Photos | A communal journey at the jazz loft

Last night’s D.C. Jazz Loft was a huge success, thanks to four incredible acts and an inspiring audience. Brian Settles unveiled a new trio, one that he’s been planning for a while, featuring D.C.’s indomitable bass improviser, Tarus Mateen. The effects were breathtaking. This was a major musical event by a group that we’ll hopefully be hearing from much more in the future.
Saxophonist Brad Linde‘s quartet, too, had the audience wowed during a set filled with contrapuntal solos and tight, effective free-cool group improvisation. Leading the D.C. Love Orchestra, saxophonist Charles Rahmat Woods played pointed, spirited music from the avant-garde, and took on institutions of power with radical sounds and a poetry reading. The U Street All-Stars closed out the night, swingin’ vigorously over hard-bop classics and improvising in a soulful, futuristic tongue. Here are a few shots from the show. A recap with video and mp3s is coming soon.
Brian Settles Trio
THE U STREET ALL-STARS
Brad Linde Quartet
Photos by Giovanni Russonello / CapitalBop
Brian Settles, Charles Woods, DC, jazz, jazz loft, Tarus Mateen, U Street, Washington