Gato Barbieri performs at the Howard Theatre this weekend. Courtesy rojinegro.com
by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board
It’s impossible to keep track of all the top-flight jazz shows going down across D.C. this weekend. If you’re into Latin jazz and fusion, you might think about catching the legendary Gato Barbieri at the Howard Theatre on Friday night. If you’re a fan of Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone, then local vocalist Akua Allrich is your ticket: She’s doing a tribute concert to them at Bohemian Caverns on Friday and Saturday. And if you want some rigorously swinging hard-bop, check out pianist Allyn Johnson at Twins on Friday and Saturday, or Thad Wilson in a free concert at Petworth Playground on Saturday. Then, of course, there’s the great modernist and mentor Terence Blanchard, playing a four-night run at Blues Alley. (CapitalBop is giving away tickets to some of his shows.)
Find details on those performances and many more in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz,” a 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 24
cb picks:
- Sharón Clark, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
- Gato Barbieri & Natalia Clavier, Howard Theatre, 8 p.m.
- Terence Blanchard, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
- Akua Allrich, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
- Allyn Johnson, Twins Jazz, 9 p.m.
- Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
Tony Nalker, Jazz in the Garden, 5 p.m. | A member of the U.S. Army Band, Tony Nalker is a seasoned jazz pianist. Free. View event on calendar | Jazz in the Garden website
Sharón Clark, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | Vocalist Sharón Clark sings with fervor and soul, plus impressive precision. She’s one of D.C.’s top jazz singers. She performs at this week’s edition of Westminster Church’s always-dependab
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
Triple Double, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Consisting of Joey Whitney on tenor sax, Ed Gallagher on guitar, Alan Pachter on bass and Tom Reed on drums, the Triple Double Jazz Band plays straightforward
Night & Day Trio, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | The Night & Day Trio plays traditional, swing-oriented jazz, featuring Renée Tannenbaum on vocals, Mike Suser on piano and vocals and Dennis Johnson on saxophone. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website
Terence Blanchard, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Trumpeter Terence Blanchard got his start as the replacement for childhood friend Wynton Marsalis in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers during the early 1980s. Since then, he’s proven his prowess as a force in the neoclassical school that Marsalis so champions, but has charted a divergent path as well. His gliding, often elegiac tone has guided solo albums ranging from straightforward post-bop (as on his Billie Holiday tribute record) to jazz that’s inflected with deep West African and hip-hop concepts (as on 2005’s Flow). He is also one of the nation’s most respected jazz educators, and since the 1990s has been created the music for almost all of Spike Lee’s films. A true leading light in today’s jazz world, he keeps his live shows fresh by taking after Blakey and employing young, forward-looking sidemen; a number of them have since moved on to thriving solo careers. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $40 cover, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
Trio Blue, Extra Virgin Restaurant, 8 p.m. | Trio Blue, which appears here in its debut performance, consists of Joe Lerner, Pat Bergin and Jay Brown – three longtime musicians in the D.C. area. In this band, they dust off blues and early R&B classics from the middle of the 20th century. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Extra Virgin website
Ostle/Parker Group, Hard Times Café, 8 p.m. | The lyrical bassist Curtis Ostle and the fleet alto saxophonist Jonathan Parker co-lead this straight-ahead jazz combo. The group is rounded out by three excellent musicians: Elijah Jamal Balbed on saxophone, John Lee on guitar and Charles Ostle on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Hard Times website
Gato Barbieri & Natalia Clavier, Howard Theatre, 8 p.m. | The melting-steel burn of Gato Barbieri’s tenor saxophone has become definitively ingrained in the history of free jazz, Latin jazz, fusion and smooth jazz. The saxophone legend performs here alongside a fellow Buenos Aires native, the singer Natalia Clavier, best known for her association with Thievery Corporation and for her work with Federico Aubele, the ambient dub and house music artist. Tickets $30 in advance, $35 day of show. View event on calendar | New Deal Café website
Bay Jazz Project w/Mary Alouette, Glen Echo Bumper Car Pavilion, 8:30 p.m. | The Bay Jazz Project is a traditional, Jazz Age-style band that’s led by the pianist Sean Lane. Tonight, vocalist Mary Alouette joins the band in a performance at a show produced by swing dancing organization Gottaswing DC. The night starts with a 30-minute beginners’ swing dance class at 8:30. Tickets $15. View event on calendar | Glen Echo website
Akua Allrich, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba are two strong influences that bubble up in Akua Allrich’s Afrobeat- and jazz-infused music. The Howard University graduate, who composes many of her own tunes, is a strong and effervescent singer who wields a signature sense of earthbound optimism. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $20 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns 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
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
Allyn Johnson, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Allyn Johnson has a bop pianist’s agility and dynamic sensibility (he draws on the lessons of Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner and Oscar Peterson in equal measure), but his roots in the church shine through most of all. He is one of the District’s best jazz pianists, and the director of the University of the District of Columbia’s Jazz Studies program. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile
Antonio Parker Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is swingin’ and soulful, with 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 to Kenny Garrett’s. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 website
Robbie Wancowicz Ensemble w/Jenny George, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Jenny George can’t yet drink legally at Black Fox Lounge, but she’s a prescient young vocalist who takes on jazz standards with strength and sensitivity. Here she appears with the Robbie Wancowicz Ensemble. 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
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
cb picks:
- Thad Wilson, Petworth Playground, 6:30 p.m.
- Terence Blanchard, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
- Akua Allrich, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
- Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m.
- Allyn Johnson, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
- Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street 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
Charles Woods, 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
Thad Wilson, Petworth Playground, 6:30 p.m. | The trumpeter Thad Wilson plays with articulation and clarity, and a deference to melody that makes it easy to fall in love with his style. A prominent member of the D.C. jazz community, Wilson once led a resident big band at Bohemian Caverns and now teaches at George Washington University. The show is part of a summer concert series at Petworth Playground, and blankets are provided. Free. View event on calendar | Millenium Stage 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
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
Triple Double, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Consisting of Joey Whitney on tenor sax, Ed Gallagher on guitar, Alan Pachter on bass and Tom Reed on drums, the Triple Double Jazz Band plays straightforward
Terence Blanchard, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Trumpeter Terence Blanchard got his start as the replacement for childhood friend Wynton Marsalis in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers during the early 1980s. Since then, he’s proven his prowess as a force in the neoclassical school that Marsalis so champions, but has charted a divergent path as well. His gliding, often elegiac tone has guided solo albums ranging from straightforward post-bop (as on his Billie Holiday tribute record) to jazz that’s inflected with deep West African and hip-hop concepts (as on 2005’s Flow). He is also one of the nation’s most respected jazz educators, and since the 1990s has been created the music for almost all of Spike Lee’s films. A true leading light in today’s jazz world, he keeps his live shows fresh by taking after Blakey and employing young, forward-looking sidemen; a number of them have since moved on to thriving solo careers. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $40 cover, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 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
Akua Allrich, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba are two strong influences that bubble up in Akua Allrich’s Afrobeat- and jazz-infused music. The Howard University graduate, who composes many of her own tunes, is a strong and effervescent singer who wields a signature sense of earthbound optimism. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $20 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile
Allyn Johnson, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Allyn Johnson has a bop pianist’s agility and dynamic sensibility (he draws on the lessons of Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner and Oscar Peterson in equal measure), but his roots in the church shine through most of all. He is one of the District’s best jazz pianists, and the director of the University of the District of Columbia’s Jazz Studies program. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile
DeAndrey Howard Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | DeAndrey Howard, a punchy trumpeter fluent in the lingua franca of hard-bop, is best known for his regular shows at Utopia, which closed for renovation earlier this year. Here he leads a quartet at HR-57 for the first time. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 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
Dee Stone, Black Fox Lounge, 9 p.m. | Dee Stone sings soul, blues, jazz and rock. The first set of every performance is usually comprised of jazz standards. 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, AUGUST 26
cb picks:
- Marshall Keys, Acadiana, 11 a.m.
- D.C. Jazz Jam feat. Lyle Link, Dahlak, 6 p.m.
- Black Notes, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 p.m.
- Ostle/Parker Group, 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
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 often plays 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
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
Jeff Antoniuk & Jazz Update w/the Capitol Jazz Ensemble, National Building Museum, 2 p.m. | Tenor saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk plays straight-ahead jazz with his sights set on what lies just past the horizon. Antoniuk’s tone is broad, with a constantly swelling life of its own. In his combo, Jazz Update, the D.C.-area musician is joined by the nimble pianist Wade Beach, bassist Tom Baldwin and drummer Tony Martucci. Here his band shares the bill with the Capitol Jazz Ensemble, a group of talented students attending D.C. Public Schools, assembled under the Washington Performing Arts Society’s Capitol Jazz Project. Free. View event on calendar | National Building Museum 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 feat. Lyle Link, Dahlak, 6 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. This week, the crafty alto saxophonist Lyle Link helps lead the jam, as part of its Monthly Masters series. 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
Black Notes, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Following in the tradition of era-defining Black bards like GIl Scott-Heron, the Last Poets, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, Black Notes integrates deep grooves and red-blooded messages of revolution and solidarity. The accomplished band includes Reginald Cyntje on trombone and Antonio Parker on alto saxophone. $15 cover, 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
Ostle/Parker Group, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | The lyrical bassist Curtis Ostle and the fleet alto saxophonist Jonathan Parker co-lead this straight-ahead jazz combo. The group is rounded out by three excellent musicians: Elijah Jamal Balbed on saxophone, John Lee on guitar and Charles Ostle on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile
Bill Heid, Black Fox Lounge, 8 p.m. | Bill Heid plays piano and sings blues songs and jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox Lounge 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 
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