5 D.C. jazz picks for May 2026
Simone Baron, Kweku Sumbry, Bilal and more highlight a strong month in jazz alongside a number of high-quality Miles Davis tributes.
What’s on the Calendar
Saturday, May 9
Black Cat – District of Columbia
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis
The Messthetics is an improvisational rock trio comprised of D.C.’s own six-string sorcerer, Anthony Pirog, and the rhythm section of the legendary Fugazi: bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty. D.C.’s punk and avant/improvisational worlds collide in the group’s compositions,…Mentioned in past coverage
At Eaton, live jazz flourished. Today, artists feel ‘second in thought’
Washington, D.C.’s jazz community has been hit hard over the past decade by a widespread loss of performance space. Landmark venues like Twins, HR-57, Bohemian Caverns and Alice’s Jazz and Cultural Society have been forced to shut their doors, unable to keep up with rising property costs, the impacts of the pandemic and other financial…
