National Stars and Top-Shelf Local Bands Merge for Innovative Shows and a Daylong Jazz Loft MegaFest
WASHINGTON, DC: The D.C. Jazz Loft Series, a collaboration between the DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) and CapitalBop, will return to the Festival this year with performances from some of the nation’s most influential, boundary-pushing artists. Part of the Festival’s Jazz in the ‘Hoods program presented by Events DC, the three-day series is expanding to include a final, daylong Jazz Loft MegaFest on June 9.
The D.C. Jazz Loft Series again will showcase edgy artists who engage the Festival’s younger, musically inquisitive audiences. Innovative nationally-known artists include Marc Cary’s Cosmic Indigenous; Tarbaby, featuring Orrin Evans, Nasheet Waits and Eric Revis; and the Todd Marcus Nonet. The Jazz Loft MegaFest will feature four bands, a screening of the film Icons Among Us, an interdisciplinary presentation on jazz and hip-hop, food and drink presented by the Taste of DC, and more.
“We’re making the case that jazz isn’t stuffy music that you have to sit down and listen to without moving, and it never has been,” said Giovanni Russonello, editor-in-chief of CapitalBop.com. “At the Jazz Loft MegaFest, the culmination of this year’s series, we’re creating a multimedia marketplace of music, food and art.”
Now in its second year, the D.C. Jazz Loft Series grew out of CapitalBop’s successful monthly D.C. Jazz Loft shows, which have highlighted a variety of District-area talent at local hotspots since December 2010. Originally inspired by the popular late-night musician hangouts at Manhattan lofts in the bebop and free-jazz eras, D.C. Jazz Loft concerts draw diverse audiences to appreciate and enjoy the breadth and vitality of Washington’s exciting, expanding jazz scene. After last year’s D.C. Jazz Loft Series, DownBeat magazine wrote: “It brought a much-needed cool factor … [and] attracted multi-generational, multiracial crowds.”
Local performers at the D.C. Jazz Loft Series include Christie Dashiell, the lead vocalist who wowed audiences as a member of Afro-Blue on NBC’s The Sing- Off last year; bassist Kris Funn, who has toured with Kenny Garrett and is a member of the Christian Scott Quintet; emerging saxiphonist Elijah Jamal Balbed and experimental drummer Lenny Robinson.
The series is a feature component of the DC Jazz Festival’s Jazz in the ’Hoods program presented by Events DC, which offers numerous performances in museums, clubs, restaurants, hotels, and galleries across the city. The annual program attracts a large and diverse audience and showcases many DC-based jazz groups at venues such as Bohemian Caverns, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Gallery O on H, among others.
“CapitalBop’s influence in the D.C. jazz scene makes them an integral component of the Festival,” said DC Jazz Festival Executive Producer Charles Fishman. “The D.C. Jazz Loft Series has a down-to-earth vibe that reaches a diverse audience and attracts new fans to local venues to experience exciting jazz performances.”
Series Lineup:
Friday, June 1 - The Dunes (1402 Meridian Pl. NW) (tickets)
Doors open at 8:30 p.m.
9:00 p.m. Christie Dashiell Quartet
10:30 p.m. & 12:00 a.m. Todd Marcus Nonet
Saturday, June 2 - The Fridge (516 8th St. SE) (tickets)
Doors open at 8:30 p.m.
9:00 p.m. Kris Funn & Corner Store
10:30 p.m. & 12:00 a.m. Tarbaby
Saturday, June 9 - Taste of DC Loft (629 New York Ave. NW) (tickets)
Doors open at 3:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m. Jazz Academy Youth Combo, Directed by Paul Carr
4:00 p.m. Screening of Icons Among Us
5:30 p.m. Shaolin Jazz: An Interactive Panel on Jazz and Hip-Hop, feat. Kokayi, Dr. Will Smith, Keanna Faircloth, DJ 2-Tone Jones & more
7:00 p.m. Elijah Jamal Balbed, Tarus Mateen & Lee Pearson II
8:30 p.m. Lenny Robinson’s Mad Curious
10:00 p.m. & 12:00 a.m. Marc Cary & Cosmic Indigenous
About the DC Jazz Festival
With over 100 performances in nearly 50 venues, the DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) is the largest music festival in Washington, D.C. A project of Festivals DC, Ltd., a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, the DCJF is one of the most highly-anticipated cultural events in the nation’s capital. The Festival has garnered widespread media acclaim, and has quickly become recognized within the global jazz community. The DCJF presents year-round programs with performances featuring local, nationally and internationally acclaimed artists that promote music integration in school curricula, and actively support community outreach to expand and diversify its audience of jazz enthusiasts. The 2012 DC Jazz Festival will take place June 1 - 10.
WASHINGTON, DC: The D.C. Jazz Loft Series, a collaboration between the DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) and CapitalBop, will return to the Festival this year with performances from some of the nation’s most influential, boundary-pushing artists. Part of the Festival’s Jazz in the ‘Hoods program presented by Events DC, the three-day series is expanding to include a final, daylong Jazz Loft MegaFest on June 9.
The D.C. Jazz Loft Series again will showcase edgy artists who engage the Festival’s younger, musically inquisitive audiences. Innovative nationally-known artists include Marc Cary’s Cosmic Indigenous; Tarbaby, featuring Orrin Evans, Nasheet Waits and Eric Revis; and the Todd Marcus Nonet. The Jazz Loft MegaFest will feature four bands, a screening of the film Icons Among Us, an interdisciplinary presentation on jazz and hip-hop, food and drink presented by the Taste of DC, and more.
“We’re making the case that jazz isn’t stuffy music that you have to sit down and listen to without moving, and it never has been,” said Giovanni Russonello, editor-in-chief of CapitalBop.com. “At the Jazz Loft MegaFest, the culmination of this year’s series, we’re creating a multimedia marketplace of music, food and art.”
Now in its second year, the D.C. Jazz Loft Series grew out of CapitalBop’s successful monthly D.C. Jazz Loft shows, which have highlighted a variety of District-area talent at local hotspots since December 2010. Originally inspired by the popular late-night musician hangouts at Manhattan lofts in the bebop and free-jazz eras, D.C. Jazz Loft concerts draw diverse audiences to appreciate and enjoy the breadth and vitality of Washington’s exciting, expanding jazz scene. After last year’s D.C. Jazz Loft Series, DownBeat magazine wrote: “It brought a much-needed cool factor … [and] attracted multi-generational, multiracial crowds.”
Local performers at the D.C. Jazz Loft Series include Christie Dashiell, the lead vocalist who wowed audiences as a member of Afro-Blue on NBC’s The Sing- Off last year; bassist Kris Funn, who has toured with Kenny Garrett and is a member of the Christian Scott Quintet; emerging saxiphonist Elijah Jamal Balbed and experimental drummer Lenny Robinson.
The series is a feature component of the DC Jazz Festival’s Jazz in the ’Hoods program presented by Events DC, which offers numerous performances in museums, clubs, restaurants, hotels, and galleries across the city. The annual program attracts a large and diverse audience and showcases many DC-based jazz groups at venues such as Bohemian Caverns, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Gallery O on H, among others.
“CapitalBop’s influence in the D.C. jazz scene makes them an integral component of the Festival,” said DC Jazz Festival Executive Producer Charles Fishman. “The D.C. Jazz Loft Series has a down-to-earth vibe that reaches a diverse audience and attracts new fans to local venues to experience exciting jazz performances.”
Series Lineup:
Friday, June 1 - The Dunes (1402 Meridian Pl. NW) (tickets)
Doors open at 8:30 p.m.
9:00 p.m. Christie Dashiell Quartet
10:30 p.m. & 12:00 a.m. Todd Marcus Nonet
Saturday, June 2 - The Fridge (516 8th St. SE) (tickets)
Doors open at 8:30 p.m.
9:00 p.m. Kris Funn & Corner Store
10:30 p.m. & 12:00 a.m. Tarbaby
Saturday, June 9 - Taste of DC Loft (629 New York Ave. NW) (tickets)
Doors open at 3:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m. Jazz Academy Youth Combo, Directed by Paul Carr
4:00 p.m. Screening of Icons Among Us
5:30 p.m. Shaolin Jazz: An Interactive Panel on Jazz and Hip-Hop, feat. Kokayi, Dr. Will Smith, Keanna Faircloth, DJ 2-Tone Jones & more
7:00 p.m. Elijah Jamal Balbed, Tarus Mateen & Lee Pearson II
8:30 p.m. Lenny Robinson’s Mad Curious
10:00 p.m. & 12:00 a.m. Marc Cary & Cosmic Indigenous
About the DC Jazz Festival
With over 100 performances in nearly 50 venues, the DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) is the largest music festival in Washington, D.C. A project of Festivals DC, Ltd., a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, the DCJF is one of the most highly-anticipated cultural events in the nation’s capital. The Festival has garnered widespread media acclaim, and has quickly become recognized within the global jazz community. The DCJF presents year-round programs with performances featuring local, nationally and internationally acclaimed artists that promote music integration in school curricula, and actively support community outreach to expand and diversify its audience of jazz enthusiasts. The 2012 DC Jazz Festival will take place June 1 - 10.
