Weekend in Jazz | 1.15-1.17: Celebrate Dr. King's birthday with jazz from Nesmith, Brown & others -

Martin Luther King, Jr. Courtesy wikimedia commons

This Saturday would have been Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 82nd birthday. Courtesy wikimedia commons

by Giovanni Russonello

Welcome to this week’s installation of “Weekend in Jazz,” our list of every D.C. jazz show on our radar. This weekend marks the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, and before Monday’s holiday – when there’ll be myriad opportunities to honor King’s memory with service – make sure to celebrate it with America’s Black classical music, jazz. One of this weekend’s musical performers, Dr. Leonard Brown, will also hold a discussion of his new book on John Coltrane’s place in Black history. For more info on that and on Brown’s Friday and Saturday shows, click here.

Our favorite shows have a label. As always, you can read CapitalBop’s full listings directly at our monthly calendar, if you’d rather. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, JAN. 14

cb picks:

Lavenia Nesmith, Westminster Presbyterian, 6 p.m.
Annie Sellick, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m.
Leonard Brown, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Lavenia Nesmith, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | Singer Lavenia Nesmith, who has portrayed Mahalia Jackson in one-woman shows, turns her talents toward a different vocal legend: the recently passed Abbey Lincoln. With the type of all-star cast of local musicians that we’ve come to expect from Westminster Presbyterian’s weekly Jazz Night, Nesmith will bring her gospel-influenced style straight from the pulpit on the weekend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. Her ensemble includes Janelle Gill on piano, Lyle Link on sax, James King on bass and Lenny Robinson on drums. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 6:30 p.m. | Commanding vocalist Karen Gray is joined by guitarist Dave Mosick and bassist Jim McIntyre in her laid-back renditions of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Yamomanem Jazz Band, Sala Thai (U St.), 6:30 p.m. | The Yamomanem Jazz Band plays a faithful take on New Orleans jazz, conjuring the days of King Oliver and early Louis Armstrong with its lush brass section. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Jacqui Simmons & Friends, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Jacqui Simmons sings jazz standards with a heartfelt and elegant presentation. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 7 p.m. | The Jolley Brothers, Noble on keyboard and Nate on drums, play thrice a weekend at B. Smith’s, the upscale soul-food restaurant in Union Station’s massive East Hall. The Jolleys, who perform with a bassist, comprise one of D.C.’s most exciting and auspicious acts. With roots in gospel, soul and the modal bop of the 1960s, the brothers (who also compose prolifically) bring some of the most creative elements in the African-American music canon forward into the 21st century, all while stamping it with their own distinctive flavoring. But B. Smith’s is a restaurant first, and the music remains in the background – no matter how expertly played. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | B. Smith’s website

Tuck & Patti, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Tuck & Patti are a vocal-guitar duo, performing jazz standards with an easygoing manner. Patti’s voice recalls influences from Ella Fitzgerald to Betty Carter, though her singing is a bit less aggressive than those idols. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $27.50 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Annie Sellick, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Nashville vocalist Annie Sellick has smoky but stalwart pipes, with personality to boot. She often ventures outside the jazz-standard canon, but hardly ever sounds outside her comfort zone. She’s joined here by Dan Roberts on piano, Zack Pride on bass and Todd Harrison on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Leonard Brown & Joyful Noise, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Dr. Leonard Brown, a Northeastern University professor of music and African-American Studies, has a searing attack on both soprano and tenor saxophones, but also a meditative patience with the notes he engages. Bridging avant-garde impulses and classic hard-bop, he treats rhythm and tempo loosely, often stretching his phrases and emphasizing their most salient moments with a light growl or subtle repetition. He performs at Bohemian Caverns, his son Omrao Brown’s club, with Joyful Noise. The quartet includes pianist Bob Butta, bassist James King and drummer Nasar Abadey – all local heavyweights. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $15 cover in advance, $20 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Akua Allrich, Twins Jazz, 9 p.m. | India Arie, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Miriam Makeba – all of their influences bubble up in vocalist Akua Allrich’s Afrobeat-influenced neo-soul. The Howard University graduate, who composes many of her own tunes, will perform with a small band. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Brulee, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Brulee is a jazz and alt-pop fusion quartet featuring vocalist Aura Kanegis. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m. | Arguably the city’s best jazz trumpeter, Donvonte McCoy plays every Friday and Saturday at the hip 18th St. Lounge. He likes to mix in some funk as well during the lounge gig, and he’s liable to inflect a touch of Chuck Brown-esque groove into his combo’s treatment of classic bop tunes by the likes of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

DeAndre Howard’s Collector’s Edition, Utopia, 11 p.m. | Trumpeter DeAndre Howard’s weekly engagement at Utopia brings hordes to the restaurant and bar every Friday night. He and his small group, Collector’s Edition, play standards with a friendly, inviting touch, and they add to the positive vibes already flowing throughout the room — especially when Howard tosses aside the trumpet to sing a spontaneous blues. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Utopia profile

SATURDAY, JAN. 15

cb picks:

Annie Sellick, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m.
Leonard Brown, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia, 11 p.m.

Jam Session with Peter Edelman, Columbia Station, 4 p.m. | Pianist Peter Edelman, a constant presence on the D.C. jazz scene for years now, leads an afternoon jam session every Saturday and Sunday. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Full Ascent, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | This jazz band plays in a number of traditional styles, from hard-bop to Dixieland to calypso. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Mark Mosley Trio, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Baltimore guitarist Mark Mosley plays a slick hand as a smooth jazz guitarist, but he can also hunker down on serious bop. He performs laid-back straight-ahead here with his trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum.View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Jon Schneider Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | No information available. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Lena Seikaly & Potomac Jazz Project, 7 p.m., Extra Virgin Restaurant | Vocalist Lena Seikaly sings jazz standards with a confident and playful demeanor, displaying a haziness reminiscent of Esperanza Spalding as well as a deference to traditional greats. The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its rotating lineup often features some of D.C.’s best musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Extra Virgin’s website

Tuck & Patti, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Tuck & Patti are a vocal-guitar duo, performing jazz standards with an easygoing manner. Patti’s voice recalls influences from Ella Fitzgerald to Betty Carter, though her singing is a bit less aggressive than those idols. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $27.50 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Annie Sellick, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m.| Nashville vocalist Annie Sellick has smoky but stalwart pipes, with personality to boot. She often ventures outside the jazz-standard canon, but hardly ever sounds outside her comfort zone. She’s joined here by Dan Roberts on piano, Zack Pride on bass and Todd Harrison on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Mark Deffenbaugh, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | Pianist Mark Deffenbaugh plays smooth and funky jazz with a small group. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia, 11 p.m. | Young powerhouse tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed heads up one of the swinginest shows on U Street every Saturday night. His sound drips with the blues, and from the bell of this 20-year-old’s horn seem impossibly to rise the ghosts of Coleman Hawkins and Dexter Gordon. With the Washington City Paper’s 2010 Best New D.C. Jazz Musician award under his belt, Balbed can always be expected always to deliver the goods. He performs this weekend with a particularly standout cast of musicians: silky-fingered guitarist Samir Moulay, recently back from a European tour with Macy Gray; area stalwart bassist Herman Burney; and drummer Lee Pearson, who – well, he was Hank Jones’ last drummer. That oughtta tell you all you need to know about Lee Pearson. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Utopia profile

SUNDAY, JAN. 16

cb pick:

Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 12 p.m.
Kurtis Adams, Twins Jazz, 8 p.m.

Kevin Pace Trio, Chef Geoff’s, 11 a.m. | Kevin Pace has a strong command on the bass and an intuitive ear as a composer. He puts both on display at the restaurant Chef Geoff’s, where he performs every week during Sunday brunch. This is background music, but that’s because of the environment, not the performance — which is anything but second-rate. (To hear Pace stretch out a bit more, catch him at Utopia with the Bobby Muncy Quartet, every Wednesday except the third of the month.) No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Chef Geoff’s website

Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 12 p.m. | The Jolley Brothers, Noble on keyboard and Nate on drums, play thrice a weekend at B. Smith’s, the upscale soul-food restaurant in Union Station’s massive East Hall. The Jolleys, who perform with a bassist, comprise one of D.C.’s most exciting and auspicious acts. With roots in gospel, soul and the modal bop of the 1960s, the brothers (who also compose prolifically) bring some of the most creative elements in the African-American music canon forward into the 21st century, all while stamping it with their own distinctive flavoring. B. Smith’s is a restaurant first, and the music remains in the background – no matter how expertly played. But as far as jazz brunch goes, it’s hard to top the Jolleys’ music. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | B. Smith’s website

Jazz Jam, Dahlak, 6:30 p.m. | This jazz jam presents a friendly, relaxed environment where professionals and amateurs can play together. No cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Dahlak profile

Potomac Jazz Project, Laporta’s, 6:30 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a quartet that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes (and even some pop covers) with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. It’s led by bassist Stan Hamrick, and its rotating lineup often features some of D.C.’s best musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Laporta’s website

Kurtis Adams, Twins Jazz, 8 p.m. | Saxophonist Kurtis Adams, the director of jazz studies at West Virginia’s Shepherd University, plays savvy and modern jazz. It’s fitting that he’ll team up with experimental pianist and arranger Nathan Lincoln-DeCusatis for what should be a night of nonexistent boundaries and wondrous clashes. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar |Columbia Station profile

Cheryl Jones Trio, Utopia, 9 p.m. | Singer Cheryl Jones has a weekly engagement every Sunday at Utopia, where she sings with depth, force and clarity. Jones is equally likely to sing jazz standards, pop tunes or gospel classics. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Utopia profile

Rachel Panay, Black Fox Lounge, 9 p.m. | Vocalist Rachel Panay sings jazz with her quartet. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox Lounge website