela Harrison, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | New Orleans-based Michaela Harrison sings hushed and thoughtful tunes that incorporate pop, R&B and Brazilian influences. She’s got a strong, clear voice and an easygoing presentation. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $20 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Aaron Myers, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Vocalist Aaron Myers leads this straight-ahead jazz quartet, featuring piano, bass and drums, at the new Black Fox Lounge. 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. Donvonte’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, AUGUST 20

cb picks:

• Charles Covington, Millenium Stage, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Akua Allrich, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 18th Street Lounge 10:30 p.m.
• Elijah Jamal Balbed, Utopia, 11 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 Quartet, 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

Charles Covington, Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, 6 p.m. | Charles Covington, a faculty member in the Howard University music department, is an elder statesman on the D.C. jazz scene. A melodic improviser on both the organ and piano, Covington plays with a swinging savvy and bluesy sensibility. Free. View event on calendar | Millenium Stage 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

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 Jazz Band, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Full Ascent 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

Lena Seikaly & Potomac Jazz Project, 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 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

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. She’s typically joined by a pianist. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Henley Park’s website

Denise Thimes Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Denise Thimes has a robust, intimate delivery, and typically employs it on age-old jazz standards. She’s joined here by Chris Grasso on piano, Zack Pride on bass and Lenny Robinson on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Frederic Yonnet, Blues Alley, 8 & 11 p.m. | Frederic Yonnet is of a rare breed: a jazz harmonica player. This Frenchman has got tons of talent, and loads blues flavor lying just below the surface, but he chooses to use it all in service of a smoothed-over meld of jazz and R&B. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $37.75 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar| Blues Alley profile

Akua Allrich, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba are two strong influences that bubble up in vocalist Akua Allrich’s Afrobeat-influenced neo-soul. The Howard University graduate, who composes many of her own tunes, is a strong and effervescent singer who wields a signature sense of optimism. Here she performs a tribute to Simone and Makeba. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $18 cover in advance, $23 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Michaela Harrison, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. |New Orleans-based Michaela Harrison sings hushed and thoughtful tunes that incorporate pop, R&B and Brazilian influences. She’s got a strong, clear voice and an easygoing presentation. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $20 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

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

Ajay Parham, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Ajay 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 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. 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

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, 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. $7 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21

cb picks:

• Marshall Keys, Acadiana, 11 a.m.
• Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 12 p.m.
• Brian Settles & Central Union, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 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

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

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

Brian Settles & Central Union, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 p.m. | Brian Settles, a saxophonist built of a brooding tone and gurgling vigor, is among the District’s most musical personalities. He has a predilection for painfully truncated phrases, which he hammers and stretches to a breaking point before jettisoning them melodically into space. This year, Settles – long the stunning sideman – has stepped to the fore as a bandleader. He introduced a thrilling trio in February, then held a residency at Bohemian Caverns in July. But there exists no stronger testament to his rolling vision and bold leadership than Secret Handshake, his debut album, released in June. It’s a compendium of eight original pieces that broach the far-out and the deeply intimate, often achieving both at once. Here for the first time, he assembles the full quintet from that album: Neil Podgurski on piano, Corcoran Holt on bass, Jeremy Carlstedt on drums and Jean Marie Collatin-Faye on percussion. Two separate sets at 7 & 9 p.m. $12 cover in advance, $15 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns 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

Noel Gourdin, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Noel Gourdin is a soul and R&B vocalist from Massachusetts. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $20 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Sunday Jazz Lounge, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Details TBA. View event on calendar | Twins 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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