7th DC Jazz Festival Will Be Musical Feast

Eddie Palmieri will be leading an All-Star Salsa Orchestra at the Sylvan Theater
near the Washington Monument at this Year's DC Jazz Festival on Sunday June 12.

The Seventh Annual DC Jazz Festival (formerly the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival) kicks off June 1 and continues through June 13 with more than 100 performances and programs at nearly 50 venues across the city, including the a day-long concert near the Washington Monument on the National Monument, and a Kennedy Center concert spotlighting New Orleans and the HBO television show, Tremé.  Headliners for this year’s festival include multiple Grammy Award winners Bobby McFerrin, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and Latin Jazz legend Eddie Palmieri, as well as the legendary Heath Brothers, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars Quartet featuring pianist Cyrus Chestnut, saxophonists Antonio Hart and JD Allen, and Chilean vocalist Claudia Acuña.

Donald Harrison is part of the DC Jazz Festival's
presentation of "A Night in Treme"
at the Kennedy Center on June 13.

New Orleans (NOLA) will again have prominence at this year's festival. The Brass-A-Holics, NOLA's newest hip, hot and happening sensation will perform at both Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France (on Friday June 3), and LIV (Saturday, June 4), the upstairs club at Bohemian Caverns. And, concluding the festival, the DCJF and the Kennedy Center will present “A Night in Treme: The Musical Majestry of New Orleans” with the star of HBO's hit mini-series, “Treme,” Wendell Pierce, the Rebirth Brass Band, master clarinetist Dr. Michael White, funky trombonist Big Sam Williams, and trumpeter James Andrews, under the musical direction of saxophonist Donald Harrison. “A Night in Treme” will be at the Kennedy Center on Monday, June 13. 

Among other featured concerts, Bobby McFerrin, will be performing from his latest recording, “VOCAbuLarieS,” with Howard University's Afro Blue Reunion Choir on Saturday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m at the Warner Theater.  Sunday, June 12 at 1;00PM, “Jazz on the National Mall” returns with with free performances from Frédéric Yonnet, Claudia Acuña, Roy Hargrove & the RH Factor, Tobe Foyeh and the Eddie Plamieri All-Star Salsa Orchestra.

On Friday June 4 and 5, the Festival once again holds “Jazz 'N Families Fun Days At The Phillips Collection." It will be a celebration of the synergy between jazz and the visual arts.  “Jazz ‘N’ Families Fun Days” features some of the finest jazz musicians from around the region.  Fun-filled activities for kids include story-telling, hands-on art workshops, and an instrument petting zoo.  In the galleries, art inspires musical interpretation as musicians interpret art through improvised sound.  The line-up for Saturday June 4 includes the Capital Focus Jazz Band, Herman Burney Trio, Jess Righthand Trio, Victor Provist Trio, David Schuman and Michael Bowie and Sine Qua Non String Quartet. The line-up for Sunday June 5 includes Vince Evans, Lavenia Smith, James King Quartet, Susan Priester and Jamal Brown.

“Jazz in the ‘Hoods” presented by Washington Convention and Sports Authority, which includes performances at more than 30 venues, including museums, restaurants and clubs across the city. The famed Bohemian Gardens will host performances by Cyrus Chestnut with the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Quintet on June 3 and 4, Antonio Hart on June 8 and 9 and The Heath Brothers on June 10 and 11.

Nasar Abadey and Supernova are among the performers in the Jazz in the ‘Hoods' series

There are numerous other performances. For example on the Festival’s opening night, Wednesday June 1, Elijah Jamal Balbed & The Po' Boys, featuring a highly touted young saxophonist is featured at the Bayou near the Foggy Bottom Metro station. They are also at the Bayou several other nights. Thursday, June 2, DC Choro, rooted in the Brazilian musical tradition, is at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Friday, June 3, Mark Prince and Aqua Leo is at the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Gallery while the Jolley Brothers are B.Smith’s at Union Station (also Saturday and Sunday for Brunch). Saturday, June 4, Akua Allrich is at Twins. Sunday June 5, and Allen Harris ius at the Islander. Nasar Abadey and Supernova is at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Dc Choro is at Grill from Ipanema, and the Brass-a-holics are at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.

Monday June 6, the Peter Edelman Quartet is at Tryst while Tuesday June 7, Brad Linde Quartet featuring Sarah Hughes are at Twins, and on Wednesday June 8, Paul Piper & Bill Heid are at Utopia Bar & Grill. Thursday, June 9, Sara Jones & Um Novo Tempo is at Grill from Ipanema. Friday, June 10, Kenia Ashby & Origem is at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage while vocalist Lena Seikaly is at the Mandorin Oriental. Saturday, June 11 the Charles Woods Quartet is at Johnny’s Half Shell, while bluesman Anthony ‘Swampdog’ Clark is at the Bayou and Elijah Jamal Balbed along with the JD Allen Trio are at Subterranean A. Sunday, June 12, Leni Stern is at Bossa Bistro, and Wayne Willentz & Jim West is at the Utopia Bar and Grill.  

For more information on the DC Jazz Festival, visit http://www.dcjazzfest.org. For the schedule (which will be updated with more club information) visit http://www.dcjazzfest.org/content.cfm/schedule_and_major_events.

Little Freddie King coming to Duke Ellington Jazz Festival

I was recently in New Orleans for the second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival along with the 8th Ponderosa Stomp. As part of the Stomp I had the pleasure of seeing the down home blues of Little Freddie King who was part of a New Orleans Music revue at the stomp. Freddie is a wonderful down home blues performer with a style not that far removed from the North Mississippi Hills style of the late R.L. Burnside while also being an animated performer. Little Freddie will be coming to the Nation's capital as part of the musical gumbo to be displayed at this year's Duke Ellington Jazz Festival.

As stated, the music of New Orleans music will be featured at this year's Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington DC. There will be performances on the National Mall on the weekend of June 13 and 14 with Little Freddie and such other acts as Nicholas Payton, Don Vappie, Bob French, Buckwheat Zydeco, Rebirth Brass Band, and Irma Thomas Duke Ellington Orchestra The Duke Ellington Orchestra will be performing the late maestro's New Orleans Suite. Also on the National Mall, Friday night June 12, The Terence Blanchard Quintet with Chamber Orchestra will perform his A Tale of God’s Will – A Requiem for Katrina. On Monday, June 15, the Festival concludes with a Kennedy Center hosted JazzMasters Tribute to pianist, composer and educator Ellis Marsalis with Marsalis' sons Wynton, Bradford, Delfeayo and Jason performing along with Harry Connick Jr., Dr. Billy Taylor, Herlin Riley and Eric Revis. The Festival also has family events and concerts throughout the Washington area between June 6 and 15 and club performances during this time span at venues like Twins and Blues Alley. Many performances are free. For more information visit http://www.dejazzfest.org/.