Music
The In-Crowd: 5 Can’t-Miss D.C. Jazz Shows This Fall
September 25, 2023 @ 10:00am
There’s a vibrant and exciting jazz culture throughout D.C. Here are some of the best spots to see upcoming jazz.
While jazz is historically, and stereotypically, a music played in dimly lit clubs – such as “The In Crowd,” which was recorded by pianist Ramsey Lewis at D.C.’s famous Bohemian Caverns in 1965 – even at the height of its dual existence as a pop and art music.
But these days, especially in D.C., the music thrives in non-traditional spaces as the “jazz club” trappings and prices points act in tandem with a rigid doctrine of the music’s aesthetics to turn away potential listeners.
On the margins, and increasingly in the mainstream, the language of improvisation and virtuosity, of skilled musicians trading well-crafted spontaneity, folds together with R&B, hip-hop, Afrobeat, Latin and other styles to create a sound that fits into these genre-blurring, remixed playlist times. This column aims to tap you into that aspect of the scene, while also offering the occasional observation of more “traditional” jazz at its least square.
Tuesdays
Jo Palmer: The Sonic Lifeline Jam
Sometimes the best way to experience jazz is outside the formal trappings of a “concert” and hit up a jam session. The ease of the setting, the constant flow of musicians on and off the stage, the different way each one leads the group, can give you a series of snapshots of how different musicians and facets of the jazz scene work.
Drummer Jo Palmer leads one of the city’s newest every Tuesday at Whitlow’s on U Street. His house band is full of musicians like bassist Steve Arnold and saxophonist Brian Settles that know the old school in and out, but also bring a lot of new ideas and genre cross-pollination. The jam is organized by The Sonic Lifeline, a jazz series that promotes the local scene in Baltimore and D.C.
Whitlow’s DC: 901 U St. NW, DC; whitlows.com // @whitlowsdc
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10.21
Charles Tolliver Presents “Africa/Brass”
If you’ve heard of jazz artists, likely you know the name John Coltrane. The saxophonist, who led the music to new spiritual heights and broke musical boundaries, still casts a large shadow over the music’s culture. The composition “Africa/Brass” is one of his – and a D.C. French horn player, Brother Ahh, played on the original recording.
Trumpeter Charles Tolliver came in the generation after Coltrane and helped encourage new ideas, sounds and artists in the musical and philosophical upheaval of the 1970s with the label he co-ran, Strata East. Sure, he has a foot in the old school, but he’s a dazzling, inventive and fearless player.
A legend in his own right, he presents Coltrane’s iconic piece in this exclusive D.C. appearance – and with tickets under $40, that’s a steal.
Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater: 2700 F St. NW, DC; kennedy-center.org // @kennedycenter
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10.27
Aaron Myers
Aaron Myers is a consummate showman. He knows how to perform for just about any audience or situation, and his sets reflect that. The vocalist and pianist is just as likely to call up an old spiritual, or a classic jazz love song, or one of his own social justice-charged anthems during the course of his shows. He’s taking a few lessons and sounds from the old school and dressing them up in ways to meet the multi-generational jazz audience where it is, attending to each group’s needs and wants from the music.
Mr. Henry’s: 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, DC; mrhenrysdc.com // @mr.henrys.dc
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10.29
Amy K. Bormet and Strange Woman Records’ Unsound Sundays: “Nosferatu”
The term “silent film” – go with me on this – is a little bit of a misnomer: no one may have
talked but music was always central. The great Russian composer Shostakovich composed for
many great silent films of the early Soviet Union. And some of the first regular jobs for jazz piano players would be for playing along to silent films.
Pianist Amy K. Bormet is channeling that original spontaneous spirit and grand score design with her new series “Unsound Sundays.” Every month, she and a group of fellow mad scientist musicians will perform a new score, heavy on the improvisation, to some of the great, classic silent films. Hearing these musicians bring the action of the movie to life — the footsteps, the weather, the high drama — through sound is a real treat. In honor of Halloween, Bormet and crew tackle that first of the vampire films, “Nosferatu.”
Eaton House: 1203 K St. NW, DC; eatonworkshop.com // @eaton.dc
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