Giving back and paying it forward: the story of Davey Yarborough, D.C.’s most beloved jazz educator
As the school year starts back up again, I can’t help but think back on one of the most...
Category: Features
Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra, a D.C. jazz ‘street university,’ celebrates its 20th anniversary
On a cold January night in D.C., a dozen musicians are crammed onto the compact stage at Twins Jazz....
John McLaughlin, a fusion guitar legend, is on his final tour
Some musicians hang on a bit too long, ending their careers with a slow fade. It can be painful...
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...
Newly released ‘Live at the 4 Queens’ presents Shirley Horn, D.C. jazz royalty, at the peak of her powers
Of all the most storied musicians with an association to D.C. – Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, Mike Stern, Jelly Roll...
Farewell to Bohemian Caverns: Musicians remember the ‘sole home of soul jazz’
When the City Paper revealed last week that Bohemian Caverns would be shutting down, the ground beneath D.C. seemed...
Straight-ahead, no chaser: The artist-run Jazz and Cultural Society is D.C.’s newest jazz club
On a recent Sunday night at Brookland’s Jazz and Cultural Society, Dr. John Lamkin II piped luscious, honey tones...
Nasar Abadey: Supernova Spirit
Nasar Abadey, among the most respected drummers and bandleaders in Washington, D.C., first fell in love with his instrument...
‘The past to the present to the future:’ Yard Byard finds its own way to celebrate piano legend Jaki Byard—without a pianist
Jazz’s gospel roots are apparent in the way we talk about the music’s iconic figures. Solos and improvisations are...
Sam Prather’s Groove Orchestra brings jazz and bedroom production together into a danceable new sound
We are in the Information Age, when an education resides at our fingertips. It can be overwhelming—but there’s a...