Jazz

Discovery Artist in the KC Jazz Club: Fresh Cut Orchestra

On December 12th, 2015, The Kennedy Center Jazz Club showcased a ten-piece jazz ensemble from Philadelphia: the Fresh Cut Orchestra. The show, located in a private room in the Terrace Gallery, brought...

Dorado Schmitt and the Django Festival All-Stars at The Kennedy Center

Dorado Schmitt and the Django Festival All-Stars came to The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater last night. And for a beautiful 80 minutes, the terror of the day vanished, syncopated out of existence by...

Interview with Musician John Lee of The Electric Trio, Playing Monday Nights at Tryst Café

I met John Lee after a set at Tryst Café. His band The Electric Trio is phenomenal. I especially appreciated their jazz cover of The Cure songs. He shared his musical inspiration, his favorite venues...

Michal Urbaniak at Bethesda Jazz and Blues Supper Club

What does a jazz lover expect from a concert of one of the world’s greatest jazz stars? To be moved by the magic of jazz and loving its sound? This was my exact experience last night, when the stage...

2015 Kennedy Center Spring Gala: ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing… A Celebration of Swing’ at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts rolled out the red carpet on Sunday evening with a star-studded salute to the swing era of the 1930s and ‘40s. Under the direction of Grammy-winning...

Freda Payne at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

Freda Payne, singer “extraordinaire” who was especially prolific during the 1970s, delivered a powerhouse performance Thursday night at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club. Embodying a style that...

The Soul Crackers at The Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

33 years after they began, The Soul Crackers deliver tight, in-the-pocket covers from all-star soul, Motown and 70’s Funk bands. For over three hours, the band drove from one song directly to the...

Cassandra Wilson-Coming Forth by Day: A Tribute to Billie Holiday at The Kennedy Center

The legacy of the brilliant and iconic jazz legend, Billie Holiday, coupled with the cool, classic styling of the very contemporary and experimentally-inclined jazz artistry of Cassandra Wilson fused...

Remembering Billie Holiday on Her 100th Birthday

On April 7, 2015 serious jazz fans celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of incomparable vocalist Billie Holiday, who died in 1959 at age 44 but lives on in her music as a legend in a trio...

‘Patti Austin Sings Ella and the Duke’ at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter and vocalist Patti Austin returned to team up with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for a spectacular performance of jazz classics, paying homage to the brilliance...

Duke Ellington Orchestra at Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club

Once Charlie Young, conductor of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, invited the audience to the dance floor last night, they needn’t be asked twice. The band played to a packed house at the Bethesda Blues...

The Duke Ellington Orchestra Comes to Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club on Saturday and Sunday February 14th and 15th

What better way to set the mood than swaying with your sweetheart to the tune of “Prelude to a Kiss”? Just in time for a weekend of love, the Duke Ellington Orchestra swings into town for two shows at...

Wynton Marsalis’ ‘Blues Symphony’ at Washington Performing Arts at Strathmore

Last night, thanks to the generosity of Washington Performing Arts, DC audiences had the rare opportunity to see Wynton Marsalis in the fullest sense – as consummate performer, as bandleader, and as...

‘Dizzy Gillespie™ Afro-Cuban Experience’ at The Kennedy Center

I write about theatre because I know theatre, intimately and over many years. I’m writing about Jazz because I love Jazz, the way a man might love a goddess, fleetingly and in hot pursuit. If you have...

‘NPR’s A Jazz Piano Christmas’ at The Kennedy Center

There are many types of applause one hears in a concert hall—polite clapping, raucous applause, the awkward slow clap. Felix Contreras, the host of last night’s cheerful NPR’s A Jazz Piano Christmas,...

Jefferson Starship at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

David Freiberg takes the phrase “young at heart” to a whole new level. There seems to be no stopping him… Still going strong at 76 years-old, the Quicksilver Messenger Service co-founder is rocking...

The Count Basie Orchestra at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

The Count Basie Orchestra is a perfect paring with The Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club as it rises to its stated goal of being “The Copacabana of the mid-Atlantic.” The packed dinner crowd,...

Kim Coles at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

It is not easy to make a successful come back in the entertainment business, but comedian-actress Kim Coles demonstrates that she has accomplished that feat in the Bethesda premiere of her heartfelt...

In the Moment: An Interview with Tom Teasley on His Live Score for ‘Nosferatu’ on October 25th at Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA

“I invite you to participate in a merging of sight, sound, drama and fantasy. For fifty minutes I will take your imagination on a fantasy journey and return you safely to your seats!” Now that is how...

New and Seasoned Performers Shine at Arts Collective@HCC’s ‘Coffee House Under the Stars’

Arts Collective@ HCC began its 20th year on Friday night with an old tradition. The Collective used the format of the Coffee House, put it out on a beautiful patio at the Horowitz Center and used it...

Nation Beat and Alma Tropicalia at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

The music to celebrate Brazilian Independence Day at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club Saturday night drove most of the attendees onto the dance floor. Both Alma Tropicalia and Nation Beat amped up...

‘The Nighthawks’ and the ‘Kelly Bell Band’ at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

Of course The Nighthawks lived up to their reputation as “the quintessential bar band.”Forty plus years in, DC native Mark Wenner only gets better and a bit funkier. The surprise of the evening was...

‘Doc Scantlin and His Imperial Palms Orchestra’ at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

In 1998, Forbes magazine declared Doc Scantlin and His Imperial Palms Orchestra the “best band in America.” And that was before they attained a huge following for their entertainment value and focus...

The Greg Boyer Peloton at Bethesda Jazz and Supper Club

On a warm Wednesday evening in the middle of summer at the Bethesda Jazz and Supper Club Greg Boyer clearly knows how to win over a crowd with his trombone and charm. With the help of Pianist Chris...

Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

FRESH was the defining feeling at Zydeco Trouble’s dance party at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club. Lead by Curley Taylor, the five-piece band consistently delivered a straight up zydeco beat that...

‘Louisiana Swamp Romp’ at Wolf Trap

This much-anticipated yearly event at WolfTrap was a winner once again. The Stooges Brass Band, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet and Big Sam’s Funky Nation showcased the breadth of music in New Orleans...

Sergio Mendes and Eliane Elias at The Music Center at Strathmore

Sergio Mendes and Eliane Elias ruled the stage Friday night as part of Strathmore’s Jazz Samba Project festival, celebrating Brazilian bossa nova music. Both Elias and Mendez performed some early...

Diane Schuur at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

Two–time Grammy Award winner Diane Schuur showcased her blazing and versatile musical talent in a powerhouse, perfectly-pitched concert at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club on Friday, June 6th...

‘The Flamingos’ at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club

Art deco glitz was the perfect ambiance for the sophisticated glamour of The Flamingos’ class-act performance, Sunday night, at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. The Flamingos’ old-school music...

The Kennedy Center Announces Over 2,000 Performances in 2014-2015

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces its 2014–2015 Season 2014 with More Than 2,000 Performances of Theater, Dance, and Music of All Kinds Highlights include: Iberian Suite:...

‘Let’s Fall in Love: Ann Hampton Callaway Sings Streisand, Songbook Classics, & More’ at The Kennedy Center by David Friscic

A Valentine’s Day treat was offered to all those who were lucky enough to attend celebrated jazz and cabaret artist Ann Hampton Callaway’s concert Let’s Fall in Love: Ann Hampton Callaway Sings...

Oscar Peñas at The Kennedy Center by Teal Ruland

Spanish jazz guitarist and composer Oscar Peñas made his Kennedy Center KC Jazz Club debut last evening, exhibiting his awesome fusion of classical guitar laced with smooth, jazzy, Spanish, and South...

Washington Performing Arts Society: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration by Veronique MacRae

When art is transformative to the spirit and universal in its ability to touch the souls of many, it has achieved a purpose greater than itself. This is the sentiment associated with Wynton Marsalis’...

NSO Pops: Wayne Shorter 80th Birthday Celebration with the Wayne Shorter Quartet and Esperanza Spalding by Francine Schwartz

Wayne Shorter, his Quartet, and vocalist Esperanza Spalding appeared last night in another sold-out concert at The Kennedy Center. There was a new work that was commissioned from Wayne Shorter, as...

‘Maria Schneider Orchestra’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Lisa Driscoll

In a night filled with everything from big band charts to accordion-led ballads,

Jill Scott at Wolf Trap by Audrey Thornton

Three-time Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, poet, and actress, Jill Scott appeared at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center on July 15, 2013. Greeted by Washington’s humid 90 degree weather, the hot and steamy...

18th Annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at The Kennedy Center by Francine Schwartz

Dee Dee Bridgewater, the host of NPR’s award winning weekly syndicated show, JazzSet, was the celebrant of the 18th Annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center Terrace...

‘The New Orleans Bingo! Show’ at The Kennedy Center by Terry Byrne

April is “The Music of New Orleans” Month at The Kennedy Center, and it takes a big tent to accommodate the eclectic artistic styles of the Crescent City. That explains the circus atmosphere of the...

Supersized Jazz Club: ‘Fats Waller Dance Party’ at The Kennedy Center by Audrey Thornton

Curiosity enticed me out to The Kennedy Center on Friday, April 5, 2013 for the 9:30 p.m. performance of Artistic Advisor for Jazz, Jason Moran’s tribute to the jazz music of Fats Waller, billed as...

Gretchen Parlato at WPAS at the 6th and I Synagogue by Francine Schwartz

Gretchen Parlato, winner of the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, has toured internationally with her own band and as a guest of many world-renowned artists; notable...

Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra: ‘Mardi Gras with the MJO’ at George Mason University by Audrey Thornton

There is no annual holiday celebration in Louisiana without Mardi Gras! According to historians, Mardi Gras, a one-day prelude to Lent dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and...

‘An Evening with Branford Marsalis’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Tiffany Draut

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is known for its quality performances, and the audience is always more than appreciative. But the February 15, 2013 concert, An Evening with Branford Marsalis,...

‘Birdland Big Band’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center by Audrey Thornton

A dynamic, new ensemble directed by Tommy Igoe (Drums); Nick Marchione, August Haas, Mat Jodrell, and Brandon Lee (Trumpets); Dave Bargeron, Mark Miller and James Borowski (Trombones); Nathan...

‘Sing the Truth: Angélique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves, and Lizz Wright’ at Strathmore by Audrey Thornton

If you were fortunate enough to catch the last performance of Sing the Truth’s legendary tour at The Music Center at Strathmore on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 8:00 p.m., you were part of the wildly...

Nnenna Freelon at The KC Jazz Club at The Kennedy Center by Francine Schwartz

The KC Jazz Club featured Nnenna Freelon in their cabaret style venue last night. Those of you who attended the Thelonius Monk Competion in September, also at The Kennedy Center, surely recall her...

My Favorite Quotes From DCMTA’s 5 Star ‘Best Shows’ for December 8-14th

Here’s my favorite quotes from our 5-star reviews of our ‘Best Shows’ for December 8-14th. Here we go! (1) Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Judy Kuhn at The Kennedy Center. Jennifer Perry: “Likewise, her...

‘Jazz for Justice’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center by Audrey Thornton

Nearly twenty-five years to the day of passage of H.CON. RES 57 (12/4/87) officially designating jazz as a rare and valuable national American treasure and art form, the George Mason University Jazz...

‘Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drum Competition Finals and All-Star Gala Concert’ by Francine Schwartz

The sold out 2012 Thelonius Monk International Drum Competition, sponsored by Cadillac, United Airlines, Northrup Grumman and Centric TV, took place Sunday night at The Kennedy Center. With a large...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Paul Gonsalves on the Road’ by Veronique MacRae

A poignant and moving piece about the inner demons that plague the soul of the brilliant jazz artist, Paul Gonsalves, Art Luby’s Paul Gonsalves on the Road is a masterpiece in the making. While the...

‘Buddy Guy With Special Guest John Mayall’ at Wolf Trap by Mike Spain

It is not often you get to see two living legends on one night. However, that is what happened on July 12, 2012 at Wolf Trap. British blues legend John Mayall opening up for blues legend Buddy Guy....