Rachel Winder finds ‘Freedom’ in the midst of struggle
On a chilly, clear-skied February morning in Baltimore City, the young composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Rachel Winder was holed...
Category: Features
After 37 Years On and 2 Years Off, ‘Hot Jazz Saturday Night’ is back on the airwaves at WAMU
The coronavirus pandemic has crippled the jazz community in every outpost, and D.C. is no exception. Venues have permanently...
Remembering Andrew White, saxophonist, scholar, impresario and D.C. music royalty of the highest order
The accomplishments of Andrew White — multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, entrepreneur and performer, who made his home in Northeast D.C....
The legend of Yahya Abdul-Majid
Yahya Abdul-Majid was a musician with an intense air of mystery about him. I had often heard stories of...
With government aid tied up, struggling jazz venue owners ponder their options
In early spring, when the coronavirus pandemic’s drastic impacts were still sinking in, many on the D.C. jazz scene...
For Vernard Gray, supporting jazz meant strengthening his community in Southeast D.C.
For over 50 years, Vernard R. Gray served as a pillar of D.C.’s cultural landscape: organizing art exhibitions, presenting...
‘He was very powerful, but he was not loud:’ D.C.’s jazz community remembers Brother Ah
Brother Ah spent his life dedicated to music. He was a multi-instrumentalist, an educator, a radio DJ, a philosopher. And...
Two months into pandemic, many area musicians are still waiting for government aid
Two months after social-distancing measures shuttered the workplaces of thousands of performing artists in and around D.C., many local...
For D.C. jazz musicians, COVID-19 spells difficulty now—and uncertainty ahead
“I remember, as a little girl, the riots on U Street in 1968,” said the 58-year-old vocalist Sharón Clark,...
Bass clarinet specialist Todd Marcus plays small ball with new ‘Trio+’ album
The Baltimorean bass clarinetist Todd Marcus has become known for going big. His albums for nonet, 2006’s In Pursuit...