The DC Jazz Festival will transform Washington into a jazz haven Aug. 27-31, with newly announced artists and venues spanning from the Southwest waterfront to neighborhoods across the District.
The five-day Labor Day weekend festival will feature performances at the Wharf, downtown venues and locations in U Street, Shaw, Eckington, Capitol Hill, Foggy Bottom, Foxhall and Takoma Park.
Recent additions to the Wharf lineup include the Eric Byrd Trio, a D.C.-area group celebrating the release of “Echoes of Arrival,” and vocalist Allan Harris, who will present “The Poetry of Jazz” at Union Stage.
New Music USA’s Next Jazz Legacy showcase will feature emerging artists Alexandra Ridout, April May Webb, Nora Stanley, Chanelle Ignant, Carmen Quill, Melissa Almaguer and Brenda Navarrete-Guzman. The young performers will join headliners Marcus Miller, Lalah Hathaway, Branford Marsalis, Ron Carter and The String Queens, plus an Eddie Palmieri tribute.
The festival will present an Organ Summit at Westminster Church in Southwest Washington featuring Allyn Johnson, known as the “Dean of DC Jazz,” paired with keyboardist Charles Covington.
A free outdoor concert downtown at Anthem Row and Eaton DC will showcase New Orleans’ Brass-A-Holics, local go-go group Be’La Dona, vocalists Heidi Martin and Reggie Bowens, keyboardist Benjie Porecki and saxophonist Langston Hughes II.
Other performances include Afro Blue alumna Imani-Grace Cooper at the Kreeger Museum in Foxhall, and the Marty Ehrlich Trio Exaltation with bassist John Hébert and drummer Nasheet Waits at Palisades Hub, honoring Washington native Andrew Hill.
Tenor saxophonist Elijah Eaton will perform at Takoma Station, while Joshua Bayer, Leigh Pilzer and Herb Scott will present jazz programming at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.
“DC JazzFest will deliver an extraordinary experience showcasing the unifying power of music,” said Events DC President and CEO Angie M. Gates. “Featuring a stellar lineup of renowned and emerging talent, this year’s festival highlights Washington, D.C.’s status as the global arts capital.”
Tickets are available at www.dcjazzfest.org.