Marc Cary will perform on Saturday with his global-futurist ensemble, Cosmic Indigenous, at CapitalBop's Jazz Loft MegaFest. Jati Lindsay/CapitalBop
by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board
The DC Jazz Festival closes out this weekend – but it isn’t going quietly. Below you’ll find an exhaustive guide to the weekend’s shows, including CapitalBop’s Jazz Loft MegaFest, our music/food/art/film/pop-up shop extravaganza on Saturday. Other notable shows include the Brass-A-Holics’ tribute to Chuck Brown at the Hamilton on Friday night, and the Marcus Strickland Quartet’s two nights at Bohemian Caverns. Find details on those performances and many more in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz,” a listing of every D.C. jazz show on our radar. Our favorites have a 
label, and as always, you can read CapitalBop’s full listings directly at our D.C. jazz calendar, if you’d rather. Happy hunting!
FRIDAY, JUNE 8
cb picks:
- Brass-A-Holics, The Hamilton, 7 p.m.
- Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
- Marcus Strickland Quartet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
- Kenny Rittenhouse Quartet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
- Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
Mark Prince, Jazz in the Garden (DCJF), 5 p.m. | Mark Prince is one of the District’s more inventive drummers, playing with Michael Bowie and Marshall Keys, among others. Here he leads a combo. Free. View event on calendar | Jazz in the Garden website
Greg Lamont (DCJF), Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m.| Greg Lamont is a jazz pianist with an affinity for the Great American Songbook. Here he performs a tribute to Gene Harris, the great soul jazz piano man. His band includes Donnie West on bass, Ben Secundy on drums and LeRon Young on guitar and vocals. $5 cover for adults, no cover for attendees under 16, no minimum. View event on calendar | Westminster Presbyterian Church website
Loide (DCJF), American Art Museum, 6 p.m. | Loide, an American-raised singer with origins in Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, intones with full-throated, expressive clarity over Afro-Lusophone rhythms. In her music, jazz reconnoiters with so many of its West African roots and like-minded Diasporic flavors. Free. View event on calendar | American Art Museum website
Karen Gray Trio (DCJF), 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
Yamomanem Jazz Band (DCJF), Sala Thai (U St.), 7 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 (DCJF), 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
Brass-A-Holics (DCJF), The Hamilton, 7 p.m. | For a city still grieving over the loss of its iconic Godfather of Go-Go, it is appropriate and expected that tributes to Chuck Brown will continue for a long time. At the DC Jazz Festival, New Orleans-based Brass-A-Holics will pay its tribute to the Godfather, whose music has played an important role in the development of contemporary New Orleans music. Chuck’s funky D.C. go-go found great reception in the chocolate sister-city of New Orleans. Brass-a-Holics merged the go-go beat with the classic New Orleans brass band sound to create a booty-shaking blend highlighting the best of two of the funkiest cities on Earth. Cover varies ($27.50-$38), no minimum. [words by Luke Stewart] View event on calendar | The Hamilton website
Lena Seikaly Quartet (DCJF), Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Vocalist Lena Seikaly sings jazz standards with a confident and playful demeanor, displaying a haziness reminiscent of Esperanza Spalding, but also nodding to traditional greats. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website
Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Saxophonist Kenny Garrett played for five years in Miles Davis’ band. Yes, that’s about all you need to hear to know this guy’s worth checking out. But what about his solo career, now more than 20 years in the making? It’s won him a Grammy; put him in charge of bands that included greats such as Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson; and established his reputation as one of the best soprano and alto saxophonists around. His soulful sound can be tender or searing, and it’s always captivating. He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $35 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
Blackman/Murray/Russo (DCJF), The B Spot, 8 p.m. | No description available. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. View event on calendar | B Spot website
Marcus Strickland (DCJF), Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Marcus Strickland is one of the top young saxophonists on the New York City scene today. His approach to the bop tradition is strikingly singular; he drapes layers of harmony and then pulls them back, like covers on a bed. The distinctly modern music that he makes with his quartet is at once saxophone-focus
Peter Edelman Trio (DCJF), 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
Alfredo Mojica (DCJF), Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | No description available. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile
Kenny Rittenhouse Quartet (DCJF), Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Kenny Rittenhouse was a mainstay on the D.C. jazz scene throughout much of the 1990s, playing at venues such as the One Step Down and Twins Lounge. The highly respected trumpeter has a tone that can be mellow or punchy, and he’s leant it to the U.S. Army Band and the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra. Rittenhouse now teaches at George Mason University and doesn’t play out as much as he used to, but this weekend he appears with a top-notch quintet of local musicians. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile
Jeron White (DCJF), Black Fox Lounge, 9 p.m. | Bassist Jeron White leads a straight-ahead jazz combo. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile
Maureen Mullaney (DCJF), Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Maureen Mullaney sings jazz and blues songs with a light ensemble. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile
Leonard Brown/Jamal Brown, Kramerbooks, 10 p.m. | Dr. Leonard Brown, a Northeastern University professor of music and African-America
Donvonte McCoy (DCJF), 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
TBA (DCJF), Cashion’s Eat Place, midnight | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Cashion’s website
SATURDAY, JUNE 9
cb picks:
- CapitalBop’s Jazz Loft MegaFest, Taste of DC Loft, 3 p.m.-2 a.m.
- Warren Wolf, East River Wash. Senior Wellness Center, 4 p.m.
- Afro-Bop Alliance, Gallery O on H, 5:30 p.m.
- Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
- Monty Alexander & Etienne Charles, The Hamilton, 8 p.m.
- Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m.
- Marcus Strickland Quartet, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
- Kenny Rittenhouse Quintet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m.
- Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.
CapitalBop’s Jazz Loft MegaFest (DCJF), Taste of DC Loft (629 N.Y. Ave. NW), 3 p.m. | CapitalBop’s D.C. Jazz Loft Series at the DC Jazz Festival culminates in the Jazz Loft MegaFest, where the loft space at 629 New York Ave. NW will be turned into a pop-up shop, “floating” art gallery, improvised music venue, movie theater, eatery and more! Four bands will perform, including Marc Cary’s Cosmic Indigenous, a danceable, futurist five-piece featuring vocalist Awa Sangho. Food and drink will be made available from the Taste of DC. All ages are welcome. Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the door (while they last), $10 for midnight set only. View event on calendar | D.C. Jazz Loft website
Jam Session with Peter Edelman (DCJF), 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
Warren Wolf (DCJF-East River Jazz Fest), East River Washington Senior Wellness Center, 4 p.m. | Baltimore-based vibraphonist Warren Wolf is one of the best musicians of his generation. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. View event on calendar | DCJF website
Afro-Bop Alliance (DCJF), Gallery O on H, 5:30 p.m. | This all-evening, four-band musical celebration, held in the courtyard at Gallery O on H St. NE, culminates in a set by the Afro-Bop Alliance, an excellent local Latin jazz quintet. $5 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Gallery O website
Charles Woods (DCJF), Johnny’s Half Shell, 6 p.m. | Saxophonist Charles Woods plays and has recorded in both free and straight-ahead jazz styles, but for his regular gig at Johnny’s Half Shell he keeps things within the traditional bop realm. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Johnny’s Half Shell website
Mark Mosley Trio (DCJF), 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 (DCJF), Sala Thai (Petworth), 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
Nancy Scimone (DCJF), Henley Park Hotel, 7:30 p.m. | Nancy Scimone reaches into the jazz and popular American songbooks during this weekly gig at the Henley Park Hotel in downtown D.C., where she’s accompanied by a pianist. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Henley Park’s website
Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Saxophonist Kenny Garrett played for five years in Miles Davis’ band. Yes, that’s about all you need to hear to know this guy’s worth checking out. But what about his solo career, now more than 20 years in the making? It’s won him a Grammy; put him in charge of bands that included greats such as Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson; and established his reputation as one of the best soprano and alto saxophonists around. His soulful sound can be tender or searing, and it’s always captivating. He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $35 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
Julian Hipkins Quartet (DCJF), Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | Julian Hipkins sings with a swingin’ flair and jaunty, deep voice that recall Jimmy Rushing. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental Hotel website
Monty Alexander & Etienne Charles (DCJF), The Hamilton, 8 p.m. | Veteran pianist Monty Alexander plays multicultural, world music-steeped jazz. In collaborations with the likes of Ray Brown and Milt Jackson, his Jamaican roots have always shone through. He blends swing, calypso, funk groove, dub and other rhythms, and his pianism draws on the influences of Oscar Peterson and Horace Silver. His opening act is Etienne Charles, a Trinidadian jazz trumpeter and multi-instrumen
Lydia Lewis Trio, Tasting Room, 8 p.m. | Tasteful drummer and composer Lydia Lewis leads her trio in background fare at the Tasting Room, a wine bar in Friendship Heights. She’s consistently joined by expert side musicians. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Tasting Room website
Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 8:30 p.m. | Lyrical bassist Steve Synk, a music major at the University of Maryland, leads a young trio that explores music ranging from standards to originals, groove-based contemporary jazz to swinging bop. No cover, one-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Columbia Station profile
Marcus Strickland Quartet (DCJF), Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | Marcus Strickland is one of the top young saxophonists on the New York City scene today. His approach to the bop tradition is strikingly singular; he drapes layers of harmony and then pulls them back, like covers on a bed. The distinctly modern music that he makes with his quartet is at once saxophone-focus
Kenny Rittenhouse Quintet, Twins Jazz, 9 & 11 p.m. | Kenny Rittenhouse was a mainstay on the D.C. jazz scene throughout much of the 1990s, playing at venues such as the One Step Down and Twins Lounge. The highly respected trumpeter has a tone that can be mellow or punchy, and he’s leant it to the U.S. Army Band and the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra. Rittenhouse now teaches at George Mason University and doesn’t play out as much as he used to, but this weekend he appears with a top-notch quintet of local musicians. Two separate sets at 9 & 11 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile
Cubista (DCJF), Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | No description available. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile
Amy K. Bormet (DCJF), Black Fox Lounge, 9 p.m. | Amy K. Bormet is an exciting young piano player whose enthusiasm and lyrical sense of melody come straight to the fore when she sits down at the piano. Her debut CD features originals on which she signs and strikes the keys. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox Lounge profile
Leonard Brown/Jamal Brown (DCJF), Kramerbooks, 10 p.m. | Dr. Leonard Brown, a Northeastern University professor of music and African-America
Donvonte McCoy (DCJF), 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
TBA (DCJF), Cashion’s Eat Place, midnight | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Cashion’s website
SUNDAY, JUNE 10
cb picks:
- Joe Brotherton, Acadiana, 11 a.m.
- John Scofield Trio, The Hamilton, 7 p.m.
- Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m.
- Reginald Cyntje, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
Gospel Jazz Brunch (DCJF), The Hamilton, 10 a.m. | Smooth-voiced singer Lori Williams is a regular member of the local jazz group Saltman-Knowles
Eric Wheeler & Noble Jolley (DCJF-East River Jazz Fest), Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 10 a.m. | Bassist Eric Wheeler and pianist Noble Jolley are two of the District’s most important, contemporary-mi
Joe Brotherton (DCJF), Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Joe Brotherton is a punchy trumpeter who here leads his own combo for Acadiana’s weekly jazz brunch. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana website
Jam Session with Peter Edelman (DCJF), 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
Tiacoh Sadia (DCJF-East River Jazz Fest), Anacostia Art Gallery, 4 p.m. | Cote d’Ivoire native Tiacoh Sadia is a powerful, exhilarating drummer. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. View event on calendar | DCJF website
D.C. Jazz Jam (DCJF), Dahlak, 6 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
John Scofield Trio (DCJF), The Hamilton, 7 p.m.| Legendary guitarist John Scofield’s clawing electric guitar sound is immediately recognizable, and he’s given to spiking an extended funk jam with wet, rock-ish riffs — but he swings with the baddest of them. He’s joined in this remarkable trio by the Dave Holland apprentice Scott Colley and battery-driven drummer Bill Stewart. Cover varies ($33-$43.50), no minimum. View event on calendar | The Hamilton website
DC Choro, Grill from Ipanema, 7:30 p.m.| DC Choro is a sextet that plays Brazilian music drawing on European folk traditions. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Grill from Ipanema profile
Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Jazz Direct (DCJF), 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
Integriti Reeves Quartet (DCJF), Bohemian Caverns, 7 p.m. | Rising vocalist Integriti Reeves, fresh out of Baltimore’s Peabody Institute and now a graudate student at Howard University’s Jazz Studies program, is enamored with the work of classic jazz vocalists like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. It’s Billie Holiday whom Reeves emulates the most, singing ballads with a sibilant, brooding tone. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $18 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile
Kenny Garrett, Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. | Saxophonist Kenny Garrett played for five years in Miles Davis’ band. Yes, that’s about all you need to hear to know this guy’s worth checking out. But what about his solo career, now more than 20 years in the making? It’s won him a Grammy; put him in charge of bands that included greats such as Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson; and established his reputation as one of the best soprano and alto saxophonists around. His soulful sound can be tender or searing, and it’s always captivating. He performs here with a combo. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $35 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Blues Alley profile
Reginald Cyntje (DCJF), Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | A trombonist of grace and precision, Reginald Cyntje recently released his debut CD, “Freedom’s Children: The Celebration,” and this performance is likely to draw heavily from its material. The record is glimmeringly hopeful, immersed in the warm, danceable rhythms of Cyntje’s native U.S. Virgin Islands. The band with which he’ll perform here includes many of the musicians from the record: Christie Dashiell on vocals, Victor Provost on steel pan, Herman Burney on bass and Amin Gumbs on drums. Two separate sets at 8 & 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile
Pino Daniele (DCJF), Howard Theatre, 8 p.m. | Pino Daniele is a guitarist and singer whose songs blend jazz with Italian and Middle Eastern musics. Tickets vary ($45 for general admission, $65 for seating), no minimum. View event on calendar | Howard website
Peter Edelman Trio (DCJF), Columbia Station, 9 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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