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Album reviews

Mark G. Meadows, ‘Be The Change’ EP: anthems for introspection

Mark G. Meadows is no stranger to empowerment anthems; they were the cornerstone of his last album To The People, CapitalBop’s No. 2 album of 2016. Be The Change, the pianist and vocalist’s new EP released last week, features several numbers in that same inspirational spirit, and the accompanying music is built of the same […]

July 17, 2019 0

Announcing...

Preview a track from Abinnet Berhanu’s breakout album. Then come hear him at the Spotlight Residency.

If you’re new to the D.C. jazz scene, the name Abinnet Berhanu might ring a bell, but it probably won’t evoke a face or a sound. The young drummer, a Virginia native, has been keeping a low profile for the past couple years. But chances are, that’s about to change. This month, Berhanu releases his […]

July 16, 2019 0

News

The Bohemian Caverns building has a new tenant: restaurant and jazz venue Mama ‘San

After more than three years of vacancy, a new business is set to move into the historic Bohemian Caverns building at 11th and U Streets NW, the landlord has confirmed. A planned restaurant and jazz venue named Mama ‘San will start a five-year lease with the building’s landlord, Al Afshar, starting in late 2019 or […]

July 16, 2019 0

Announcing...

Keith Butler and Abe Mamet bring fresh ideas to the DC Jazz Loft

After a month of big shows, it’s time for CapitalBop to get back to our roots. The July DC Jazz Loft will feature two fresh — but increasingly well respected — faces on the scene: drummer Keith Butler and hornist Abe Mamet. Each is bringing a trio and an off-the-beaten-track musical vision of his own. […]

July 8, 2019 0

The Month in Shows

5 July D.C. jazz picks

It was intensely gratifying to see D.C. musicians, fans and other folks in the music ecosystem supporting each other at the DC Jazz Festival, whether at familiar haunts throughout the city or out in the summer breezes at The Wharf. Luckily, the high of the annual festival need not wear off: Plenty of exciting things […]

June 30, 2019 0

News

DC Music Census, open to all, seeks to understand the full spectrum of the city’s music scene

Update: The DC Music Census has been extended to close on July 17. Apparently, there are only 310 musicians working in Washington, D.C. That statistic, based on professions listed on income tax forms, is found in Mayor Muriel Bowser’s DC Cultural Plan, which makes policy and investment recommendations for the city’s cultural life. Compare that […]

June 20, 2019 0

Interviews

Empirical, a cutting-edge U.K. jazz quartet, plays D.C. on Sunday

The British jazz quartet Empirical began an odyssey of unconventional public performances in early 2015 with a six-day residency at a bookstore in London. Those six short (and free) sets, only an hour each, were intended to publicly workshop ideas for a new album, but eventually began to draw rapt onlookers by the hundreds. The […]

June 19, 2019 0

Announcing...

Linda Oh’s new Aventurine octet makes its D.C. debut on July 1

June 18, 2019 0

News

Jon Batiste teases songs from next album at DC JazzFest

Jon Batiste unveiled some unreleased music on Saturday night during his DC Jazz Festival show at The Anthem. The 32-year old star pianist, whose group Stay Human is the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, played three songs from a forthcoming album, to be titled Anatomy of Angels. The LP was recorded […]

June 17, 2019 0

Features

How Kris Funn found his sound in the ‘gateway jazz’ of the CornerStore

When Kris Funn and his group CornerStore were announced as the winners of the 2018 DCJazzPrix, the DC Jazz Festival’s annual competition for emerging bands, no one was more surprised than the bandleader himself. “I have no idea why we won,” Funn said with a chuckle when I caught up with him a little over […]

June 14, 2019 0