5 D.C. jazz picks for August 2025
Although the scorching temperatures have largely retreated from the D.C. region to begin the month, the jazz scene will bring serious heat to the city this August.
For a start, trumpeter Brandon Woody will visit Jojo twice this month, playing the early show on Aug. 8 and 29 (in between hits at the Newport and Monterey Jazz Festivals). Will the U Street club’s English basement be able to contain Woody’s energetic sound?
Elsewhere, the trio of guitarist Donato Soviero, bassist Michael Bowie and saxophonist Lyle Link celebrate the release of a new album at Takoma Station Aug. 7. Then, enterprising saxophonist and bandleader Brad Linde brings a sextet-formation of his trad-meets-free jazz group Dix Out to Tonal Park on Aug. 8.
Also, don’t miss bassist Ben Williams — one of D.C.’s favorite sons — who returns with his band to continue the celebration of his new album, Between Church & State, with a pair of sets at Blues Alley on Aug. 14 and 15.
Finally, the DC Jazz Festival kicks off Aug. 27 with shows at Eaton DC in the afternoon and the Hamilton in the evening (the latter is sold out). CapitalBop will have a full guide to the festival coming later this month. If you can’t make it to the Wharf, where the bulk of the festival’s programming will take place, you can catch some auxiliary programming in neighborhoods throughout D.C. Check out Imani-Grace Cooper and Marty Ehlrich’s Trio Exaltation in the Palisades, Elijah Easton in Takoma or Leigh Pilzer in Foggy Bottom.
In the meantime, and for all other jazz needs, consult the revamped and full D.C. jazz calendar.
T.K. BLUE
Saturday, Aug. 2, 7 p.m.
Takoma Station Tavern (tickets)
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Multi-reedist T.K. Blue, who doubles on the saxes and flute, as well as playing the kalimba, served for years as the musical director for the pan-Africanist pianist, composer and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Randy Weston. On the alto he warbles like Eric Dolphy, making the instrument cry out — sometimes with grief, sometimes with airy tenderness.
Here, Blue visits the historic Takoma Station backed by an all-star local group: pianist Janelle Gill, bassist Obasi Akoto and drummer Lenny Robinson.
KOKOROKO
Sunday, Aug. 3, 7 p.m.
9:30 Club (tickets)
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London’s Kokoroko burst onto the scene when their 2018 single “Abusey Junction” became a surprise hit as part of Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings sampler that year. Since then, the eight-piece Afrobeat-inspired band has only continued its ascendence, releasing two EP’s and a 2022 debut LP, Could We Be More, and embarking on multiple world tours.
Here, the ensemble visits the venerable 9:30 Club in support of its newest album, Tuff Times Never Last. – Abe Mamet
WARREN WOLF: TRIBUTE TO MULGREW MILLER
Friday, Aug. 15, 6 p.m.
Westminster Presbyterian Church ($10 at door, free for kids 16 and under)
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Warren Wolf is one of the great masters of the mallets in modern jazz. Whether on vibraphone or marimba, using two mallets or four, Wolf’s playing is lean and fast. He’s a regular on the road with Christian McBride’s Inside Straight and the SFJazz Collective’s touring band. He also leads his own group, Wolfpack — a collection of top Baltimore and D.C. players — through sharp bop, standards and more brooding, electronic originals.
Here, Wolf leads an all-star quintet of locals — Tim Green on saxophone, Allyn Johnson on piano, William “Mobetta” Ledbetter on bass, and C.V. Dashiell on drums — in a tribute to iconic post-bop pianist Mulgrew Miller.
MARCUS YOUNG WITH IMANI-GRACE COOPER: THE MUSIC OF RAY CHARLES AND STEVIE WONDER
Sunday, Aug. 24, 5:30 and 8 p.m.
Blues Alley (tickets)
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Maryland-based pianist Marcus Young wears a lot of hats on the DMV’s music scene, between his work as keyboardist for the legendary Chuck Brown Band and covering the ivories at his local church. At clubs, he is known to groove over smooth jazz tracks, sometimes rocking a bass line with his left hand or figuring out an improvised jazz melody with the right. He brings that synthesis of musical ability together here in a program celebrating the music of two of Black American Music’s great geniuses: Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.
Joining him on vocals is Imani-Grace Cooper, a celebrated vocalist in the area, equally adept at holding it down with a go-go group, singing jazz standards or belting R&B. She’s been experimenting recently with her own group, the Big Black Band, with incorporating many of the sounds of African-American music — from gospel to hip-hop — into her take on the jazz tradition.
NO TRICK PONY AND BARK CULTURE
Friday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m.
Rhizome (tickets)
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No Trick Pony is a D.C. creative trio still in its relative infancy featuring pianist Amy K. Bormet, saxophonist Brian Settles and drummer Keith Butler Jr. (disclosure: Butler is CapitalBop’s staff photographer). The group’s music contrasts towering harmonies built by Bormet with the dispersing, unstable rhythms conjured by Butler, as Settles’ sax hovers in between.
Here, they open for Philadelphia-based trio Bark Culture. Featuring vibraphonist Victor Vieira-Branco, drummer Joey Sullivan, and bassist John Moran, the trio explores textures and timbres through improvisation.
Some text based on previous calendar listings by Giovanni Russonello.
