Jack DeJohnette performs with his quintet at the Kennedy Center on Saturday. Courtesy jackdejohnette.com

by Giovanni Russonello
Editorial board

Jack DeJohnette, among the most inquisitive and ranging drummers of our time, celebrates his 70th birthday on Saturday with a performance at the Kennedy Center. At Bohemian Caverns, the young guitarist Matthew Stevens — who recently signed to Concord Records and is a member of the label’s much-hyped NEXT Collective — will play with a combo on Friday and Saturday. And down the street at Twins, the formidable saxophonist Anthony Nelson leads a stellar quartet. There’s info on all those shows and many more in this week’s edition of “Weekend in Jazz.” As always, you can find our full listings at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar. Our favorites have a label. Happy hunting!

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

cb picks:

• Matthew Stevens, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Anthony Nelson Quartet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street Lounge, 10:30 p.m.

Kristine Key, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6 p.m. | The smooth-voiced and wistful singer Kristine Key here celebrates the release of her new CD, “Nice…as Can Be.” She performs with DeAndrey Howard on trumpet, Elijah Balbed on saxophone, Jon Ozment on piano, Wes Biles on bass and Jeffrey Neal on drums. The guitarist Dani Cortaza appears as a special guest. $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), 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

Potomac Jazz Project, Sala Thai (U St.), 7 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

L’Tanya Mari & Friends, Sala Thai (Petworth), 7 p.m. | Singer L’Tanya Mari is influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, singing jazz with depth and soulful warmth. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Sala Thai website

Anthony Nelson Quartet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Anthony Nelson is a multi-talented reeds player, though he typically sticks to the tenor saxophone. He has a burnished, stout sound and a lightning-quick improvisational attack. He sometimes performs with a strolling trio (only bass and drums), and his brawny tenor tone is remarkably well proficient at filling in the extra space. But here he will leads a full quartet, one featuring prodigious talents: Allyn Johnson on piano, Herman Burney on bass and Cecil Brooks III on drums. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

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

Lena Seikaly Quartet, 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 website

Matthew Stevens, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The young guitarist Matthew Stevens solos in curt, cinched-up phrases, with a yawning and wobbly tone. He’s a veteran of bands led by Christian aTunde Adjuah (a.k.a. Christian Scott) and Ben Williams, and he just joined the prominent jazz label that both of them call home: Concord Records. In his music, there’s the atmospheric angst of so much mid-aughts indie rock, plus the shimmery fusion of some 1980s Pat Metheny. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $18 cover in advance, $23 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Antonio Parker Quartet, HR-57, 9 p.m. | The alto saxophonist Antonio Parker’s playing is swinging and soulful, 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

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

Alfredo Mojica, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Alfredo Mojica, who sang at Bossa for years with the group Sin Miedo, unites salsa, jazz and Latin American balladry. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

Aaron Myers, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Vocalist Aaron Myers leads a straight-ahead jazz quartet, featuring piano, bass and drums. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox 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. 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

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

cb picks:

• Jack DeJohnette, Kennedy Center, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
• Matthew Stevens, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
• Anthony Nelson Quartet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m.
• Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 p.m.
• Donvonte McCoy, 18th Street 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

Charles Woods, 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, 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

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

Jack DeJohnette, Kennedy Center, 7:30 p.m. | Few jazz drummers in the past 40 years have demonstrated a stronger influence, or a greater sensitivity to the tides that swirl around them, than Jack DeJohnette. The shivery clack of his drumming on Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew” worked like a funky death knell to the era of acoustic jazz’s predominance. Since then, he’s pummeled through free jazz, jazz-metal-world music fusion, straight-ahead, and the stretched-canvas equanimity of his ECM recordings. His 1969 solo debut, “The DeJohnette Complex,” hinted at a lot of erudite sensibilities of composition and interplay that didn’t totally fledge on the larger scene until the beginning of this century. In addition to drumming, on his own gigs DeJohnette also plays piano and occasionally sings. He’s joined in his quintet by Tim Ries on saxophone, Lionel Loueke on guitar, George Colligan on piano and Jerome Harris on bass. Two separate shows at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Tickets $35. View event on calendar | Kennedy Center website

Anthony Nelson Quartet, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | Anthony Nelson is a multi-talented reeds player, though he typically sticks to the tenor saxophone. He has a burnished, stout sound and a lightning-quick improvisational attack. He sometimes performs with a strolling trio (only bass and drums), and his brawny tenor tone is remarkably well proficient at filling in the extra space. But here he will leads a full quartet, one featuring prodigious talents: Allyn Johnson on piano, Herman Burney on bass and Cecil Brooks III on drums. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum.. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

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

Micah Smith Quartet, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 p.m. | In his own work, the robust vocalist and songwriter Micah Smith pours the lapping flow of reggae and the slapping groove of neo-soul together with melismatic gospel and classic jazz. Here he will perform a repertoire of jazz standards with a strong group. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Mandarin Oriental website

Matthew Stevens, Bohemian Caverns, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. | The young guitarist Matthew Stevens solos in curt, cinched-up phrases, with a yawning and wobbly tone. He’s a veteran of bands led by Christian aTunde Adjuah (a.k.a. Christian Scott) and Ben Williams, and he just joined the prominent jazz label that both of them call home: Concord Records. In his music, there’s the atmospheric angst of so much mid-aughts indie rock, plus the shimmery fusion of some 1980s Pat Metheny. Two separate sets at 8:30 & 10:30. $18 cover in advance, $23 at the door, no minimum. View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

Cubista, Bossa Bistro, 9 p.m. | Cubista is a salsa band that plays at Bossa every Saturday. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Bossa profile

Charlie Sayles and the Blues Disciples, HR-57, 9 p.m. | No description available. $15 cover, no minimum. View event on calendar | HR-57 profile

Some Like It Hot, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Some Like It Hot is a small jazz and that performs traditional music from the swing era. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox profile

Steve Synk Trio, Columbia Station, 9:30 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

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. 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

SUNDAY, MARCH 17

cb picks:

• Eri Yamamoto Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 p.m.

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

TBA, Acadiana, 11 a.m. | Performer TBA. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Acadiana 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

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

D.C. Jazz Jam, 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

Eri Yamamoto Trio, Bohemian Caverns, 7 & 9 p.m. | Transparent Productions continues to bring jazz’s vanguard to D.C. For this presentation of the group’s “Sundays at Seven at the Caverns” series, the Eri Yamamoto Trio helps celebrate Women’s Herstory Month. Yamamoto, a classically trained pianist, hails from Osaka, Japan, but was initially inspired to play jazz when she visited New York City in 1995. She heard legendary pianist Tommy Flanagan with his trio (likely with bassist Jespar Lundgaard and drummer Lewis Nash), and was immediately inspired not only to begin playing jazz, but to move to New York City to soak in the city’s greater music scene. By the late 1990s, she had received praise from musicians ranging from Matthew Shipp to Herbie Hancock, who noted her distinctive voice on the piano and experimental sensibility. Along with bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, she has developed a beautifully lyrical approach over the past decade. Two separate sets at 7 & 9 p.m. $15 cover, no minimum. [words by Luke Stewart] View event on calendar | Bohemian Caverns profile

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

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

Jason Yeager, Twins Jazz, 8 & 10 p.m. | The pianist Jason Yeager, a young talent based in New York City, doesn’t try to force his way into your brain; he lets his light hand and understated harmonies work in their own way. Two separate sets at 8 and 10 p.m. $10 cover, $10 minimum. View event on calendar | Twins Jazz profile

Step3, Black Fox Lounge, 9:30 p.m. | Step3, a guitar-bass-drums trio, gives jazz standards and Brazilian tunes a glassy remake. No cover, 1-drink minimum. View event on calendar | Black Fox 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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