5 D.C. jazz picks for January 2026
Happy New Year!
I hope you all got some rest during the holiday and end of year season, and have renewed energy to get out and enjoy D.C.’s live music scene in 2026.
January appears to offer a notably strong start for the D.C. jazz scene’s year (as many members of the CapitalBop editorial team expressed when trying to pick the month’s top five shows to highlight).
Contributing to the month’s strong offerings is Takoma Station Tavern (curated, as always, by Michael Phillips’ Jazz Kitchen Productions). Dean of D.C. jazz Allyn Johnson kicks off the year with his organ quintet on Jan. 3. Then, Baltimore-based saxophonist Tim Green launches a new residency on Jan. 10. Green is dynamic musician and not seen enough around the city, so it will be worth keeping an eye on what he has planned for the space over the next few months. Longtime stalwarts Lyle Link and Dave Manley round out the month at Takoma Station on Jan. 24 and 31, respectively.
Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “Jazz Night in D.C.,” now entering its 27th year, also starts the year off swinging with a couple of scene favorites. Bassist Herman Burney takes an all-too-rare step out from the bandstand to lead his own group, a quintet, on Jan. 9. Then Akua Allrich** brings her spiritually forceful sound to the church ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend on Jan. 16.
For a wider palette, there’s the new trio of turntablist Maria Chávez, bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Greg Saunier at Rhizome on Jan. 7. The duo of expert guitarists Dave Chappell and Anthony Pirog, both students of D.C.’s own six-string maestro Danny Gatton, visit Creative Cauldron on Jan. 9, as part of the series curated by Veronneau. There’s also a special album release by Cape Cod-based pianist (and former D.C. mainstay) Chris Grasso with new collaborators, vocalist Lauren Scales and saxophonist Mike Flanagan. The trio present Many Rivers at Mr. Henry’s on Jan. 24.
Finally, be sure to catch Brandon Woody and Upendo at the Millennium Stage on Jan. 31, as his rising star carries him outside the DMV (and while such music can still occur at the nation’s performing arts center).
For all your live jazz needs in 2026, please continue to consult the full D.C. jazz calendar.
BRASS-A-HOLICS
Friday, Jan. 9, 8 p.m.
Howard Theater (tickets)
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The Brass-A-Holics full name is technically “The Brass-A-Holics Go-go Brass Funk band”. The New Orleans brass band combines the rhythmic swing of traditional NOLA jazz with D.C.’s own go-go beat to create funky, spontaneous sets and improvisations that can dip as easily into Nirvana and Katy Perry as Public Enemy and The Meters.
They bring their D.C.-by-NOLA sound back to the District’s iconic Howard Theater with local go-go crew The Experience Band & Show opening.
CHES SMITH’S CLONE ROW
Sunday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m.
Tonal Park (tickets)
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Drummer and percussionist Ches Smith uses instruments and rhythm like clay, sculpting solid, twisting forms. He’s emerged over the last decade as a standard-bearer in creative music — having played extensively with the likes of John Zorn, Marc Ribot and Tim Berne — and now leads his own groups.
Here, he presents the D.C. debut of his new Clone Row quartet, a fearsome creative electronic and noise group featuring the twin guitar attack of Mary Halvorson and Liberty Ellman as well as bassist Nick Dunston.
Presented by Transparent Productions
CHRISTIE DASHIELL
Sunday, Jan. 18, 4 and 7 p.m.
The Mansion at Strathmore (tickets)
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Two-time Grammy nominee Christie Dashiell may be D.C.’s greatest vocal export since the great Shirley Horn. Dashiell comes from a family of DMV musicians – her brother, CV Dashiell, is one of the most prominent drummers on the scene today, and her father, Carroll Dashiell Jr., currently serves as chair of Howard University’s music department. That deep immersion in the tradition comes across in every tune. After making her mark as a member of Howard’s signature vocal group, Afro-Blue, Dashiell has been flitting in and out of the city as she raises her profile, singing with the likes of Terri Lynn Carrington, Marcus Strickland, and Marquis Hill. There is an enchanting effortlessness with which she sings and swings, warming the hearts and ears of all who gather.
She performs a pair of intimate concerts at Strathmore’s Mansion. Two separate sets at 4 and 7 p.m.
RAKIM AND THE DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA
Friday, Jan. 23, 8:30 p.m.
Bethesda Theater (tickets)
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Rapper Rakim helped define the sound of the golden age of hip-hop through his work with DJ partner Eric B. in the duo Eric B. & Rakim. As a wordsmith, Rakim helped push the then-fledgling art form forward, pioneering the use of multisyllabic rhymes and internal rhyme structures. One of the duo’s defining hits, “Paid In Full,” even ties back to D.C.: It is built off of a sample of Chuck Brown and The Soul Searcher’s “Ashley’s Roachclip.”
Here, Rakim pairs with the legacy namesake orchestra of D.C.’s most famous musical son, Duke Ellington. The Ellington Orchestra has been carrying on the traditions of orchestral jazz excellence established by its namesake since his passing in 1974. Headed now by Paul Ellington, Duke’s grandson, and often led by D.C.’s own Charlie Young III, the group plays through the Ellingtonia catalog with a kind of energy that makes the tunes still feel as vital as ever.
KRIS DAVIS TRIO
Thursday, Jan. 29 and Friday, Jan. 30, 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Blues Alley (tickets)
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Pianist Kris Davis is best known for her expansive and experimental stylistic range. With a background in classical piano, she found jazz as a teenager, studying the works of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock.
Her sound blends and defies genre, resulting in a discography that ranges across delicate classical-style ballads, haunting modal jazz improvisations, groove-oriented tracks and straight-ahead standards.
Here, she leads a trio with bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Johnathan Blake.
**Allrich is a CapitalBop board member. She had no role in the writing, editing or selection of shows mentioned in this column, including her own
