Tarus Mateen’s ‘Arising Saints’
Tarus Mateen is best known as a member of Jason Moran’s famous Bandwagon trio, but his bass playing has...
Category: Album reviews
CapitalBop’s best D.C. jazz albums of 2016
D.C.’s jazz scene has long been a bastion of straight-ahead tradition, but these days it’s quickly expanding its definitions...
CapitalBop’s 5 best D.C. jazz albums of 2015
Two thousand and fifteen was a year when new jazz found its way into a lot of people’s lives,...
Akua Allrich’s ‘Soul Singer:’ Spirits rising
Perhaps one of the most anticipated releases to hit the jazz scene recently, Akua Allrich’s Soul Singer is simply...
Elijah Jamal Balbed’s ‘Lessons from the Streets:’ hard-swinging new sounds from a leading young lion
At this point, Elijah Jamal Balbed is undoubtedly the ubiquitous, shining young lion of the tenor saxophone in D.C....
Reginald Cyntje’s ‘Spiritual Awakening:’ uncanny band chemistry and brilliant compositions
In February, trombonist Reginald Cyntje was featured on NPR Music’s Jazz Night in America, where his band debuted the...
Trio OOO’s ‘Days to Be Told:’ The long-awaited debut of a powerhouse avant-garde trio
Aaron Martin’s alto saxophone may register in your brain as an eruption, but it hits your ear with a...
Tim Whalen’s ‘Oblivion:’ paying tribute to Bud Powell, with a dash of D.C. flavor
Tim Whalen’s Oblivion is an album dedicated to the late pianist Bud Powell, one of the golden era bebop...
CapitalBop’s Top 5 Albums of 2014
Across the pop music landscape this year, the album felt like an idea whose time had passed. Artists nowadays...
Album review | Siné Qua Non’s Simple Pleasures: A vast collection of influences, effortlessly distilled
The first thing to note about the debut album from Siné Qua Non is the instrumentation. A drum set,...