2008 - 2009 Jazz Schedule

Sep 21, 2008 at 7:00 PM - Mos Def
Produced by Jill Newman Productions

The consummate artist--musician, emcee, vocalist, producer, and actor of stage and screen--Mos Def premiered his acoustic project in 2003, and the Mos Def Big Band in January 2007, drawing from original compositions and material by Miles Davis, Beyoncé, James Brown, and Gil Scott-Heron, among others. Always bending genres to create his own sound, Mos lithely flows among hip hop, jazz, and soul while fronting his orchestra of savvy musicians. His face is as familiar as his sound; his acting credits include Be Kind Rewind, 16 Blocks, Something the Lord Made, Lackawanna Blues, and Top Dog/Underdog. Part of Prelude 2008: Arts Across America.

Sep 26, 2008 - Kevin Mahogany's Kansas City Revue

Award-winning baritone Kevin Mahogany opens the new KC Jazz Club season with this rousing tribute to his native city's musical heritage. The Godfathers of Groove--the revered Hammond B-3, guitar, and percussion trio--along with acclaimed vocalist Kathy Kosins join Mahogany for songs affiliated with the Kansas City sound, as composed or performed by Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Jimmy Rushing, Joe Williams, and other greats. From the R&B of "Shake, Rattle, and Roll"... through the boogie-woogie of "Roll 'em Pete"...the blues of "Cherry Red"…to the jazz of "Parker's Mood"...you'll agree with the New Yorker that "there is little Mahogany cannot do." Part of Prelude 2008: Arts Across America.

Sep 28, 2008 at 7:00 PM - The Blind Boys of Alabama and Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Down by the Riverside

The joy of gospel meets the soul of New Orleans when two of America's greatest cultural ambassadors join forces for Down by the Riverside! Vocal legends The Blind Boys of Alabama are the Iron Men of the music industry. They predate Elvis, Little Richard, and Al Green, but even in their 70s, they continue to top the gospel charts and win Grammy Awards, four consecutive and counting. For nearly half a century, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been bridging present-day sounds with the ageless traditions of New Orleans jazz. No matter where these National Medal of Arts recipients play, audiences are immediately transported to their storefront home, just around the corner from Bourbon Street. Be there as these two legendary groups carry their proud musical traditions into the future! Part of Prelude 2008: Arts Across America.

Oct 3, 2008 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet

Last seen in the KC Jazz Club as a member of The Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes, West Coast trumpeter Jeremy Pelt has been voted a Rising Star five years in a row by DownBeat Magazine. Now headlining his first Kennedy Center concert, he has also been lauded for his rhythm and tone, which "strikes a warm balance between brightness and suffusion" (All About Jazz). Pelt's new MAXJAZZ CD November, which was released this summer and features his quintet, is his return to the acoustic format. Part of Prelude 2008: Arts Across America.

Oct 4, 2008 - Grady Tate

With his classic warm and mellow baritone, Grady Tate has twice been nominated for the Best Male Vocalist Grammy Award--the first for "Windmills of Your Mind" from the film The Thomas Crown Affair, and the second for the 1980s ballad "She's Out of My Life." Yet to many jazz lovers, Tate may be better known as drummer for Duke Ellington, the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Billy Taylor Trio. Urged by none other than Peggy Lee to pursue his singing, Tate is now praised for his impeccable timing and profound grasp of lyrics. He's been heralded by the Village Voice as "the best singer to emerge from the ranks of instrumentalists since Nat Cole."

Oct 11, 2008 - Hank Jones Trio with Roberta Gambarini

PLEASE NOTE: As of Aug. 13, this concert has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. 

According to NEA Jazz Master and Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend Hank Jones, "when you listen to a pianist, each note should have a soul of its own." For more than six decades, Jones has taken his words to heart, always playing with a deeply personal style. The New York Times says he's "a great, ageless pianist who's among the last links to the lost world of Manhattan's 52nd Street." In a concert celebrating the 90th year of his birth, Hank Jones brings his Trio featuring Italian vocalist Roberta Gambarini, who demonstrates a "remarkable range and a great flair for scatting" (The Washington Post).

Oct 17, 2008 - Steve Wilson and Wilsonian's Grain

Steve Wilson and Wilsonian's Grain

Described as "a riveting improviser" by Jim Macnie of the Village Voice, saxophonist Steve Wilson returns this fall to the KC Jazz Club for the first time in three years as bandleader. According to Ben Ratliff of the New York Times, Wilson is "among the best New York jazz has to offer." Buy tickets early as his 2005 performances sold out!

Oct 18, 2008 - Terri Lyne Carrington Quartet

World-renowned drummer/composer/producer Terri Lyne Carrington is no stranger to the spotlight, having been an industry mainstay since the early 1980s. Her ongoing appearances at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival and music direction for the all-star concert Billie & Me have also secured her place as a Kennedy Center favorite. It's been more than 20 years since her Grammy-nominated debut, and now her eagerly awaited 2008 solo CD, More to Say, finds her collaborating with the likes of Nancy Wilson and saxophonist Sonny Carrington, her father.

Oct 24, 2008 - Allan Harris: Cross That River: Cry of the Thunderbird

Following his sold-out engagement during the Kennedy Center's 2007 Country celebration, Allan Harris, "one of the best male jazz vocalists" (The New York Times), returns with the second installment from his Cross That River trilogy project. In Cry of the Thunderbird, the song cycle continues the story of former slave Blue, a black cowboy in the American West. With his Cross That River Band, Allan Harris depicts Blue's cattle drive days and his chance encounters with renegade Plains Indians, Buffalo Soldiers, Dancing Annie, Diamond Jimmy, ex-Confederates, and other characters of color.

Nov 7, 2008 - "Keys to New Orleans": Allen Toussaint, Henry Butler, Jon Cleary

If you're a fan of NPR's A Jazz Piano Christmas, don't miss this spectacular tribute to the music of New Orleans featuring separate performances by three "Crescent City" legends. Allen Toussaint--a pianist, singer, composer, producer, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee--has collaborated with everyone from The Rolling Stones to Bonnie Raitt, and his recent collaboration with Elvis Costello, The River in Reverse, garnered numerous accolades. Pianist, singer, and composer Jon Cleary's music blends old-school soul with New Orleans's rich heritage, and he has lent his talents to recordings by B.B. King, Ryan Adams, and others. Meanwhile, New Orleans–born Henry Butler, an eight-time Blues Award nominee, infuses his classically trained piano wizardry with a rich amalgam of jazz, Caribbean, classical, pop, R&B, and blues--a mix as eclectic as his birthplace.

Nov 8, 2008 - Javon Jackson with Les McCann: "Swiss Movement Revisited"

Once a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, saxophonist Javon Jackson "plays funk with a slow hand...he doesn't beat matters to a froth but allows them to come to fruition in their own time" (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Pianist Les McCann is "a very adept musical showman...his imaginative resources create a fascinating kaleidoscope of musical moods." In the KC Jazz Club, the duo with a band revisits McCann's landmark 1969 album Swiss Movement, recently re-released by Rhino/Atlantic. Recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival that year, the album featured the huge Billboard pop chart hit "Compared to What," a rousing rally against the Vietnam War.

Nov 14, 2008 - Dan Tepfer

The Boston Globe calls Dan Tepfer "a brilliant young pianist and composer," while piano legend Martial Solal says he "already has everything it takes: harmonic sensitivity, jazz knowledge, melodic subtlety, and above all, a great originality." An American raised in Paris, Tepfer was classically trained before switching to jazz piano at the New England Conservatory of Music. In 2006, he was awarded both the first prize and audience prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition. Through the Kennedy Center's new partnership with the American Pianists Association, Tepfer comes to the Club as the APA's 2007 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz.

Nov 21, 2008 - Frank Wess Quintet

Flutist, saxophonist, NEA Jazz Master, and Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend Frank Wess grew up with Dr. Billy Taylor in DC, learning all about jazz firsthand while frequenting the Howard and Lincoln Theaters, Bohemian Caverns, and other local hot spots. He eventually landed in the Count Basie Orchestra for 11 years, where he contributed subtle and sublime interpretations. Now in his 80s, Frank Wess is as popular as ever, as indicated by his Quintet's April 2008 run at New York's Village Vanguard. His last performance in the KC Jazz Club, fronting his Flutology ensemble, led the Washington Post to praise his "soulful lyricism" and "great artistry." Part of "Jazz in DC," the Center's weeklong celebration curated by Dr. Billy Taylor that highlights DC's influence on the development of jazz.

Nov 22, 2008 at 7:30 PM - Ellington Voices: Classical to Jazz with Nnenna Freelon and Harolyn Blackwell

One show only! In this Kennedy Center–commissioned, world-premiere event, two of today's hottest vocalists explore how classical sounds intertwine with improvisational jazz in the inimitable music of Duke Ellington, one of DC's native sons. Bringing together their respective expertise from the jazz and classical worlds, Nnenna Freelon and Harolyn Blackwell showcase how Ellington's compositions blended European classical traditions, syncopated rhythms of stride piano and ragtime, and African American work songs, blues, and spiritual music into an invigorating, unified whole. The inspirational messages in his most famous works will come to light in this electrifying evening, which also includes a string quartet and Nnenna Freelon's jazz band. Part of "Jazz in DC," the Center's weeklong celebration curated by Dr. Billy Taylor that highlights DC's influence on the development of jazz.

Nov 28 - 29, 2008 - NSO Pops: An Evening with The Jazz Ambassadors/Marvin Hamlisch, conductor

Strike Up the Jazz Band!

Jazz up Thanksgiving weekend with The Jazz Ambassadors of the US Army Field Band. Of the U.S. Army's premier touring jazz orchestra, Principal Pops Conductor Marvin Hamlisch says "the caliber of their musicianship is so fantastic…they're the crème de la crème." For nearly four decades, this rousing big band has received great acclaim both at home and abroad. The Statesman raves, "The Jazz Ambassadors held the audience in its thrall...It required utmost constraint not to literally jump up and down to the rhythm." With Hamlisch and the NSO Pops, The Jazz Ambassadors perform music by three DC jazz legends: Duke Ellington, ragtime composer James Reese Europe, and the Kennedy Center's own Dr. Billy Taylor. The program will also include a special guest female vocalist. Part of "Jazz in DC," the Center's weeklong celebration curated by Dr. Billy Taylor that highlights DC's influence on the development of jazz.

Dec 4, 2008 - NPR's A Jazz Piano Christmas

Join the Kennedy Center and National Public Radio when top jazz pianists and other artists perform their favorite holiday songs. An annual NPR tradition, the concert will be recorded for later broadcast.

Dec 31, 2008 - A Jazz New Year's Eve

Grammy-winning ensemble New York Voices is renowned for its unique take on the vocal jazz tradition, often with Brazilian, R&B, classical, and pop influences. On New Year's Eve, they come together with the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band--a veritable who's who of jazz musicians including musical director and NEA Jazz Master Slide Hampton, Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend and NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath (saxophone), Antonio Hart (saxophone), Claudio Roditi (trumpet), Douglas Purviance (trombone), and John Lee (bassist and Executive Director). After the performance, enjoy festive dancing, a countdown to 2009, and a balloon drop in the Grand Foyer, free with your concert ticket.

Jan 24, 2009 at 7:30 PM - Benny Golson at 80

Tenor saxophonist, NEA Jazz Master, and Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend Benny Golson has had a career that spans a remarkable six decades: from his childhood days with John Coltrane…to his years with Dizzy Gillespie's band, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and Art Farmer's Jazztet…to his continued success as a solo performer and composer. Jazz lovers can't get enough of his "Blues March," "I Remember Clifford," and "Stablemates," while TV and film fans know his music from M*A*S*H, Mission Impossible, and The Cosby Show theme. Taking the stage on the eve of his 80th birthday, Benny Golson is joined by an all-star lineup, ready to trace his incredible musical journey through live performance, photo montages, video greetings, and personal reminiscences. The concert features three other Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legends: bassist Ron Carter and saxophonist Curtis Fuller--also both NEA Jazz Masters--as well as five-time Grammy-winning vocalist Al Jarreau. The program also includes the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, led by musical director John Clayton.

Feb 13, 2009 at 7:30 PM - So in Love: An Evening of Cole Porter, with Patricia Barber

Cuddle up to your sweetheart and celebrate Valentine's Day a day early with vocalist Patricia Barber as she performs music from Her Cole Porter--her 2008 Blue Note Records CD that includes "I've Got You Under My Skin," "What Is This Thing Called Love?," and "You Do Something to Me." JazzTimes calls her "the most fearless, intellectually stimulating, and interesting singer/songwriter/pianist on the American jazz scene." Note: This concert is at 7:30 p.m. only.

Feb 13, 2009 at 9:30 PM - So in Love: An Evening of Cole Porter, with Ann Hampton Callaway

Enjoy a sexy, suave, and swinging time and celebrate Valentine's Day a day early with vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway and her Trio, as they take a cosmopolitan romp through the Cole Porter songbook. The New York Times raves "for sheer vocal beauty, no contemporary singer matches Ms. Callaway!" Note: This concert is at 9:30 p.m. only.

Feb 28, 2009 - "Dedicated to You": Kurt Elling in a John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman Tribute

The masterpiece 1963 recording Dedicated to You marked the only time tenor saxophonist John Coltrane ever collaborated with a vocalist, "romantic balladeer" Johnny Hartman. Hailed as "truly a musical phenomenon" by London's The Guardian, vocalist Kurt Elling now creatively re-imagines this legendary recording with Ernie Watts, one of the most versatile saxophonists on the scene today. Elling also welcomes the innovative Ethel String Quartet, as well as his frequent collaborator Laurence Hobgood and his Trio. Together, these artists take a cue from Coltrane's ingenuity, layering one of the most romantic albums ever recorded with new storytelling and lush harmonies.

Mar 27, 2009 - Edmar Castaneda Trio

"A jazz harpist of imposing talent" (The New York Times), Colombian-born Edmar Castaneda has turned the New York jazz scene on its ear, transforming the harp into a percussive lead instrument by producing cross-rhythms like a drummer and choral flourishes like a flamenco guitarist. Still in his 20s, he combines Colombian music, Latin jazz, and bebop with ease, strumming bass lines with his left hand while simultaneously plucking melodies with his right. A protégé of Paquito D'Rivera, Castaneda has performed with everyone from Wynton Marsalis to Arturo O'Farrill to Dave Samuels.

Mar 28, 2009 - René Marie, "Voice of My Beautiful Country"

MAXJAZZ recording artist and Kennedy Center favorite René Marie has been called "a jazz singer with the talent, the imagination, and the sheer presence to be included in the very top level of performers" by the Los Angeles Times. She returns to DC to showcase her unique take on traditional patriotic songs and other tunes from her American experience. Come and hear her jazz, blues, and pop music blend, which always brings the audience to their feet!

Apr 5, 2009 - The Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary--On Tour

To mark the 70th anniversary of the premier jazz recording label, an all-star band featuring some of the finest musicians today will travel the world to celebrate Blue Note Records' rich catalog of music. Led by pianist and music director Bill Charlap, the group is comprised of guitarist Peter Bernstein, tenor and soprano saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, drummer Lewis Nash, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Peter Washington, and alto saxophonist Steve Wilson. Together, they'll explore classic tunes by Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, and many others.

May 1, 2009 - Marc Cary and the Focus Trio

As cool and collected as they come, pianist/composer and DC native Marc Cary for years has lent his imaginative key-work to tours with Abbey Lincoln, Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter, Stefon Harris, and Roy Hargrove, among others. On his debut recording with the Focus Trio--featuring Sameer Gupta on drums and tabla and David Ewell on bass--Cary brings into sharp focus his many influences, from deep-feeling indigenous world rhythms to bop to classical. DownBeat Magazine ranked him as one of the four "most multi-dimensional" keyboard players on the scene today.

May 2, 2009 - John Clayton and Gerald Clayton, "Father and Son"

As a solo artist, as part of the Clayton Brothers, and as music director of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, masterful Grammy-winning bassist John Clayton is a major force in the jazz world. His son, pianist Gerald Clayton, was the runner-up at the 2006 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, praised for his "Oscar Peterson–like style, highly controlled touch and dynamics, and rhapsodic, episodic soloing" (The New York Times). Releasing their first CD together in 2008, father and son bridge the generations in a sensational concert.

May 8, 2009 - Ambrose Akinmusire

The Kennedy Center and Monk Institute present the winner of the 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition, Ambrose Akinmusire, as part of the Institute's ongoing partnership with the Kennedy Center. Akinmusire performs music that "works its way under the skin, delivering a tickle one moment and an electric jolt the next" (Variety). After studying at the Manhattan School of Music and recent gigs with such artists as Jimmy Heath, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter, Ambrose's musical trajectory continues to grow in many directions. He seeks other genres of music to analyze and expose, drawing inspiration from disparate sources, from Chopin to Björk.

May 9, 2009 - Roger Kellaway: "Tribute to Oscar Peterson"

One of the greatest piano players of all time, Oscar Peterson's speed, dexterity, and ability to swing at any tempo were astonishing. In 2007, a few months before Peterson's passing, Richard Kellaway's CD Heroes, a tribute to Oscar Peterson and other influences, won Best Record of the Year from the prestigious French Jazz Academy. JazzTimes calls Kellaway "a rare pianist with the technical command to recreate a portion of Peterson's power, clarity, musicality, and will to swing--all while sounding like himself." As a pianist, Kellaway has performed with many artists, from Elvis to Ellington, Gillespie to Yo-Yo Ma, Joni Mitchell to Henry Mancini. With more than 200 albums to his credit, he's also a composer of protean ability, writing in the jazz, classical, and popular music fields, and scoring for films and television. He's joined by guitarist Bruce Forman and bassist Dan Lutz, who collaborated with Kellaway on Heroes.

May 14 - 16, 2009 - Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival - 14th annual

All the 2007 and 2008 concerts sold out--so for 2009, be sure to reserve your seats in advance for this annual Kennedy Center festival featuring today's top female jazz artists. The Washington Post says the festival "speaks volumes about the contributions women have made to jazz--and continue to make--both here and abroad."

Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m.
Janis Siegel, vocalist; and Anat Cohen, clarinetist/saxophonist, leading her Anzic Orchestra  

Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m.  
Annette A. Aguilar, percussionist, StringBeans; Hailey Mae Niswanger, saxophonist and the winner of the 2008 Women in Jazz Competition; and others  

Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m.  
Anne Drummond, flutist; Carmen Lundy, vocalist; and Maria Schneider, composer, leading the Maria Schneider Orchestra