Live Jazz in Washington, D.C.

Alison Crockett blends neo-soul; new-school, uptown jazz; and city blues into something that’s logically political and personally defiant. She has the laggard rhythm of an Erykah Badu, the dance instinct of a Chaka Khan, and the maverick relationship to the jazz canon of a Lizz Wright. Here she hosts a program tracing the history of jazz music, exploring its roots in traditional African music, spirituals, gospel and blues.

Raised in Madrid, Spain and trained on classical guitar, bassist Eugenio Ibarz plays with a subdued but passionate emotion. His compositions bring a mixture of bebop, post-bop and Latin jazz styles, with elements of rock instrumentation. He leads a duo every Tuesday at Bourbon Boulevard in Chantilly.

Tue, Jun 9, 6:00 PM

Herb Scott and Hope Udobi Duo

Awakening Bar & Grill / Capitol Hill / Map

Herb Scott is something of a symbol of the modern jazz cat: he can blow his alto sax with the best of them, burning down the house with Charlie Parker-style, rapidfire phrasing, or he can pick up the mic to drop a few bars as a rapper. Pianist Hope Udobi isn’t just one of the D.C. scene’s most promising young jazz players from a musicianship standpoint; he’s one of the most riveting, creatively speaking. Udobi’s incendiary bop style is brimming with furious energy, mad montunos and unpredictable lines that venture “out” and dig into the blues’ depths with equal aplomb. The pair hold down a new weekly gig at Awakening in Barracks Row. Vocalists are welcome to join.

Pianist Antonio James performs quiet, plaintive piano jazz in the modes of Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson.

Elijah Jamal Balbed and JazzMob DC present music at Ciel Social’s rooftop lounge of its downtown spot every Tuesday. These listings will be faded out as the schedule become available.

D.C. guitarist Knox Engler plays what he calls progressive math rock – think rhythms and beats complex enough to make Dave Brubeck’s experimentations in “taking five” seem like four on the floor.

Michael Foster is a New York City-based saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist whose artistry bridges improvisation, noise, free jazz, performance art, queer theory and graphic and video notation. His work aims to subvert the traditional roles of saxophone, amplifying his horn with a range of unconventional tools, including objects, balloons, drum heads, vibrators, tapes and samples. His newest album, Selections from the Gutter , was released in May 2026, using improvised music to explore themes of history, form and drama. Here he leads his Ghost ensemble, featuring Joey Sullivan on drums and Zach Rowden on bass and tapes.

Local musicians lead a jam session at Takoma Station, a bar that was a hotbed for the straight-ahead scene in the 1980s and ’90s.