by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

The straight-ahead trombonist Curtis Fuller and the Latin pianist/bandleader Eddie Palmieri — two NEA Jazz Masters with granite legacies — will play at area venues this weekend. Also, the world-class bassist Christian McBride is at Suitland High School on Saturday night to perform with the student jazz ensemble; he’ll likely raise the kids’ playing to new levels in the way that only a masterfully supportive bassist can. And CapitalBop is co-hosting a listening session and Q&A with the Robert Glasper Experiment on Saturday night, at Liv Nightclub. All our favorite shows below have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1

cb picks:

• Curtis Fuller Brasstet, KC Jazz Club, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
• Brazil Project, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Eddie Palmieri, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club, 8:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
• Jazz Jam, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m.

Cheyney Thomas Quintet, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | The bassist Cheyney Thomas, a longtime D.C. resident and typical face at HR-57 across town, leads his own straight-ahead quintet at Westminster. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Herb Scott, Chez Billy, 7 p.m. | The soulful alto saxophonist Herb Scott is one of D.C.’s most arresting young powerhouses. He appears here with a combo featuring the bassist Steve Novosel, a longtime eminence on the local scene. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Chez Billy 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

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

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. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Curtis Fuller Brasstet, KC Jazz Club, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Curtis Fuller presides over the trombone with a grace and ease that seems nearly impossible on the instrument. He has played with John Coltrane, Art Blakey and untold others, in addition to leading a successful solo career. He’s already secured his place in hard-bop lore, but he’s moving forward with a new project: His Brasstet puts him in partnership with a rotating crew of trumpets, flugelhorns and rhythm section players. Here he’s joined by Bobby Shew, a veteran of ensembles led by Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman and Buddy Rich. Two separate sets at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary ($26-30), no minimum. View event on calendar | KC Jazz Club profile

Brazil Project, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The tenor saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk plays straight-ahead jazz with his sights on what lies just past the horizon. His tone is broad and self-supplying, full with jazz’s mid-’60s tautness. He performs here as part of the Brazil Project, a band co-led by Antoniuk and the strong bassist Leonardo Lucini. Together, they explore bossa nova, samba, samba choro and various forms of Brazilian-influenced jazz. Two separate sets at 8 & 10. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Reigna Belle, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Regina Belle’s past in R&B now informs her work as a gospel singer. You might recognize hers as the voice behind “A Whole New World,” the performance on the “Alladin” soundtrack that won her a Grammy. Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $43 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Eddie Palmieri, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8:30 p.m. | Probably Latin music’s most important living patriarch, Eddie Palmieri goads his ensembles with spiked scaffolds of notes — syncopated and dissonant patterns that will perk you up. He’s been leading bands since the early 1960s, when his first group, La Perfecta, blended traditional Cuban “son” dance music with American jazz, soul and other folk influences. He keeps searching today, with a handful of projects and ensembles. Perhaps the best way to experience the outsize power of his piano playing is in his Latin jazz septet, which plays at Bethesda Blues this weekend. It features Louis Fuche on alto saxophone, Jonathan Powell on trumpet, Luqes Curtis on bass, Anthony Carrillo on bongo, Camilo Molina on timbales and batá and Little Johnny Rivero on conga. $45 cover, $10 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz website

Aaron Myers, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Vocalist Aaron Myers leads a straight-ahead jazz quartet, featuring piano, bass and drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox 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

Antonio Parker Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is swinging and soulful, colored by 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 of Kenny Garrett. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 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

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

Jam Session, Ulah Bistro, 11 p.m. | U Street restaurant Ulah Bistro has stepped up to fill the void that Utopia left open last year, when it closed to make way for the construction of a new condos complex. That restaurant housed the block’s most reliable, convivial jam sessions. Ulah gives a taste of that energy once a week, late on Friday nights. This week the saxophonist Herb Scott helms the proceedings. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Ulah website

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2

cb picks:

• Robert Glasper Experiment Q&A and Listening Session, Liv Nightclub, 6 p.m.
• Brazil Project, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Christian McBride & Suitland High School Jazz Band, Suitland HS, 7 p.m.
• Django Reinhardt Festival All-Stars, Kennedy Center, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
• Eddie Palmieri, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club, 8:30 p.m.
• Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 18th St. 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

Robert Glasper Experiment Q&A and Listening Session, Liv Nightclub, 6 p.m. | CapitalBop is partnering with HedRush to present a free listening event in celebration of the new release from the Robert Glasper Experiment. At Liv Nightclub, we’ll be listening to the group’s new album, Black Radio 2, and CapitalBop’s Giovanni Russonello will team up with WPFW DJ Keanna Faircloth to interview the quartet onstage. Casey Benjamin, the group’s saxophonist and vocoder player, will also spin set of music, operating under his alias DJ Stutzmcgee. Free but RSVP required. View event on calendar | Liv website

Kirk Winters Trio, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Guitarist Kirk Winters draws inspiration from bop guitar greats such as Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. He performs here with a straight-ahead trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

District Jazz Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | A self-described “cool swinging jazz trio,” the District Jazz Trio is saxophonist Seth Popkin, pianist Dan Nathan and bassist Roger Rosa. The group plays jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Christian McBride & Suitland High School Jazz Band, Suitland HS, 7 p.m. | Christian McBride might be the most bafflingly proficient bass player alive. His pitch, his articulation, his swing feel – they sit there like a benchmark that most everyone knows they’ll never reach. That doesn’t mean he’s not an excellent mentor. Here he visits Forestville, Md., to perform with the student jazz band at Suitland High School’s Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. About a dozen music students from other area schools will also perform at the concert, which follows a master class at Suitland taught the day before by McBride. View event on calendar | Suitland HS website

Django Reinhardt Festival All-Stars, Kennedy Center, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | Led by guitarist Dorado Schmitt, the Djando Reinhardt Festival All-Stars revive the music of a gypsy guitar master who left his mark so strongly on a style that it can hardly ever be approached without his mention. As is tradition, this annual Kennedy Center performance puts the all-stars in contact with a straight-ahead jazz eminence: this year, the vibraphonist Stefon Harris. Two separate shows at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Tickets $38. View event on calendar | Kennedy Center website

Brazil Project, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The tenor saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk plays straight-ahead jazz with his sights on what lies just past the horizon. His tone is broad and self-supplying, full with jazz’s mid-’60s tautness. He performs here as part of the Brazil Project, a band co-led by Antoniuk and the strong bassist Leonardo Lucini. Together, they explore bossa nova, samba, samba choro and various forms of Brazilian-influenced jazz. Two separate sets at 8 & 10. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Regina Belle, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Regina Belle’s past in R&B now informs her work as a gospel singer. You might recognize hers as the voice behind “A Whole New World,” the performance on the “Alladin” soundtrack that won her a Grammy. Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $43 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Eddie Palmieri, Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 8 p.m. | Probably Latin music’s most important living patriarch, Eddie Palmieri goads his ensembles with spiked scaffolds of notes — syncopated and dissonant patterns that will perk you up. He’s been leading bands since the early 1960s, when his first group, La Perfecta, blended traditional Cuban “son” dance music with American jazz, soul and other folk influences. He keeps searching today, with a handful of projects and ensembles. Perhaps the best way to experience the outsize power of his piano playing is in his Latin jazz septet, which plays at Bethesda Blues this weekend. It features Louis Fuche on alto saxophone, Jonathan Powell on trumpet, Luqes Curtis on bass, Anthony Carrillo on bongo, Camilo Molina on timbales and batá and Little Johnny Rivero on conga. $45 cover, $10 minimum for dining-area seating. View event on calendar | Bethesda Blues & Jazz 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

Grant Langford Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The young tenor saxophonist Grant Langford applies his warm, assured tone in a straight-ahead context. He is a member of the Air Force’s big band, the Airmen of Note; here he leads his own quartet. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 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

WKP Trio, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | The WKP Trio is a straight-ahead jazz ensemble consisting of Kenny Peagler on piano, Percy White on bass and Will Stephens on drums. 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, NOVEMBER 3

cb picks:

• Irene Jalenti, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 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

Jazz Brunch, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana website

Jam session with the Django Reinhardt Festival All-Stars, Kennedy Center, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. | The guitarist Dorado Schmitt and the Djando Reinhardt Festival All-Stars will lead a jam session the morning after their Kennedy Center performance. All are invited to bring their instruments – especially guitarists. It might be the only jam this year where there can never be too many guitarists. $5 cover. View event on calendar | Kennedy Center 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

Todd Simon, Kellari Taverna, 12 p.m. | The sturdy and swinging pianist Todd Simon performs every Sunday in a duo setting; his accompanists vary from bass to guitar to saxophone, depending on the week. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Kellari Taverna 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, Dahlak, 6:30 p.m. | The D.C. Jazz Jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. This week, the jam welcomes its “Monthly Master;” November’s is Victor Provost, the steel pan genius who can show you a few things about building an engaging solo no matter what instrument you play. 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

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

Regina Belle, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Regina Belle’s past in R&B now informs her work as a gospel singer. You might recognize hers as the voice behind “A Whole New World,” the performance on the “Alladin” soundtrack that won her a Grammy. Two separate shows at 8 & 10 p.m. $43 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Irene Jalenti, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Italian vocalist Irene Jalenti sings in a tone that’s husky and hushed. Here she appears with an expert band of local musicians. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Jeff Weintraub & George Oakley, Bistro Bohem, 8 p.m. | The vocalist Jeff Weintraub sings jazz standards. For this gig, his drums-free band includes George Oakley on reeds and flute and Nick Lipkowski on guitar. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bistro Bohem website
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

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