by Giovanni Russonello

Welcome to this week’s installation of “Weekend in Jazz,” our list of every D.C. jazz show on our radar. April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and theoretically the way to celebrate that might be to get out of the house and hear a show. Ahem. This weekend marks the re-initiation of Bohemian Caverns’ late-night jam session, The Hang. It’s hosted by D.C. jazz power duo the Jolley Brothers, who by the way are playing at a total of three venues in three days this weekend. All the spots they’re playing – Westminster Presbyterian, Bohemian and B. Smith’s – have good vibes, so we have recommended all three gigs. Those and all of our favorite shows have a  label. As always, you can read CapitalBop’s full listings directly at our D.C. jazz calendar, if you’d rather. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, APR. 1

cb picks:

• Jolley Brothers, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6:30 p.m.
• Thad Wilson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Paul Carr Quartet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Jolley Brothers, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6:30 p.m. | The Jolley Brothers, Noble on keyboard and Nate on drums, used their debut album to pay tribute to their father, a guitarist and preacher who inspired in them the values and love of music that guide them possess today. This evening of music is also billed as a “Tribute for Noble Jolley, Sr. With roots in gospel, soul and the modal bop of the 1960s, the brothers’ compositions and improvisations bring the African-American music canon forward into the 21st century, and inject it with a sleek, street-smart flavoring. Their quintet here features some of D.C.’s top 20-something jazz talent: the gently commanding vocalist Christie Dashiell, saxophonist Herb Scott and bassist Eric Wheeler. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website

Potomac Jazz Project, Sala Thai (U St.), 6:30 p.m. | The Potomac Jazz Project is a jazz combo, led by bassist Stan Hamrick, that takes on modern and classic jazz tunes with a showmanly flair, as well as skill. The cast of supporting musicians tends to rotate, but it’s usually a very solid lineup. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Hope Udobi Trio, B. Smith’s, 7 p.m. | The Jolley Brothers usually play three nights a weekend at B. Smith’s, but they’re doing a special gig at Westminster Presbyterian Church tonight. In their stead, pianist Hope Udobi, bassist Romeir Mendez and drummer Terence Arnett will play. The music at B. Smith’s during dinner is meant as background, but for a serious jazz listener that’s too bad – because these three young musicians are some of the area’s finest and most creative. As a soloist and in his treatment of harmony, Udobi has a challenging sense of wit and intrigue, while Arnett is a fearlessly modern drummer who can swing with the best of past generations. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | B. Smith’s website

Elijah & the Po’ Boys, Bayou, 7 p.m. | Tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed leads the Po’ Boys trio — usually with drums and guitar — four nights a week during dinnertime hours at the New Orleans-themed Bayou. A strong, Dexter Gordon-like player, he performs mostly tunes from hard bop’s heyday and other standards. To hear Balbed stretch out with a full quintet, stay late on a Thursday night, when he plays Bayou’s featured set. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bayou profile

Tim Reynolds, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Tim Reynolds, a member of the Dave Matthews Band and frequent collaborator with Matthews in a duo setting, is a master of the crunchy-bohemian strain of post-folk acoustic guitar playing. His music is somewhere on a strain that has passed through the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers, but is now somewhere completely different. Much of it is improvised, but it’s quite clearly after something other than jazz. $25 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar| Blues Alley profile

Sharón Clark Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Sharón Clark sings with fervor and soul, plus impressive precision. She’s one of D.C.’s top jazz singers, and here she’s joined by Chris Grasso on piano, Michael Bowie on bass and Lenny Robinson on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Andréa Wood & Michael Kramer, Tasting Room, 8 p.m. | Singer Andréa Wood has started catching people’s ears since returning to D.C., her hometown, in 2009. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts graduate moves fearlessly up and down octaves, all the while maintaining a distinct sense of purpose. She can explore the upper register in a beguiling waft, or plunge into the basement with buoyant, swelling articulation. Wood and guitarist Michael Kramer play Brazilian and classic jazz standards every week as background fare at the Tasting Room, a wine bar in Friendship Heights. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Tasting Room website

AU Jazz Ensemble & Workshop, 8 p.m., Katzen Arts Center | The American University Jazz Ensemble will play big band arrangements of classic jazz tunes by Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Ernie Wilkins, Tommy Newsom and Thad Jones, then the smaller AU Jazz Workshop will take over for a set of music by John Coltrane and Duke Ellington. $10 cover, $5 for AU community and seniors, no minimum. View event on calendar | Katzen Center website

Thad Wilson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Trumpeter Thad Wilson plays with articulation and lyrical clarity, and he privileges melody in a way that makes it easy to fall in love with his sound. A prominent member of the D.C. jazz community in the years of its mid-2000s revival, Wilson once led a resident big band at Bohemian Caverns and now teaches at George Washington University. His typical haunt was HR-57, but it has closed its 14th Street NW location and hasn’t yet reopened on H Street NE. He performs with a combo in this rare reappearance at Bohemian Caverns. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $15 cover in advance, $20 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Paul Carr Quartet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. |Paul Carr — a local tenor saxophone giant and educator, and the organizer of the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival — leads a scary-good quartet here, including pianist and UDC Jazz Studies Program Director Allyn Johnson, young bass talent Eric Wheeler and the crackling drummer Quincy Phillips. Carr’s sound is meaty and insistent, and blends soul insistence with the impulsiveness of classic jazz. He’s got a full repertoire of original pieces in this vein, and will surely dip into the standards book a time or two here. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Peter Edelman Trio, Columbia Station, 9 p.m. | The stalwart D.C. piano player Peter Edelman every week leads a rotating cast of musicians that often outgrows the title “trio.” No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar |Columbia Station profile

Aaron Myers, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 | Vocalist Aaron Myers leads this straight-ahead jazz quartet, featuring piano, bass and drums, at the new Black Fox Lounge. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox Lounge 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. He’s joined every Friday by the talented, Billie Holiday-indebted singer Integriti Reeves. Cover varies ($5-10), no minimum. View event on calendar | 18th St. Lounge profile

DeAndrey 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, APR. 2

cb picks:

• Toots Thielemans & Kenny Werner, Kennedy Center, 7:30 p.m.
• Paul Carr Quartet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
• Thad Wilson, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10: 30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
• Elijah Jamal Experience, Utopia, 11 p.m.

Saudade, Source, 3 p.m. | Saudade is a Latin jazz trio featuring Argentinian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Cecilia Esquivel, guitarist Dani Cortaza and bassist Ephriam Wolfolksamba, a D.C. native. The group blends tango, bolero and bossa-nova influences. $29 cover, $26 for seniors and $15 for students and young listeners, no minimum. View event on calendar

Discussion of Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology, 3:30 p.m., Politics & Prose | 1973’s Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz was a bold experiment in anthologizing a music with so many hard-fought battles over turf and terrain – often by musicians, but perhaps even more so by the critics who sometimes feel as if they have more of a stake in how the art is talked about, rather than how it’s heard. The Collection ultimately earned recognition as a landmark work, and in its own way deeply affected how jazz history is taught. Thirty-eight years later, the Smithsonian is out with an entirely new compendium, titled Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology. Some have griped that this series – which comes with a 200-page book on the music – tries to do too much too thinly, skimming through jazz’s vast history without settling down and making bold cases for individual musicians or subgenres by giving them prolonged attention. No matter how you feel about it, this collection is sure to be of historic importance to the music. Hear from some of the writers and anthologists involved in the project at this bookstore discussion, held at Politics and Prose. On hand will be Larry Appelbaum of the Library of Congress and WPFW; Rob Bamberger from WAMU; Willard Jenkins from WPFW; John Hasse from the Smithsonian’s American History Museum; and Daniel Sheehy and Richard Burgess from Smithsonian Folkways. Free. View event on calendar | Politics & Prose website

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

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

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

Elijah & the Po’ Boys, Bayou, 7 p.m. | Tenor saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed leads the Po’ Boys trio — usually with drums and guitar — four nights a week during dinnertime hours at the New Orleans-themed Bayou. A strong, Dexter Gordon-like player, he performs mostly tunes from hard bop’s heyday and other standards. To hear Balbed stretch out with a full quintet, stay late on a Thursday night, when he plays Bayou’s featured set. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bayou profile

Toots Thielemans & Kenny Werner, Kennedy Center, 7:30 p.m. | Toots Thielemans is a Belgian harmonica player, but this unlikely profile didn’t stop him from earning the United States’ highest jazz honor: In 2009, he became an NEA Jazz Master. He’s joined in this concert by the fabulous pianist Kenny Werner, who has been a leading innovator in modern jazz since the 1980s and has lately stepped deeply (and successfully) into the world of orchestral composing. $45 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Kennedy Center website

Lena Seikaly & Potomac Jazz Project, 7:30 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

Gene Bertoncini, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Guitarist Gene Bertoncini has had a long career in jazz, including stints in the studio with Wayne Shorter, Ahmad Jamal and others. Nowadays, he favors a sort of classical-bossa-jazz crossover on the unaccompanied acoustic classical guitar. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $25 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar| Blues Alley profile

Julie Hall Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m.| Vocalist Julie Hall projects a swirling, blooming tone and flavors her renditions of jazz standards with a pregnant tremolo. The passionate singer is joined here by Andrew Adair on piano, Eric Harper on bass and J.C. Jefferson on drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website

Thad Wison, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Trumpeter Thad Wilson plays with articulation and lyrical clarity, and he privileges melody in a way that makes it easy to fall in love with his sound. A prominent member of the D.C. jazz community in the years of its mid-2000s revival, Wilson once led a resident big band at Bohemian Caverns and now teaches at George Washington University. His typical haunt was HR-57, but it has closed its 14th Street NW location and hasn’t yet reopened on H Street NE. He performs with a combo in this rare reappearance at Bohemian Caverns. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $15 cover in advance, $20 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Paul Carr Quartet, Twins Jazz, 9 p.m. | Paul Carr — a local tenor saxophone giant and educator, and the organizer of the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival — leads a scary-good quartet here, including pianist and UDC Jazz Studies Program Director Allyn Johnson, young bass talent Eric Wheeler and the crackling drummer Quincy Phillips. Carr’s sound is meaty and insistent, and blends soul insistence with the impulsiveness of classic jazz. He’s got a full repertoire of original pieces in this vein, and will surely dip into the standards book a time or two here. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Kaos Theory, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m. | Kaos Theory is a smooth funk band. No cover, 1-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

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 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. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar |Utopia profile

The Hang (with the Jolley Brothers), Bohemian Caverns | This week marks the relaunch of Bohemian Caverns’ late-night jam, The Hang. It’s a welcome addition to D.C.’s nightlife, if for no other reason than that it seems almost criminal for there not to be something of this nature on U Street on a Saturday night. (Thanks to Rodney Richardson and Joe Herrera’s recent efforts with the Sunday Jazz Lounge, there has recently been a top-notch, open-ended hangout for musicians and serious listeners in the corridor on Sundays.) D.C.’s musical power duo, the Jolley Brothers – keyboardist Noble and drummer Nate – help to kick things off as the host band this week. $7 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

SUNDAY, APR. 3

cb picks:

• Jolley Brothers, B. Smith’s, 12 p.m.
• Sunday Jazz Lounge (feat. Tedd Baker), Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.

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

Nnenna Freelon, Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, 3:00 p.m. | Kicking off Howard University’s Fourth Annual Jazz Week, soulful vocalist Nnenna Freelon performs with a small group. It’s just the first in a series of shows going on at Howard this week in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. $15 cover, $10 for seniors and students, $5 for children under 12, no minimum. View event on calendar | Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel website

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

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 | View 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

Saudade, Source, 7 p.m. | Saudade is a Latin jazz trio featuring Argentinian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Cecilia Esquivel, guitarist Dani Cortaza and bassist Ephriam Wolfolksamba, a D.C. native. The group blends tango, bolero and bossa-nova influences. $29 cover, $26 for seniors and $15 for students and young listeners, no minimum. View event on calendar

Rachel Panay, Black Fox Lounge, 7 p.m. Vocalist Rachel Panay sings jazz with her quartet. No cover, 1-drink minimum View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Sherrie Maricle & the Diva Jazz Orchestra, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Sherrie Maricle and the Diva Jazz Orchestra is a strong, hard-swingin’ band consisting of 15 women. Maricle is a drummer, composer and arranger, and her music is rooted in swing but adds a contemporary jitter, plus the influence of major bop-era big band leaders like Gil Evans and Bob Brookmeyer. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $25 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar| Blues Alley profile

Sunday Jazz Lounge (feat. Tedd Baker), Bohemian Caverns, 8 & 10 p.m. | Guitarist Rodney Richardson and trumpeter Joe Herrera are looking to broaden jazz’s reach in D.C. while challenging the city’s musicians creatively. Increase popularity and raise the quality bar at the same time? you ask skeptically. Sure, the two don’t always go together – but Richardson and Herrera’s Sunday Jazz Lounge effort has its head in the right place, and it’s worth getting behind. Plus, from the crackling, friendly vibe and strong turnout that their first four lounges (all held at Twins Jazz) enjoyed, it seems they’re succeeding. Each week, the show starts with a special unaccompanied performance by a different local jazz talent. This week, saxophonist Tedd Baker takes on the challenge of this out-of-the-ordinary format. He’s a formidable player, with an adventuresome improvising style and the lead tenor spot in the Air Force’s Airmen of Note big band. After Baker’s set, Richardson and Herrera will lead their quartet – featuring bassist Eric Harper and drummer Dave McDonald – through some of the less-traversed compositions in the bop songbook. Not to mention, the Sunday Jazz Lounges are all priced at just $5, unusually low for Bohemian. $5 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

Yaala Ballin & Eyal Vilner, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Vocalist Yaala Ballin and alto saxophonist Eyal Vilner, two Israeli transplants living in New York City, will team up with a group of top D.C. musicians in a tribute to the music of Billie Holiday. The band includes Brad Linde on tenor saxophone, Alex Shubert on piano, Tom Baldwin on bass and Tony Martucci on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins 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

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