Performances: 7pm & 9pm

Grammy Award–winning titan of jazz saxophone Joe Lovano and virtuoso guitarist Julian Lage have enjoyed a long journey of mutual artistic admiration. “I’ve always found him a natural, beautiful, expressive musician with maturity beyond his years,” Joe says of Julian, “He is someone I always knew I would collaborate with at some point, and I’m so happy to have his contributions within the Paramount Quartet.” This electrifying new ensemble also features drummer Will Calhoun (of Living Colour fame) along with bassist and longtime Lovano collaborator Asante Santi Debriano.

Performances: 7pm & 9pm

Grammy Award–winning titan of jazz saxophone Joe Lovano and virtuoso guitarist Julian Lage have enjoyed a long journey of mutual artistic admiration. “I’ve always found him a natural, beautiful, expressive musician with maturity beyond his years,” Joe says of Julian, “He is someone I always knew I would collaborate with at some point, and I’m so happy to have his contributions within the Paramount Quartet.” This electrifying new ensemble also features drummer Will Calhoun (of Living Colour fame) along with bassist and longtime Lovano collaborator Asante Santi Debriano.

The DC Jazz Festival presents JazzDC™ All-Stars, a powerhouse ensemble directed by acclaimed pianist and composer Allyn Johnson. Enjoy a showcase for the vibrant artistry of the region’s top jazz talent!

Michael Hawkins is a charismatic bassist and composer currently heating up the jazz scene in the greater Richmond, VA, area with his band Michael Hawkins and the Brotherhood (James “Saxsmo” Gates on alto sax, Dr. Weldon Hill on piano, and Billy Williams, Jr. on drums). The term brotherhood not only signifies the interpersonal relationships among the members of the band but also pays homage to jazz musicians from years past.

The Hyattsville Jazz Collective was founded in 2018 and calls Maryland Meadworks home. The group performs there once a month and has also been playing in Prince George’s County at various events and locations since. Comprised of 5 local musicians, the group performs new compositions as well as their own treatments of jazz standards. Each member lived in Philadelphia or New York City for years before relocating to the DMV and brings a wealth of experience to this band.

Classical and jazz pianist and singer Hazel Scott (1920–1981) was the first person of African descent to host their own network TV show in America (The Hazel Scott Show). The Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA) explores Scott’s life, legacy, and music. Journey with curator Professor Nevilla Ottley as you hear songs played and loved by Scott, with narration exploring and highlighting the life of the musician, who was also an outspoken critic of racial discrimination and segregation.

Kick off Black History Month with Howard University’s premiere jazz ensemble, Afro Blue. Voted “Best A Capella Group” five years in a row by the Washington Area Music Associaion, the ensemble has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, Tiny Desk Concert, and has shared the stage with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Pops, and reached the top four on The Sing-Off on NBC. Join us for a special celebration for Black History Month as this virtuosic ensemble showcases black excellence in a one of kind, intimate concert experience at SAARC!

Christmastime is here! Montpelier Arts Center and The Eric Byrd Trio celebrate the season with an afternoon filled with festive music from the Peanuts’ special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Comprised of pianist/vocalist Eric Byrd, bassist Bhagwan Khalsa, and drummer Alphonso Young, Jr., the Trio has traveled the world as enthusiastic ambassadors of jazz. Bringing fresh arrangements to these familiar songs, they are sure to put you in a holiday mood. “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!”

The Swingin’ Owls perform jazz standards in a fun, intimate evening featuring special guest jazz soloist Ally Albrecht from the Navy Commodores.

UMD Jazz Ensemble, UMD Jazz Lab Band and University Jazz Band
Mark Williams, music director

Celebrate the season with classic jazz staples and timeless holiday tunes! This concert brings together three of the UMD School of Music's phenomenal jazz ensembles for a night of festive cheer.

Madison McFerrin’s distinct vocal and meticulously layered stylings of a capella and self-harmonizing culminate in work that blends the genres of R&B, pop, soul and jazz, all with a sense of softness. Her genre-bending work has led to Questlove dubbing her early sound “soul-appella,” AdHoc to describe her work as “an oasis of serenity,” and The FADER noting how Madison’s “warm harmonies feel effortless.”

Performances: 4pm & 8pm

“IN THE ROOM – LIVE” – the hottest intimate concert series hosted by Brian Lenair, returns to the BCPA, featuring performances by the incomparable Smooth Jazz pianist – Icon, Marcus Johnson, and Legendary Jazz and R&B vocalist, Alyson Williams. Last concert sold out, standing room only.

A masterful jazz pianist, Cyrus Chestnut balances his lithe technical skill with a robust, soulful style that speaks to his deep gospel roots and love of swinging hard bop. Raised in the church, he learned how to infuse his swinging, classically trained style with a warm gospel sound. Chestnut leads the Cyrus Chestnut Trio, whose 2022 album My Father’s Hands pays tribute to his late father, who first taught him how to play. He made his Carnegie Hall debut earlier this year.

Saxophonist, Producer and Composer Boney James’  New Album ‘Slow Burn’

slow burn: noun, informal

A feeling that grows with a slow but deliberate intensity.

For saxophonist and composer Boney James, these words perfectly describe the music he has  crafted for his new Concord Records album, Slow Burn, to be released on October 18, 2024.

“When I mentioned that phrase to people as a possible title, they said, “That also refers to your  whole career in a way” James says with a laugh. “This is my 19th record and I feel like I’m just  hitting my stride.”

Slow Burn is a new high point in a remarkable career that now spans more than three decades  and includes a long list of accolades; four GRAMMY nominations, three NAACP Image Award  nominations, a Soul Train Award for Best Jazz Album and four RIAA Gold Record certifications.  In 2009, Billboard named James one of the Top 3 Contemporary Jazz Artists of the decade. In  2024 year Boney became the first ever artist to score 20 number one singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart.

If there could ever be such a thing as an avant-garde supergroup, Rude Ruth is it. The band was originally formed in the mid-2010s as an improvisational vehicle for the now husband-and-wife pair of critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy and the outrageously talented guitarist Julian Lage. Rude Ruth has since expanded to include Lage's jazz trio of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King, a founding member of The Bad Plus. Together, they unite Glaspy's incisive and romantic folk-rock compositions with the strength and depth of Lage, Roeder and King's tremendous flair for flights of creative fancy. As a headliner artist, Julian Lage has developed into a leading voice on the contemporary music scene, selling out major venues across the country in 2024 on his Speak to Me tour. With Rude Ruth, listeners will get the chance to see an unexpected side of this phenomenal instrumentalist.

The JoGo Project is a WAMMIE Award-winning jazz and go-go band from Washington, D.C., founded in 2014 by Elijah Jamal Balbed, who performed with Chuck Brown, “the Godfather of Go-Go,” during the last year of Brown’s life. A few years later, Balbed decided to start a band to continue Brown’s legacy and bring the jazz and go-go worlds together, and the Jogo Project was born. Ten years on, JoGo remains dedicated to keeping go-go music alive while also exploring new sounds and repertoire.

For any jazz fan, it’s a thrill to witness keyboard legend Herbie Hancock perform. He cooks, he smokes, he’s absolute fire — and he burns the place to the ground every time. Now 70 years into his astounding cross-genre career, he’s one of the most acclaimed and honored musicians of our time. Even with multiple GRAMMYs® (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), he never rests on his laurels. Along with his phenomenal band, he’ll take you on an unforgettable musical journey that’s inventive, playful and profound. Above all, Herbie has fun. And so will you.

Kenny G—the incomparable musician with the straight sax, the flowing hair, and some of the most memorable melodies in history—reveals the man behind the music in this indelible, fascinating, and funny memoir.

He’s world-renowned as the bestselling instrumentalist of all time, but there’s a lot about Kenny G that even his legions of devoted fans have never known—until now.
In honest and heartfelt prose, Kenny G shares how skinny Kenneth Gorelick, the kid who got hassled for his lunch money in a Seattle high school, became one of the most celebrated and revered virtuosos in the music industry. He uncovers how he’s managed to rise above the fray, tune out the critics, and live a life filled with happiness and humor.

Corcoran Holt, a son of Washington, DC, began playing djembe and other West African percussion at the age of 4 as a member of Wose Dance Company under the tutelage of Baba Aidoo Holmes & Mahiri Edwards.

The National Symphony Orchestra’s FREE annual Labor Day weekend concert returns to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol! This year, the NSO performs classics by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, John Philip Sousa, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and more led by charismatic conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez and featuring Grammy–nominated rapper/beatboxer Christylez Bacon. A must-see celebration! This performance is free to attend, no tickets required. Seating is first-come, first served.

Joonas Haavisto is one of the most notable jazz musicians from the Nordic jazz scene. He has played as a soloist with chamber orchestras and big bands and leads his group Joonas Haavisto Trio, which released its fifth album Offshore in 2019. The trio has performed worldwide in venues like Blue Note Jazz Club New York, Tokyo Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, Jazzahead!, Les Boréales Festival and Pori Jazz Festival. In 2017, Joonas joined the world-famous Steinway Artist roster.

Performances:

6:00 – 7:00 PM Confluencia

8:30 – 9:30 PM Nasar Abadey and SuperNova

10:30 – 11:45 PM DC JAZZFEST JAM hosted by Corcoran Holt

This year’s DC JazzFest experience will include more than 80 concerts and programs in neighborhoods citywide from August 28-September 1. Celebrating 20 years, the DC JazzFest will highlight a diverse selection of NEA Jazz Masters, GRAMMY Award-winning national and international musicians, and Washington, DC’s own jazz talent. 

Shannon Gunn’s Saffron Ensemble—including strings, synth, rhythm section, and trombone—premiered at the 2022 Jazz and Freedom Festival in Washington, D.C. The ensemble performs Shannon Gunn’s originals and arrangements, combining traditional and free jazz in a synth-infused setting.

Saxophonist Kim Waters is a soulful melodicist known for his romantic style of contemporary jazz. He first garnered fans in the 1990s with albums like ‘Sax Appeal’ and ‘Love’s Melody’, then earned wider attention with ‘From the Heart’ in 2001. Waters celebrated the music of Marvin Gaye on 2008’s ‘I Want You: Love in the Spirit of Marvin’ and has remained a contemporary jazz chart regular, hitting number 12 with ‘Rhythm and Romance’ and three with 2018’s ‘What I Like’. He is also the father of singer Kayla Waters, who joined him in on 2022’s That Special Touch.

With dozens of movie scores and over 500 recording credits to his name across Jazz, R&B, and Opera, Marcus’ resume speaks for itself, and as a UNESCO Artist for Peace and changemaker, his work on social justice projects continues to be inspiring.

You think of Gerald Albright as a great saxophone player. In fact, the Grammy Award-nominated artist is a multi-instrumentalist who also plays bass, keyboards and flute. Albright will make his second appearance at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival — performing with guitarist Jonathan Butler on Saturday, September 2, 2017. Albright’s 2014 album release, SLAM DUNK continues his reign as the genre’s most compelling and consistent artist. It received a GRAMMY® nomination in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category for that year. He also toured extensively with Les McCann, Jeff Lorber, Teena Marie, the Winans, Marlena Shaw, Quincy Jones, and Whitney Houston, among many others.

Get your feet tapping during a brand new summer courtyard concert series! Picnics, picnic blankets, and lawn chairs are welcome and light refreshments will be available for purchase. This month, Hart Guonjian-Pettit Jazz Trio brings swinging standards and smooth melodies to the museum. Concerts are sponsored in part by Riverdale Park Arts and the Field of Firsts Foundation.