A Vinyl Listening Event. Terrance Nicholson. Marshall Keys. In the Spirit of Bird. Hip/Bop Convergence. All those events and performers are part of this year’s East River Jazz Fest in June. And the umbrella 15th annual DC Jazz Fest around the city has more. Like Celebrating Randy Weston at the Kennedy Center. Snarky Puppy, Joshua Redman, Terri Lynn Carrington and others at The Wharf. And Etienne Charles Creole Soul at City Winery.
East River JazzFest offerings include the free Vinyl Listening Event, an opportunity for jazz vinyl record collectors to share selections from their collections on June 9 at 3 p.m. at the Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Road S.E. The Hip/Bop Convergence featuring Terrance Nicholson, Frederico Pena, Marshall Keys and Mark Prince is at 7:30 p.m. June 9 at the Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Road S.E.; Jazz Funk featuring The Peter Brown Project is at 7:30 p.m. June 10 at Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE; All In Together Now features the 10 Issues music collective at 7:30 p.m. June 11 at Anacostia Playhouse; Bebop, R&B and Beyond featuring the Kenny Rittenhouse Quartet is at 3 p.m. June 15, a free event, at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens 1550 Anacostia Ave. N.E. and the Father’s Day Fish Fry on the Water with Elijah Jamal Balbed Jazz Ensemble will be from 3 to 7 p.m. June 16 at the Seafarers Yacht Club DC, 1950 M St. S.E. See www.eastriverjazz.net.
DC JazzFest is literally everywhere, including the events at Hamilton Live!, Ivy City Smokehouse, the Wharf, among others, and there is the Celebrating Randy Weston Show June 9 at the Kennedy Center. Nick Cannon will host Great Masters of Jazz, on June 16 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Co-presented by the DC Jazz Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with support from Events DC, Great Masters of Jazz will celebrate the life and work of the legend Quincy Jones; the trailblazing Roy Hargrove; the highly influential song stylist Nancy Wilson; and DC’s own peerless pianist-vocalist Shirley Horn and saxophonist-educator Fred Foss. Featured performers and presenters include the Roy Hargrove Big Band, Patti Austin, Kenny Garrett, Justin Kauflin, Adam Clayton Powell III, Angela Stribling, Paxton Baker, Sharón Clark, Princess Mhoon Dance Project, andspecial guests.
AND, The DC Jazz Festival’s DC JazzPrix finalists, who will perform Saturday, June 15 at the DCJazzPrix Finals at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl Street, SW, are: the Ernest Turner Trio of North Carolina; Amy/Ana, which is pianist/vocalist Amy K. Bormet of D.C. and drummer Ana Barreiro of Los Angeles; and MIXCLA+1, led by composer/pianist and lead singer Zahili Gonzalez Zamora.
See www.dcjazzfest.org for complete information.
All Protesters Rise June 14
Trombonist Reginald Cyntje celebrates his most recent CD, “Rise of the Protester” with a show June 14 at 6 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Of the dynamic small group recording, with saxophonist Brian Settles, bassist Herman Burney and drummer Lenny Robinson, Cyntje says “Rise of the Protester is my latest artistic take on humanity. What does it mean to be human? If we are all human beings, are we guaranteed the same rights? Are we all free to live and love? Does hue play a role in my right to be free? When faced with crippling adversity, people will find a way to rise. My ancestors fought for freedom. Harriet Tubman (Araminta) found a way to lead us to safety. Traveling at night, we followed her song …”
Cyntje goes on to honor other freedom fighters everywhere in words and music. See www.reginaldcyntje.com for more information.
June Highlights: … DC Jazz Festival through June 16/see www.dcjazzfest.org and www.eastriverjazzfest.org for complete details, performers, venues, and ticket information … Akua Allrich, June 9, The Alex/Graham Georgetown Hotel … Jordan Dixon “ON!” CD Release Show, June 10, UDC Recital Hall … … Elliott Hughes & Brad Linde’s Big Ol’ Ensemble, June 10, Atlas Performing arts Center … Chuck Redd Quartet, June 12, Blues Alley … Trey Sorrells, June 12, 26, Mansion at Strathmore … Reginald Cyntje/Rise of the Protester CD Release, June 14, Westminster Presbyterian Church … Azar Lawrence, June 14-16, Blues Alley … John Russell Lamkin III, June 14-15, Twins Jazz … Mark G. Meadows & the Movement, June 15, Atlas … Muneer Nasser, June 16, Jazz and Cultural Society … Nicole Saphos, June 16, The Alex … Baltimore Jazz Fest, June 16, St. John’s in the Village/Baltimore … Integriti Reeves, June 20, Blues Alley … Georgia on My Mind!, June 21, Westminster … Bob Butta w/Project Natale, June 21-22, Twins Jazz … Wallace Roney Quartet, June 21-22, Blues Alley … Hendrik Meurkens Quartet, June 28, Jazz in the Garden/National Gallery of Art … Tribute to Lee Morgan, June 28, Westminster … Michael Thomas Quintet, June 28-29, Twins Jazz … Cubano Groove, June 30, Jazz and Cultural Society …
June Birthdays: Josephine Baker, Dakota Staton 3; Oliver Nelson, Anthony Braxton 4; Monty Alexander 5; Jimmie Lunceford, Grant Green 6; Tal Farlow, Tina Brooks 7; Kenny Barron 9; Chick Corea, Geri Allen 12; Jaki Byard, Erroll Garner 15; Lucky Thompson 16; Eric Dolphy 20; Jamil Nasser 21, Milt Hinton 23; Reggie Workman 26; Andrew Hill 30.
Steve Monroe is a Washington, D.C. writer who can be reached at steve@jazzavenues. com and followed at www.twitter.com/jazzavenues.
