Photos | The fire next time: D.C. Jazz Loft gives a taste of what’s to come at the DC Jazz Festival
by Giovanni Russonello
As Jason Adasiewicz put down his mallets and Rob Mazurek drew the trumpet from his lips for the last time on Sunday night, a very palpable daze had overtaken the room. Glances flitted around, saying stuff like, “What was that?” or “Don’t let them stop yet!” The trio Starlicker — rounded out by drummer John Herndon — waned angular and drony throughout its set, riding on rock beats that cruised and crushed. The Chicago prog-fusion group was also a rarity for CapitalBop’s D.C. Jazz Lofts: an out-of-town act.
Sunday marked the fourth loft overall and the last one before our much-anticipated D.C. Jazz Loft Series at the DC Jazz Festival, sponsored by Hipnotic Records. That series, like this most recent loft, will showcase an array of boundary-pushing national bands alongside thrilling, beloved local acts. Free jazz outfit OOO and the bebop-oriented Elijah Jamal Balbed Quartet, each of whom will open for a New York act at the festival series, played ferocious sets on Sunday.
OOO (which includes bassist Luke Stewart, who’s also a CapalBop editor) started off in its usual acoustic-trio format, then expanded into an electric, two-drummer sextet that unleashed a crunchy, wavy stream of sound. The group’s spontaneously-fashioned formula didn’t lack for catchy patterns and hard grooves. Balbed’s group swung hard through two of his originals, “Imanus” and “Brief Encounter,” plus a roiling cover of Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes,” among others. Then came Starlicker’s thrilling set, followed by the nightcap: Trombonist Reginald Cyntje unfurled his warm, flexible tone as he led a trio – a modified iteration of the U St. All-Stars – through jazz standards. Below is a collection of pictures from Sunday night.
First four photos above by Carlyle V. Smith/CapitalBop. Last three by Giovanni Russonello/CapitalBop.
DC, DC jazz, Elijah Jamal Balbed, jazz, jazz loft, OOO, Red Door, Rob Mazurek, Starlicker, Washington
