5 D.C. jazz picks for March 2026
Happy Women’s History Month.
The storied and vital Washington Women in Jazz Festival (WWJF) celebrates its sweet 16 this month. The festival has evolved over the years, and this year offers events scattered throughout the month (some highlighted below) that you should make your way to. This past weekend, the WWJF’s annual takeover of the DC Jazz Jam kicked off the programming, which then continue with a showcase at Westminster Presbyterian Church on March 6.
For those itching to get out sooner than that, beloved D.C. vocalist Christie Dashiell is performing a free concert on March 4 at Songbyrd as part of Washington Performing Arts’ Mars Arts series. Free registrations are currently sold-out, but prospective attendees can still join the waitlist. For those looking for alternative plans that evening, a double-saxophone bill of Phillip Greenlief and Keefe Jackson play Rhizome on March 4. Greenlief opens with a solo set, and Jackson will be joined by CapitalBop’s own Luke Stewart on bass and Mikel Patrick Avery on drums.
There are also a couple of major album releases to look forward to. One of D.C.’s favorite sons, Corcoran Holt, returns to Blues Alley on March 5 and 6 to celebrate the release of his new album, Freedom of Art. (An interview between CapitalBop’s Josh Myers and Holt is forthcoming). Later in the month, on March 23, Janel Leppin will celebrate the release of the first of of two albums she plans to put out over the next two months: her newest solo cello record, Slowly Melting, out on Cuneiform. Leppin will pull double duty, opening the show with her duo Janel and Anthony followed by a solo set.
Finally, listeners who can’t wait for summer to wind it up to some go-go can party with the Chuck Brown Band at Prince George’s Publick Playhouse on March 28.
For all other jazz needs during Women’s History Month, please consult the full D.C. jazz calendar.
ROBERT GLASPER & LALAH HATHAWAY
Thursday, March 5, 8 p.m.
Warner Theater (tickets)
[view on calendar]
Robert Glasper is, by now, one of the rare contemporary musicians whose name is ubiquitous in the jazz world. The pianist and bandleader grew up worshiping at the feet of keyboard masters like Ahmad Jamal and Herbie Hancock, then cutting his teeth alongside icons of the neo-soul/hip-hop era of the early 2000s like Common and The Roots. He’s equally comfortable laying down punchy, post-bop jazz standards as he is crafting sensuous, spiritual grooves with his plugged-in band The Experiment.
Neo-soul icon Lalah Hathaway, daughter of the great Donny Hathaway, commands performances with a full, earthy voice. Through her work with Glasper, the Soulquarians and more, she’s been at the forefront of the fusion movement that now defines some of the most popular jazz today.
FLUTE FEST D.C.: ALEX HAMBURGER QUARTET & SAMANTHA KOCHIS QUARTET
Wednesday March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Rhizome DC (tickets)
[view on calendar]
Alex Hamburger** grew up in D.C., rising through the city’s ranks in the mid-2010s. After some time away, the flutist, vocalist and composer returned to the District in 2021. Her original music is always full of emotional weight, yet remains immediate and approachable. Her 2021 debut quartet album And She Spoke pays homage to forebears that pioneered space for other women in the arts while her 2023 album What If? channels her contemporary bop style through airy Flora Purim-esque melodic sensibility and a palette of modern electronic jazz. Here, she leads a quartet with pianist José Luiz Martins, bassist Tyrone Allen II and drummer Eliza Salem.
Brooklyn-based flutist Samantha Kochis draws from the traditions of avant-garde jazz, free improvisation and American folk. Her compositions, often inspired by interactions with the natural world, feature dreamy, introspective soundscapes that blend acoustic flute solos with field recordings. Kochis will be joined by vocalist Judette Elliston, pianist Matei Predescu, bassist Finn Carroll and drummer Josh Mathews.
Presented by Transparent Productions in collaboration with the 2026 Washington Women in Jazz Festival.
**Note: Hamburger is CapitalBop’s Managing Director. She had no role in the selection, writing or editing of this entry.
JAZZMEIA HORN
Friday, March 13, 8pm
Montpelier Arts Center (tickets)
[view on calendar]
Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn burst on the scene in 2015 after winning the Thelonious Monk jazz competition. In the decade since, she has become a forceful presence, with three Grammy nominations, four albums as a bandleader and multiple world tours. Her powerful, earthy tone draws heavily on the blues, echoing predecessors like Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter.
Here, Horn makes a rare visit to the Montpelier Arts Center, a breezy performance venue located on the grounds of the historic Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, Md.
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO
Friday March 27, 8 p.m.
The Music Center at Strathmore (tickets)
[view on calendar]
Singer-songwriter and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello makes music at the intersection of soul, rock, funk and spoken word. A D.C. native who grew up playing bass in go-go bands like Rare Essence and Prophecy, she emerged as a pioneering figure in contemporary R&B with the release her first two albums: 1993’s Plantation Lullabies and 1996’s Peace Beyond Passion. Her gritty, groove-oriented sound helped pioneer the jazz, funk and hip-hop-infused neo-soul movement of the ’90s and early 2000s.
Ndegeocello’s most recent album, 2024’s No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, is a summation of the work she’s done over a 30-plus-year career — blending deep atmosphere, quietly brilliant instrumentals, and Ndegeocello’s magnetic tenor voice.
THE WASHINGTON WOMEN IN JAZZ FESTIVAL
Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29
Pen Arts Mansion (tickets)
[view on calendar: Day 1, Day 2]
The annual celebration, founded by Amy K. Bormet, reaches a finale during the last weekend in March, presenting a marathon of concerts and workshops at at Dupont Circle’s Pen Arts Building.
Highlights from a lineup celebrating women and non-binary jazz musicians, activists and impresarios in the D.C. jazz scene include:
Saturday, 3 p.m. – Emerging Artist Showcase
Following two workshops on Saturday morning, the weekend’s performances will kick off with the annual Emerging Artist Showcase, featuring college students or recent graduates from around the country performing in various arrangements.
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. – Bertha Hope & Alison Crockett Duo
Alison Crockett blends neo-soul, uptown jazz and city blues into something that’s logically political and personally defiant. She has the laggard rhythm of Erykah Badu, the dance instinct of Chaka Kahn, and the maverick relationship to the jazz canon of Lizz Wright. Octogenarian Bertha Hope is a towering figure in the West Coast jazz scene, first appearing as a sidewoman on the 1961 Elmo Hope album Hope-Full. Here, Crockett and Hope join together for a duo performance.
Sunday, 6 p.m. – JoVia Armstrong and Amy K. Bormet
JoVia Armstrong is a percussionist and sound artist from Detroit whose work fuses classical, experimental and various Black music traditions, ranging from jazz, funk and soul to dreamy electronic soundscapes. Amy K. Bormet carries her upbringing in D.C. through her many musical iterations, whether displaying tradition-rooted chops or exploring sparser contemporary pianistics. Here, Bormet joins Armstrong in a duo to close out the festival.
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