3.28-3.30: Jon Batiste, Sunny Jain, Kris Funn, Mickey Bass and much more -

This Friday night, D.C. bass powerhouse Kris Funn brings his funky quartet, Corner Store, to the Hill Center. Before his performance, he will be interviewed by the Washington Post‘s pop critic, Chris Richards. At Bohemian Caverns this Friday and Saturday, another top-flight bassist, the hard-bop icon Mickey Bass, presents his Manhattan Burn Unit band.

And on Saturday night, the Hamilton and the Howard Theatre both have exciting shows: Sunny Jain at the former, and Jon Batiste’s Stay Human band at the latter (read our interview with Batiste here). You can also find our full listings at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar. All our favorite shows below have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, MARCH 28

cb picks:

Antonio Parker, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m.
Lyle Link, Loews Madison, 8 p.m.
Tim Whalen Septet, Twins Jazz, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Mickey Bass & Manhattan Burn Unit, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
U St. Jazz Jam, Climax Sports Bar & Lounge, 11 p.m.

Antonio Parker Quintet, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | The alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is doggedly swinging, soulful and colored by a bright, aggressive tone. He casually sprinkles neo-soul and R&B influences into his otherwise straight-ahead bop. His improvising can show a redolence of Kenny Garrett. Here he features the trombonist Reginald Cyntje, the pianist Darius Scott, the bassist Cheyney Thomas and the drummer Keith Kilgo. $5 cover, free for children under 16. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Charles Rahmat Woods Duo, Firelake Grill, 7 p.m. | The saxophonist Charles Woods plays in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig leading a low-key duo at Firelake Grill, he keeps things within the traditional, swinging realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Firelake Grill website

Karen Gray Trio, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | Commanding vocalist Karen Gray sings laid-back renditions of jazz standards in a drumless trio. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Triple Double, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 p.m. | Consisting of Joey Whitney on tenor sax, Ed Gallagher on guitar, Alan Pachter on bass and Tom Reed on drums, the Triple Double Jazz Band plays straightforward, straight-ahead versions of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Night & Day Trio, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | The Night & Day Trio plays traditional, swing-oriented jazz, featuring Renée Tannenbaum on vocals, Mike Suser on piano and vocals and Dennis Johnson on saxophone. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Kris Funn & Corner Store, Hill Center, 7 p.m. | The bassist Kris Funn tours widely with the famous Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, but here he performs with his own slashing group, Corner Store, one of D.C.’s best. The quartet’s calling card is skittering kinetics, lain over Funn’s earthy and blues-battered bass sound. The performance is at 7:30 p.m.; it’s preceded by a 30-minute interview between Funn and Washington Post pop critic Chris Richards. It is all part of the Hill Center’s District Sounds concert series, presented in collaboration with the Post. No cover, 1-drink minimum. Tickets $10 in advance, $15 at the door. View event on calendar | Hill Center website

Stanley Jordan, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Imagine if George Benson applied a syrup-drizzled layer of guitar effects and the heavy metal guitar technique of fretboard “tapping” to his sorta-jazz, sorta-funk, very-smooth style. Now you’re getting close to figuring out how Stanley Jordan, who plays all this weekend at Blues Alley, sounds. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $25 cover, $2.50 surcharge, $12 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile

Tim Whalen Septet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The agile and sturdy pianist Tim Whalen is also a talented arranger and composer. He appears here with a medium-sized group featuring some of D.C.’s best, who will play Whalen’s exuberant compositions in addition to playful arrangements of standards. The band includes Marty Nau on alto saxophone, Ted Baker on tenor sax, Joe Herrera on trumpet, Victor Barranco on trombone, Zack Pride on bass and Carroll Dashiell on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $16 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Lyle Link, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | With a presentation that’s always spry and sometimes sultry, saxophonist and flautist Lyle Link tells you the music is about more than hearing. Listening is intuition, and sometimes it defies gravity. A soulful and sophisticated player who’s been a mainstay of D.C.’s jazz scene for over 10 years, he appears here with Chris Grasso on piano and Tommy Cecil on bass. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Loews website

Mickey Bass & His Manhattan Burn Unit, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The bassist Mickey Bass is hard-bop royalty, and an important educator: He taught at D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts and the Hart School of Music in Connecticut. But he made his name in the 1960s, recording on albums by Hank Mobley, Art Blakey and the Messengers, and Lee Morgan. He brings with him a band of hard-boppers from New York. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $20 cover online, $25 at the door, no minimum. [words by Allen Jones] View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every Friday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

Antonio Parker Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is doggedly swinging, soulful and colored by a bright, aggressive tone. He casually sprinkles neo-soul and R&B influences into his otherwise straight-ahead bop, and his improvisation shows a redolence of Kenny Garrett. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Donvonte McCoy Quintet, 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. After all, the setting is that of a dance club, not a jazz joint – no tables and chairs or hushed applause after every solo. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

U St. Jazz Jam, Climax Sports Bar & Lounge, 11 p.m. | Climax—funny name for a sports bar, right? A sports bar—funny place for a jazz jam, no? Trust the U Street Jazz Jam, though: Until recently, this weekly session was housed at nearby Ulah Bistro (also an unlikely venue), and it has rarely failed to provide a convivial atmosphere or to attract cameos from the city’s top improvisers. A rotation of bands handles house duties every week. This time, Todd Simon takes the lead. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Ulah website

SATURDAY, MARCH 29

cb picks:

Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Bohemian Caverns, 8 p.m.
Mickey Bass & Manhattan Burn Unit, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Tim Whalen Septet, Twins Jazz, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Mickey Bass & Manhattan Burn Unit, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Donvonte McCoy, 18th St. Lounge, 10:30 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

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

Triple Double, Sala Thai (Bethesda), 7 p.m. | Consisting of Joey Whitney on tenor sax, Ed Gallagher on guitar, Alan Pachter on bass and Tom Reed on drums, the Triple Double Jazz Band plays straightforward, straight-ahead versions of jazz standards. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Tim Whalen Septet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The agile and sturdy pianist Tim Whalen is also a talented arranger and composer. He appears here with a medium-sized group featuring some of D.C.’s best, who will play Whalen’s exuberant compositions in addition to playful arrangements of standards. The band includes Marty Nau on alto saxophone, Ted Baker on tenor sax, Joe Herrera on trumpet, Victor Barranco on trombone, Zack Pride on bass and Carroll Dashiel on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $16 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Lori Williams, Loews Madison Hotel, 8 p.m. | The smooth-voiced singer Lori Williams is a regular member of the local jazz group Saltman-Knowles. Here she steps out, singing standards at the fore of her own combo. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Loews website

Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Howard Theatre, 8 p.m. | The 27-year-old pianist Jonathan Batiste calls his four-piece band Stay Human. The idea that improvisation works as a metaphor and a humane ideal has guided Wynton Marsalis’ evangelical efforts, and it gets an update from this young fellow New Orleanian. But Batiste has more of an impulse toward crossover; he’s as likely to play the melodica as he is to sit at the piano, as wont to call up the Crescent City’s funk and hip-hop legacy as its jazz history. The Juilliard grad appears at the Howard Theatre in a production of the Washington Performing Arts Society. Tickets $30, $10 minimum for those at tables. View event on calendar | Howard Theatre website

Mickey Bass & Manhattan Burn Unit, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The bassist Mickey Bass is hard-bop royalty, and an important educator: He taught at D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts and the Hart School of Music in Connecticut. But he made his name in the 1960s, recording on albums by Hank Mobley, Art Blakey and the Messengers, and Lee Morgan. He brings with him a band of hard-boppers from New York. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. $20 cover online, $25 at the door, no minimum. [words by Allen Jones] View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Sunny Jain & Red Baraat, The Hamilton, 8:30 p.m. | Dohl and drum-kit player Sunny Jain leads his Indian brass band, Red Baraat. The group’s show is an exercise in kinetic energy, and blends North Indian bhangra rhythms with funk, soca and improvisatory conducting. Tickets $20 in advance, $23 at the door. View event on calendar | The Hamilton website

Alex Fleites Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The guitarist Alexis Fleites leads a Latin jazz quartet. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

SUNDAY, MARCH 31

Gospel Brunch, The Hamilton, 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Every Sunday morning, the Hamilton presents two sets of rafters-raising gospel, along with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Two separate shows at 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. $25 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | The Hamilton website

George Oakley Group, Redwood Restaurant, 11 a.m. | George Oakley invests all the reeds he plays – saxophone, clarinet and flute – with a whispering coolness. In this weekly brunch gig, he performs with a laid-back trio featuring Scott Giambusso on bass and Nick Lipkowski on guitar. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Redwood website

Harlem Gospel Choir, Howard Theatre, 12 p.m. | The talented Harlem Gospel Choir, which has been active since 1986, performs a Sunday brunch show every week at the Howard Theatre. Either an all-you-can-eat buffet or an a la carte menu are available. Doors open at noon, and the music starts at 1:30 p.m. Tickets vary ($35 for all-you-can-eat or $20 for admission and a la carte options in advance, $45 or $30 at the door). View event on calendar | Howard website

Todd Simon, Kellari Taverna, 12 p.m. | The sturdy and swinging pianist Todd Simon performs every Sunday in a duo setting; his accompanists vary from bass to guitar to saxophone, depending on the week. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Kellari Taverna website

Nguyen Nguyen, Ulah Bistro, 12 p.m. | Nguyen Nguyen plays jazz piano and sings in a scruffy, boyish tone. At Ulah Bistro’s weekly brunch, he mixes jaunty covers of jazz standards with his own compositions, and his combo stays at a background level. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Ulah Bistro

DC Jazz Singers Jam, Black Fox Lounge, 5 p.m. | The DC Jazz Singers Jam is a new endeavor, organized by the local show presenter and jam session enthusiast Jeff Stacey and hosted by the pianist Mark Meadows. In the Black Fox Lounge’s basement performance area, it offers singers an early-evening opportunity to commune and compete. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox 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

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

Victor Dvoskin Duo, Tabard Inn, 7 p.m. | The bassist Victor Dvoskin leads a straight-ahead jazz duo every Sunday evening at the Tabard Inn restaurant. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Tabard Inn website

Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Jazz Direct, Zoo Bar Café, 7:30 p.m.| This combo specializes in traditional New Orleans-style jazz. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Zoo Bar website

Sotê with Rachel Sberro, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The guitarist Sotê teams up with Rachel Sberro on vocals to present a mix of jazz and bossa nova. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $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 Peter Edelman every Sunday night leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” no cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile

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