Twenty years in, JoJo is the last classic jazz spot standing on U Street — and it’s thriving
On an early Wednesday evening this summer, drummer Lenny Robinson was deftly steering a remarkable trio, consisting of vibraphonist Chris Barrick and keyboardist Federico González Peña. During their first set at JoJo Restaurant & Bar, they delighted a sparse yet attentive crowd with sparkling renditions of Herbie Hancock’s “Dolphin Dance” and “Tell Me A Bedtime […]
5 live jazz picks for November in D.C.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 7 for Virginia residents (ballot information here). If you’re in Virginia, the CB team would like to encourage you to make time to go to the polls, if you haven’t already voted, especially knowing how intimately local governance can shape our region’s music scene. The end of Halloween signals the […]
Charles Tolliver talks Strata-East, 1960s D.C., and why he keeps coming back to Trane
Trumpeter Charles Tolliver is known for many things: co-founding the highly influential Strata-East label with his collaborator, the pianist Stanley Cowell; co-leading the ferocious post-bop group Music Inc., also with Cowell; and contributing as a sideman on many now-iconic records from the mid-1960s and beyond. What fewer fans might remember is that he attended Howard […]
‘Change is the most constant thing we got’: D.C. artists reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they’ve recovered
In early 2020, the COVID-19 virus began to spread worldwide, quickly transforming the lives of billions across the globe. November will mark the six-month mark since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended their public-health emergency declaration, putting an official bookend on this chapter in our history. Now that this world-altering event is in […]
5 live jazz picks for October in D.C.
Festival season has passed, though the city’s jazz scene will stay hot even as autumn rolls in. And by avoiding a government shutdown, our region has dodged (for now) an economic strain that would have certainly affected the venues where much of this music is performed. October is, of course, the month of Halloween. Though […]
Jazz and cocktails: Shanklin Hall and Moonlight keep the groove going in Adams Morgan
Talk to any jazz musician on the East Coast, and you may hear stories of Columbia Station. For 22 years, this club was the one place that reliably hosted jazz on one of D.C.’s most popular nightlife strips: 18th Street in Adams Morgan. Jazz greats such as Butch Warren, Fred Foss, Ted Efantis, Lawrence Wheatley […]
DC Jazz Festival 2023 guide
The DC Jazz Festival is back this weekend for its 19th year, and its third since moving from early summer to Labor Day weekend. While the festival has condensed in the last few years, and no longer features the weeks-long, city-wide sprawl of its pre-pandemic editions, it has certainly upped the density of shows during […]
5 D.C. jazz picks for September 2023
The 19th annual DC Jazz Festival is now in full swing; if you’re planning to attend, hop over to CapitalBop’s full festival guide for a rundown of which shows you really shouldn’t miss this weekend. But if you’re not going to make it (most of the major events are sold out by now), fear not: […]
5 live jazz picks for August in D.C.
After the sweltering heat of July ended this past weekend with an almighty storm that rained out gigs, knocked out power across the DMV and downed trees, it feels like the summer fever has broken. Now, as Congress’s August recess sets in, summer is dragging itself to a close. But there is no lack of […]
5 live jazz picks for July in D.C.
We’re in the peak of summer now, which means a healthy mix of indoor and outdoor concerts to hear. One excellent outdoor option is Elijah Jamal Balbed’s curated series at the Kreeger Museum, which has become a worthwhile pilgrimage for jazz fans: The setting is gorgeous and the music always on point. On July 22, […]