Weekend in Jazz | 9.24-9.26

Curtis Fuller will perform at Bohemian Caverns this weekend. | photo taken by flickr user Marc Sabatella

by Giovanni Russonello

Welcome to “Weekend in Jazz,” where we bring you a list of every D.C. jazz show going on this weekend that we can get our eager, bloggerly hands on. If you missed it, check out last week’s inaugural edition for an explanation of this weekly feature. Or, since it’s all pretty self-explanatory, simply scroll down; read through to find a gig you’d like to attend; and click on the link provided to get the details on its location. And keep a look out for the emblem — that means a show is CapitalBop recommended. If you prefer to view the listings directly at CapitalBop’s calendar, click here.

Friday, Sep. 24

cb picks: Curtis Fuller, Bohemian Caverns; Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge

Jazz Night, 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 not-so-likely hub for fish frying, communing and jamming on straight-ahead jazz. This weekends lineup features Bill Heid on organ, the excellent saxophonist Lyle Link, Tony Martucci on drums, guitarist Geoff Reecer and Selena McDay on vocals. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. Westminster Presbyterian Church website

“A Love Supreme” gathering, House of Umoja, 7:30 p.m. | The United Black Community presents a tribute to the late John Coltrane and the recently passed Abbey Lincoln, on the day after Trane’s 84th birthday. Brother Ah (a.k.a. Bob Northern) will lead the musical activities. His list of past collaborators might as well be a roll call sheet for all the important musicians in early free jazz and post-bebop thought: Sun Ra and his Arkestra, Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry and — most relevantly — John Coltrane, among many others. “A Love Supreme” will be held at the Umoja House, and will feature music as well as poetry and discussion. No cover, no minimum. House of Umoja website

Magos Herrera, KC Jazz Club, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | The Kennedy Center Jazz Club’s 2010-11 season kicks off with Mexico City native Magos Herrera, a vocalist who combines her Latin American musical roots with her affinity for classic jazz. The event is also part of the Kennedy Center’s “Celebrate Mexico 2010” program, commemorating 200 years of Mexican independence. Two separate sets at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. KC Jazz Club Profile

Joe Sample, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | A founding member of soul-jazz giants the Jazz Crusaders, keyboardist Joe Sample has a soulful, rapturous approach to the piano. Through the years, he has put it to use playing jazz, blues, soul and other music. Two separate shows at 8 and 10 p.m. $43 cover, $10 minimum. Blues Alley profile

Curtis Fuller, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Curtis Fuller presides over the trombone with a grace and ease that’s nearly impossible to master on the instrument. He has played with John Coltrane, Art Blakey and others in addition to leading a successful solo career. He’s already secured his place in hard bop lore, and this two-night engagement at the Caverns offers a great opportunity to catch the living legend in action. Two separate sets at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. $20 cover in advance, $25 at the door, no minimum. Bohemian Caverns profile

Antonio Parker Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Alto saxophonist Antonio Parker idolizes (and often eulogizes, with musical tributes) John Coltrane. But his aggressive alto tone and rhythmic inclinations are more contemporary, bringing neo-soul and R&B influences into his otherwise straight-ahead bebop. Parker’s style on the horn often nods toward another one of his personal favorites, the contemporary master Kenny Garrett. $12 cover, no minimum HR-57 profile

The Flail, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | The Flail is a multinational, New York-based quintet that hits hard. Its rhythms tend to bounce around like a super ball in a tin can — that is, relentlessly and aggressively. The group’s post-bop approach is tinged with rock-ish grooves here and there, but there’s plenty of jazz’s history in this music too, if you go looking for it. $15 cover, $10 minimum. Two separate sets at 9 and 11 p.m. Twins Jazz profile

Brulee, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Brulee is a jazz and alt-pop fusion quartet featuring vocalist Aura Kanegis. No cover, one-drink minimum. Columbia Station profile

Kevin Pace Quintet, W Hotel’s POV Lounge, 10 p.m. | A hard-swinging bop bassist, Kevin Pace leads his quintet every Friday night at this upscale hotel hangout. No cover, no minimum. POV Lounge website

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 11 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. 18th St. Lounge profile

DeAndre 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. Utopia profile

SATURDAY, SEP. 25

cb picks: 9th Annual D.C. Preservation Jazz Festival, Westminster Presbyterian Church; Butch Warren Experience, Columbia Station; Curtis Fuller, Bohemian Caverns; Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge; Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia

9th Annual D.C. Preservation Jazz Festival, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 12 p.m. | D.C.’s so-called “Jazz Church” is teaming up with WPFW to host the 9th Annual DC Jazz Preservation Festival. Many of the best straight-ahead players in the city will be there, from trumpeter Thad Wilson at 2 p.m. to Paul Carr at 5 p.m. Expect great food, an assortment of vendors and righteous jazz all afternoon long. $5 cover Correction: no cover, no minimum. Westminster Presbyterian Church 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. Columbia Station profile

Joe Sample, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | A founding member of soul-jazz giants the Jazz Crusaders, keyboardist Joe Sample has a soulful, rapturous approach to the piano. Through the years, he has put it to use playing jazz, blues, soul and other music. Two separate shows at 8 and 10 p.m. $43 cover, $10 minimum. Blues Alley profile

Ravish Momin’s Trio Tarana, Joe’s Movement Emporium,  8 p.m. | The experimental Trio Tarana isn’t quite jazz — and there’s nothing in its music that swings or solos like a jazz player would. But the vitality of Ravish Momin’s eclectic drumming style and the almost mystical violin and cello playing that go along with it have a special sort of intrigue. Just because there’s more Ravi Shankar than John Coltrane in the music doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy way to kick off this fall’s Transparent Productions experimental jazz series. (Look for more great music in this series during the weekends ahead.) $15 cover, no minimum. Transparent Productions website

Butch Warren Experience, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | Bassist Butch Warren is bebop royalty, having played on dozens of Blue Note records with Thelonious Monk, Joe Henderson and other legendary figures in the 1960s. Nowadays he presides over a biweekly congregation of musicians on Wednesday and Saturday nights that also includes Olivier Brown on trumpet, Ted Efantis and Knud Jensen on saxophones, and Jerrol Pennerman, Peter Edelman or Jim West on piano, depending on the night. Warren, who is 71, doesn’t play on most of the songs — but when he does, it’s a treat. No cover, one-drink minimum. Columbia Station profile

Curtis Fuller, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.  | Curtis Fuller presides over the trombone with a grace and ease that’s nearly impossible to master on the instrument. He has played with John Coltrane, Art Blakey and others in addition to leading a successful solo career. He’s already secured his place in hard bop lore, and this two-night engagement at the Caverns offers a great opportunity to catch the living legend in action. Two separate sets at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. $20 cover in advance, $25 at the door, no minimum. Bohemian Caverns profile

The Flail, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | The Flail is a multinational, New York-based quintet that hits hard. Its rhythms tend to bounce around like a super ball in a tin can — that is, relentlessly and aggressively. The group’s post-bop approach is tinged with rock-ish grooves here and there, but there’s plenty of jazz’s history in this music too, if you go looking for it. $15 cover, $10 minimum. Two separate sets at 9 and 11 p.m. Twins Jazz profile

AJ Parham, HR-57, 9 p.m. | AJ Parham is a smooth R&B singer who draws on classic soul and jazz sensibilities. He cites influences such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and George Benson. $12 cover, no minimum. HR-57 profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 11 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. 18th St. Lounge profile

Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia, 11 p.m. | Young powerhouse tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed heads up one of the swingin’est shows on U Street every Saturday night. The lineup of musicians on this late-night gig varies from week to week, but it’s consistently outstanding. Plus, with the Washington City Paper’s 2010 Best New D.C. Jazz Musician award under his belt, the 20-year-old Balbed can always be expected always to deliver the goods on sax. No cover, 1-drink minimum. Utopia profile

SUNDAY, SEP. 26

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. Columbia Station profile

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

Jam Session, HR-57, 7 p.m. | This is a chance for local musicians to stretch out and see which of their new ideas stick when thrown against HR’s craggy brick walls. It’s also an inexpensive way for jazz fans to get a peek into the raw collaborations of D.C.’s rising stars. $8 cover for audience members, $4 cover for musicians, no minimum. HR-57 profile

Joe Sample, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | A founding member of soul-jazz giants the Jazz Crusaders, keyboardist Joe Sample has a soulful, rapturous approach to the piano. Through the years, he has put it to use playing jazz, blues, soul and other music. Two separate shows at 8 and 10 p.m. $43 cover, $10 minimum. Blues Alley profile

Julie Mack, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Julie Mack is a jazz vocalist who sings standards as well as pop covers. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. Twins Jazz profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” no cover, one-drink minimum Columbia Station profile

Cheryl Jones, Utopia, 9 p.m. | Singer Cheryl Jones has a weekly engagement every Sunday at Utopia, where she draws on her broad base of musical passions. She is equally likely to sing jazz standards, pop tunes or gospel classics. No cover, 1-drink minimum.

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