Commemorating six decades of bringing entertaining performances to D.C. and engaging opportunities to artists from around the world, Blues Alley in Georgetown is celebrating its 60th anniversary by honoring legacy, while also working to uplift the future of jazz music.
Through performances, programming and reflection, Blues Alley has organized celebrations highlighting the dinner club not only as one of the premier music venues in the nation, but as a space to build up the next generation of game-changing artists.
“I came to Blues Alley eight years after it opened, so I’ve seen the best music talent. Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Modern Jazz Quartet, Larry Coryell, Tower of Power and more,” said Harry Schnipper, executive director of Blues Alley. “Because I came after the club opened, I’ve had the benefit of the continuity and sustainability of performers.”
With some of the most celebrated jazz artists over the past 60 years gracing its stage, Blues Alley in Georgetown plans to honor the past and showcase new artists along the way, kicking off this July with performances such as the more than a week of “Decades of Divas.”
The supper club will bring songstresses such as Hazel Mitchell-Bell with her tribute to Nancy Wilson on July 18 and Deborah Bond on July 19 with her mix of jazz, funk, progressive R&B, and British Soul.
Further, music icon Melba Moore returns to Blues Alley on July 24-25, and Jane Monheit brings her sultry voice back to the club on July 26-27.
“We want to honor the legacy of talent that has graced the Blues Alley stage,” said Schnipper. “We’ve done Phyllis Hyman. Coming up are tributes to Nancy Wilson and Roy Ayers. Recognizing legends will continue beyond the official 60th anniversary kickoff in July.”
Honoring the Past, Supporting the Future
For Schnipper, celebrating 60 years starts with paying homage to the people who helped the Georgetown jazz venue gain nationwide notoriety.
Affectionately known as “the house that Dizzy built” — referring to trumpeter and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993) — Schnipper said some of this milestone celebration will acknowledge the late musician’s contributions to the local music venue.
The Blues Alley website features a quote from Gillespie weighing in on the venue saying: “Now THIS is a jazz club!”
While the lauded musician wowed fans with his trumpet on the Georgetown stage, his Blues Alley legacy is beyond just performing.
“Dizzy was the one who put Blues Alley on the map in 1977,” said Schnipper. “Without Dizzy, we would not have our nonprofit status, which allows us to create many events throughout D.C.”
Because of that nonprofit status, Blues Alley is able to do more than entertain, but give back.
There are the Blues Alley’s Summer Jazz Camp and its Ella Fitzgerald Vocal Competition. In addition, several community programs keep artists pouring into the Blues Alley, including: Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education (FAME), Jazz Academy of Music, Inc. (JAM), and the Washington Jazz Arts Institute (WJAI).
Welcoming jazz educators and their students to perform at the club has long been part of Blues Alley’s outreach and work to uplift jazz overall.
In the past, students who were in the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz’s Peer-to-Peer Jazz Education Tours commanded the Blues Alley stage like long-time professionals.
“Besides being one of the most iconic and best-sounding jazz clubs in the world, Blues Alley is serious about jazz education. Through programs like the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra and Summer Jazz Camp, countless young musicians have honed their skills working with some of the best jazz educators in the country,” said JB Dyas, vice president of education and curriculum development at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. “In addition to hosting the world’s most renowned jazz artists, Blues Alley makes showcasing America’s up-and-comers a priority as well, jump-starting and fostering their careers.”
Offering a Space for Artists to Grow, Shine
Throughout its 60-year history, Blues Alley in Georgetown has become known as a place to showcase new talent.
Touting the Washington, D.C. area as a place rich with a lot of talented jazz musicians, Schnipper said the legendary dinner club– featuring some of the most celebrated jazz greats from around the globe— works to offer up and coming artists a chance to perform at the premier venue.
“Earlier this year, we started ‘Emerging Artists Mondays’ to give visibility to talent worthy of wider recognition,” said Schnipper. “So many of my peers that I grew up with think that now, we probably have the greatest amount of jazz talent during this period than we have seen in 50 years.”
Saxophonist Langston Hughes II, who was raised in the DMV area and a participant in FAME and Strathmore’s Artist in Residence programs, has seen his star rise with numerous performances at Blues Alley.
“Playing at Blues Alley has been a huge part of my artistic growth. Each show is a chance to connect with people in a real and immediate way,” said Hughes, who recently received his master’s from the prestigious Juilliard in New York. “There’s something powerful about performing in a space where so many of my heroes have played and recorded—you can literally feel the energy shift as the music unfolds.”
Performing at Blues Alley, Hughes stands on the shoulders of jazz legends spanning 60 years.
“The audience at Blues Alley feels like a community. Every time I return, I see more familiar faces—people who have been on this journey with me since the early shows years ago. That kind of consistency has helped me grow not just as a performer, but as a communicator,” Hughes told The Informer. “It’s pushed me to become more intentional about how I tell stories through music and how I engage with listeners.”
He emphasized the power of the historic space.
It’s a full-circle experience,” Hughes said. “The club fuels the art, the art fuels connection, and the connection keeps people coming back.”
Stay on top of upcoming performances, programming and more by visiting bluesalley.com.