5 D.C. jazz picks for April 2026
April 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of Jazz Appreciation Month, an annual celebration that the District’s own John Edward Hasse started at the Smithsonian American History Museum back in the halcyon days of 2001. To celebrate, the Smithsonian will this year have a collection of free programming throughout April, including a concert program by the Masterworks Orchestra on April 17 highlighting a broad cross section of jazz history, from Jelly Roll Morton to Sun Ra.
One major highlight of the Smithsonian’s programming this month is a visit on April 14 from the great alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, one of the few hard bop veterans still actively performing.
The local scene also has some strong offerings this month. Takoma Station has some standouts, including the pyrotechnic guitarist John Lee leading his own group on April 11 and saxophonist Tim Green performing the third and final show of his residency there on April 18. For an experimental gem, check out the fearsome creative trio of Nik Francis, Sarah Hughes and Nate Scheible at Rhizome on April 19 as they open for New York-based bassist Shawn Lovato and his Biotic project.
Jazz Appreciation Month closes with two notable trumpet-forward offerings. First, Muneer Nasser, a living witness to jazz history as the son of bassist and frequent Ahmad Jamal collaborator Jamil Nasser, leads a Miles Davis tribute at Westminster Presbyterian Church on April 24. Then, head to Shanklin Hall (the ultra-hip Adams Morgan social club located in what was once Columbia Station) to check out Baltimore’s hometown hero Brandon Woody and his Blue Note-signed band Upendo on April 25.
For all other jazz needs during Jazz Appreciation Month, please consult the full D.C. jazz calendar.
MICHAEL BOWIE QUINTET: FROM MILES TO TRANE
Friday, April 3, 6 p.m.
Westminster Presbyterian Church ($10 at door, free for kids 16 and under)
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Bassist Michael Bowie is a chameleon-like musician, moving between projects every couple of years. He’s always exploring some new musical avenue, whether putting together a swinging program of standards culled from films of the ’40s and ’50s, or leading groups that create murky and moody hip-hop.
A veteran of the road with icons like Isaac Hayes and Betty Carter, Bowie here leads a quintet of DMV-based musicians — featuring Elijah Easton on saxophone, Eric Williams on trumpet, Allyn Johnson on piano and Lee Pearson on drums — to celebrate the centennials of Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
MOONCHILD
Saturday, April 4, 9:45 p.m. (6 p.m. show sold out)
Lincoln Theater (tickets)
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Moonchild is a Los Angeles-based trio whose laid-back electronic sound blends influences from jazz, alternative R&B and funk. Composed of jazz-informed multi-instrumentalists Amber Navran, Max Bryx and Andria Mattson, the band debuted in 2012 with its album Be Free, citing heavy influence from Soulquarians like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and J Dilla.
Here they perform tracks from their most recent album, Waves, released in February. Stacked with features from artists like Jill Scott, Robert Glasper and Rapsody, the project delivers a mixture of lo-fi hip-hop-style grooves, dreamy soundscapes, breathy neosoul-inspired vocals and jazz-funk harmonies.
Opening is Chicago-based rapper and composer Brittney Carter.
ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO
Thursday, April 9, 8 p.m.
The Music Center at Strathmore (tickets)
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Beninese vocalist and activist Angélique Kidjo has been a force on the global music scene for over four decades. Kidjo grew up immersed in music from the West African coast, including Yoruban and Beninese folk and more contemporary sounds from Congo, Cameroon and Togo.
Her expansive sound blends her African roots with influences from Black diasporic genres like R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, salsa and calypso, as well as elements of European and Latin styles.
Here, Kidjo will revisit her 2021 album, Mother Nature, which brought together a younger generation of Black musicians to deliver a mixture of danceable afrobeat, soulful ballads and rhythmic jazz-infused highlife tracks.
JANEL LEPPIN’S ENSEMBLE VOLCANIC ASH
Thursday, April 23, 7:30 p.m.
Rhizome DC (tickets)
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Janel Leppin is one of the District’s finest bandleaders, harnessing a nuanced sensibility for both composition and improvisation that produces restless, complex sonic textures ranging from lush and beautiful to sharp and arresting. She’s widely respected in the DMV as half of the power duo Janel and Anthony (with guitarist Anthony Pirog) and her own solo and ensemble work.
She’s joined here by her Ensemble Volcanic Ash, an arrangement of some of the best improvisers in D.C.: Pirog, tenor saxophonist Brian Settles, bassist Luke Stewart**, and drummer Larry Ferguson. The group’s music ranges from lush soundscapes indebted to Alice Coltrane to frenetic, experimental anthems in the vein of Abdul Wadud.
The group celebrates the release of their third album, Pluto In Aquarius.
**Note: Stewart is CapitalBop’s co-founder and director of presenting. He had no role in the selection, writing or editing of this entry.
THE U.S. ARMY BLUES WITH DELFEAYO MARSALIS
Thursday, April 30, 9:30 p.m. (7 p.m. show is sold out)
Blues Alley (tickets)
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The U.S. Army Blues is the army’s official jazz band and the military discipline reflects in their tight performance of standards from the jazz canon.
The group returns to Blues Alley for an annual performance, this time with trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis. Like other members of the Marsalis clan, Delfeayo maintains deep ties and a commitment to showcasing the classic jazz sounds of the bebop, hard bop and big band eras as well as the funky iterations of jazz that have developed in New Orleans over the 100-plus years of the music’s history there. On the trombone, Marsalis rings loud and clear, with a galloping style steeped in that fine New Orleans trombone tradition forged by the likes of Eddie Edwards and Kid Ory.
Here, he joins the Blues to perform a salute to the music of New Orleans and Mardis Gras season. Marsalis returns the next night, May 1, to explore more Big Easy classics alongside local heavyweight Paul Carr’s quartet.
DC, DC jazz, jazz, Washington
