by Michael J. West
Monday, March 2
This writer doesn’t know which to be more excited about. The fact that the Elijah Easton Trio has found a new residency in town? Or the fact that it’s in the space once occupied by the legendary Bohemian Caverns? Easton, you may recall, for a while held down a loose, free-flowing Tuesday night residency at The Service Bar just a few blocks from the old Caverns. He attacked it with his own unflaggingly energetic sound as well as those of bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Dana Hawkins. It might go anywhere and everywhere, even with the most reliable bebop chestnuts in the canon. That gig shut down mysteriously, almost immediately after it received a glowing profile in the Washington Post. Now, though, Easton and that same trio have come home. No, Harlot is not the same, but for those of us who were around for the dizzying heyday of 2006-16, it will always be the Bohemian Caverns. And now it has fantastic local jazz once a week! The Elijah Easton Trio performs at 8 p.m. at Harlot, 2001 Eleventh Street NW in Washington D.C. Free (But order something!)
Wednesday, March 4
People look at this writer funny when he says it, but something about the Joe Vetter Quartet is reminiscent of the Thelonious Monk Quartets of yore. The thing is that Vetter, a pianist, sounds nothing whatsoever like Thelonious Monk. (Though saxophonist David Merlin-Jones does have a vague resemblance in his sound to Monk’s longtime tenor man Charlie Rouse.) It’s more about the way the players on the bandstand relate to each other. Vetter and Merlin-Jones in particular have a strong rapport in their interactions. They follow each other closely and hit all the right plot points (so to speak) in each other’s solos—nothing so radical as Monk, mind you, but a rhythmic and melodic understanding all the same. It’s also significant that the pianist and saxophonist are, like Monk and Rouse, the constants in the band. The rhythm section rotates: last month they brought bassist Steve Arnold and drummer Paul Jung. This month it could be Jon Guo on bass, Keith Butler or Kelton Norris on drums…there’s only one way to find out, y’all. The Joe Vetter Quartet performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Twins Jazz, 1344 U Street NW in Washington, D.C. $10
Friday, March 6
Cindy Blackman Santana’s website announces (with no specifics, mind you) that she has a new album forthcoming called Give the Drummer Some. Keystone Korner’s website announces (with few specifics, might I add) that Blackman Santana is performing this weekend and recording the performance. Coincidence? You make the call. Still, don’t miss the chance to see Blackman Santana, a drummer underrated by jazz audiences even as she is all but royalty in the rock world. (You may remember her as the impossibly hip drummer in Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” video—or as the drummer and wife of the legendary Carlos Santana.) Her current quartet is a force of nature, featuring guitarist Aurelian Budynek, keyboardist Marc Cary, and bassist Felix Pastorius. This is a seriously accomplished bunch of musicians, as powerful a marshaling of jazz fusioneers as you’re likely to find in 2020. And if all is as it seems, your cheers (and trust me, you’ll be cheering) might make your way on to vinyl. The Cindy Blackman Santana Quartet performs at 7:30 and 10 p.m. at Keystone Korner Baltimore, 1350 Lancaster Street. $20-$35
Saturday, March 7
Jazz has since roughly 2017 been in what we might call a Decade of Centennials. It’s the 100th anniversary of the birth of an awful lot of terribly important jazz musicians. In 2020, Charlie Parker is the big one…but not far off is pianist Dave Brubeck, the bespectacled blues-meister who wowed the world with his odd-meter classics “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk.” Those are just the most famous of his works, but Brubeck is a genuine giant of jazz piano and composition. Fitting that a local giant of jazz piano and composition should pay tribute to him. There is not a lot of (overt) Brubeck influence in Richard Johnson’s piano playing; he is a fluent, finesse-filled bebop player who reminds this writer a bit of the late, great Larry Willis. But one can hear how that style would graft well onto the Brubeck oeuvre. I for one am looking forward to seeing how he makes “Unsquare Dance” happen. The Richard Johnson Quartet (with saxophonist Tim Green, bassist Kris Funn, and drummer Eric Kennedy) performs at 6 p.m. at Caton Castle, 20 South Caton Avenue in Baltimore. $25
Michael J. West is a freelance writer, editor, and jazz journalist who has been covering the Washington, D.C. jazz scene since 2009. He spends most days either hunkered down in the clubs or in his very big headphones. He lives in Washington with his wife and two children.
Recent Articles March 21st. A day that I will always think of amazing album releases. DC-based musician, producer, and singer-songwriter, Rachel Levitin, released Witty Banter
Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
