Freddie Redd will lead a band at Twins Jazz this weekend. Courtesy Ron Weinstock
Weekend in Jazz | 8.10-8.12: Freddie Redd, Federico Peña & the D.C. Jazz Loft reincarnate
by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board
This Sunday, the D.C. Jazz Loft takes up at a new location – for one time only. Saxophonist Braxton Cook, bassist Steve Synk and trombonist Gary Gill will all lead bands at Hole in the Sky, the Eckington artist loft. Also, the legendary pianist Freddie Redd is at Twins on Friday and Saturday, and Uruguayan piano master Federico Peña performs at Bohemian Caverns. 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 10
cb picks:
- Federico Peña, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
- Freddie Redd, Twins Jazz, 9 p.m.
- Diamond Terrifier, Comet Ping Pong, 10 p.m.
- Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
Dave Wright, Jazz in the Garden, 5 p.m. | No description available. Free. View event on calendar | Jazz in the Garden website
Andy Ennis, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | Renowned Baltimore-area saxophonist Andy Ennis started performing publicly in the 1950s, and did a stint in the Ray Charles Band. Over the years, you’ve been equally liable to find him playing in a funk band or a hard-bop group. Here he leads a straight-ahead combo featuring Eric Byrd on piano and vocals, Amy Shook on bass and Robert Shahid on drums. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church 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
Yamomanem, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | The Yamomanem Jazz Band plays a faithful take on New Orleans jazz, conjuring the days of King Oliver and early Louis Armstrong with its lush brass section. 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
Jeff Coffin Mu’Tet, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jeff Coffin, the saxophonist in the Dave Matthews Band, calls his own group the Mu’tet. The small band blends New Orleans second-line and jazz stylings with musics that thrive on a different sort of repetition and refinement: jam band and prog-rock. The band features the precocious young electric bassist Felix Pastorious, who’s beginning to prove himself and is emerging from the long shadow cast by his late father, Jaco Pastorious. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $25 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
Denise King Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Denise King, based in Philadelphia, sings a strong, lively and heavily interactive blend of blues and jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website
Federico Peña, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Pianist Federico Peña was born in Uruguay, and honed his talents as a session player in Buenos Aires. On the D.C. scene, he’s known for his remarkable precision, vocabulary and dexterity. He has played with a slew of top acts, from Roy Hargrove to Chaka Khan to Cassandra Wilson; in D.C., Peña performs regularly with area stalwarts like Marshall Keys and Tarus Mateen. This weekend, at Bohemian, he leads his own combo. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $18 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
Freddie Redd, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | In the 1950s and ’60s, pianist Freddie Redd asserted himself as one of modern jazz’s top composers, with uncanny vision and an ability to pack countless little tart confections into a pithy hard-bop tune. He composed the score for and starred in the late-’50s musical “The Connection,” bebop’s most eminent Broadway moment, then did the same for the film iteration that followed. He recorded his pieces from “The Connection” for a Blue Note Records release featuring Jackie McLean. But Redd is more than just a songwriter – as an accompanist, he deploys jagged chords with syncopated savvy, and his solos bend and break the blues. Here the 84-year-old master appears with Brad Linde on tenor saxophone, Tom Baldwin on bass and Tony Martucci on drums. Show up for the early set, and you’ll also get to hear the quicksilver trumpeter Donvonte McCoy, the most proficient sideman in the group. (McCoy plays a late-night show every Friday and Saturday at Eighteenth Street Lounge, so he can’t perform at the second set here.) Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $17 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile
EC3 Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | Las Vegas-based Ernest “EC3” Coleman is a talented tipper – a straight-ahead drummer with serious chops. He spent years on the road with bass legend Al McKibbon, and nowadays leads his own groups, in addition to other sideman work. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 website
Peter Fields & Tara Hoffman, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Guitarist Peter Fields and vocalist Tara Hoffman team up for a light dose of jazz standards and pop tunes. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile
Diamond Terrifier, Comet Ping Pong, 10 p.m. | Sometimes, during a show by this one-man-band, the microphone is clipped to its stand and Diamond Terrifier points his saxophone toward it as he plays, like normal. Other times, he crams the mic nose-down into the bell of his horn and blows, and from the guttural, lacerating sounds it produces you might assume he’s shoved it all the way down his throat. Diamond Terrifier (a.k.a. Sam Hillmer, of the reputable indie band Zs) – who performs with video-projected accompaniment – implies that he’s after something spooky, like Black Sabbath or a dark cat in your path, but he’s really interested in how sound can hit you from unexpected angles. When he gets it right, it can be truly terrifying. Experimental guitarists and loop experts Anthony Pirog (of Janel & Anthony) and Michael Coltun (of Les Rhinoceros) will play an opening set, as will the percussionist Pilesar. $10 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Comet website
Tamara Wellons, Chez Billy, 10 p.m. | Tamara Wellons, a bright and strong voice on the local R&B and soul scene, pays tribute to the great Anita Baker, a singer who’s similarly influenced by gospel and jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Chez Billy Facebook
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 11
cb picks:
- Federico Peña, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
- Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m.
- Freddie Redd, 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
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
Triple Double Jazz Band, 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
Jeff Coffin Mu’Tet, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Jeff Coffin, the saxophonist in the Dave Matthews Band, calls his own group the Mu’tet. The small band blends New Orleans second-line and jazz stylings with musics that thrive on a different sort of repetition and refinement: jam band and prog-rock. The band features the precocious young electric bassist Felix Pastorious, who’s beginning to prove himself and is emerging from the long shadow cast by his late father, Jaco Pastorious. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $25 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
Denise King Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Denise King, based in Philadelphia, sings a strong, lively and heavily interactive blend of blues and jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website
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
Federico Peña, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Pianist Federico Peña was born in Uruguay, and honed his talents as a session player in Buenos Aires. On the D.C. scene, he’s known for his remarkable precision, vocabulary and dexterity. He has played with a slew of top acts, from Roy Hargrove to Chaka Khan to Cassandra Wilson; in D.C., Peña performs regularly with area stalwarts like Marshall Keys and Tarus Mateen. This weekend, at Bohemian, he leads his own combo. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $18 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile
Freddie Redd, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | In the 1950s and ’60s, pianist Freddie Redd asserted himself as one of modern jazz’s top composers, with uncanny vision and an ability to pack countless little tart confections into a pithy hard-bop tune. He composed the score for and starred in the late-’50s musical “The Connection,” bebop’s most eminent Broadway moment, then did the same for the film iteration that followed. He recorded his pieces from “The Connection” for a Blue Note Records release featuring Jackie McLean. But Redd is more than just a songwriter – as an accompanist, he deploys jagged chords with syncopated savvy, and his solos bend and break the blues. Here the 84-year-old master appears with Brad Linde on tenor saxophone, Tom Baldwin on bass and Tony Martucci on drums. Show up for the early set, and you’ll also get to hear the quicksilver trumpeter Donvonte McCoy, the most proficient sideman in the group. (McCoy plays a late-night show every Friday and Saturday at Eighteenth Street Lounge, so he can’t perform at the second set here.) Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $17 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile
Donnie West Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | No description available. $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 12
cb picks:
- D.C. Jazz Loft, Hole in the Sky, 7 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
Blue Styles Brass Band, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | No information available. 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
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 (Three-Year Anniversary), Dahlak, 6 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. This week marks the third anniversary of the jam session, and a number of prominent local players will be on hand to help celebrate: Elijah Balbed on tenor saxophone, J.S. Williams on trumpet, Corey Wallace on trombone and the emcee Aaron Myers. 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
D.C. Jazz Loft, Hole in the Sky, 7 p.m. | This special one-time-only show at Hole in the Sky, an artist loft in the Eckington neighborhood, returns the D.C. Jazz Loft to its DIY roots. And the performers are some of the most exciting in the District: swinging saxophone prodigy Braxton Cook; bassist Steve Synk and the pH Balance, a band that incorporates hip-hop and indie rock influences into jazz; and 33 1/3, a local free jazz group. Arrive at Hole in the Sky via the Rhode Island Ave. Metro, and enter through the alley behind 5th Street NE. $10 suggested donation, no minimum. View event on calendar | D.C. Jazz Loft website
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
Avi Wisnia, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | The Brazilian-Ameri
Jeff Coffin Mu’Tet, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Singer and pianist Freddy Cole shows plenty of similarities to his brother – the world-famous singer and pianist Nat King Cole – but his croonerism is laden with a gravellier, bluesier texture. While his older brother was a star in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, Freddy Cole enjoyed only middling succes. But since the 1970s, he has recorded a slew of well-received albums. His inflection and pop-jazz approach will remind you of the King, sure, but as he insists in one of his tunes, “I’m Not My Brother, I’m Me.” Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $25 cover, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 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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