Best Bets for March Jazz

March will go out with two jazz lions when Billy Taylor salutes Dizzy Gillespie at the Kennedy Center on the 31st, but there are plenty of interesting concerts (and tributes) on tap in the meantime.

March 4 - Kings of Strings at the Barns at Wolf Trap. "I loved my days with the J. Geils Band, but we had a lot more equipment and played a lot louder. At my age, this is perfect for me, " says the veteran guitarist-bandleader Geils, referring to his association with stellar picker Gerry Beaudoin in Kings of Strings.

The quintet's emphasis is on acoustic jazz guitar -- actually two of them, plus, mandolin, violin and acoustic bass. "And no amps," Geils adds. "The acoustic rhythm guitars along with the acoustic bass will be providing the pulse and the time feel. We will be playing a few of Gerry's original tunes he recorded with mandolinist David Grisman. We love 1930s and '40s jazz and will do some songs associated with the great jazz guitarist Charlie Christian that we recorded with the New Guitar Summit (Geils, Beaudoin and Duke Robillard ) from our latest album on Stony Plain. Since my new recording, 'Jay Geils Plays Jazz' on Stony Plain is getting released in March, I'm sure we'll include something from that recording."

Geils says he was a fan of Beaudoin's first recording, "Minor Swing," made in 1992. "When I met him a few years later I told him how much I had enjoyed it," he said. "Gerry is a great guitarist, writes wonderful tunes and really loves playing just acoustic -- with no amps allowed."

March 12 - Roy Haynes at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. A surefire "Best of the Month" pick, this concert will feature the great bop drummer teaming up with saxophonist Kenny Garrett and bassist Christian McBride in a salute to Charlie Parker. The repertoire will include material drawn from Haynes's 2001 Parker-inspired CD, "Birds of a Feather."

March 14 - Tomasz Stanko Quartet at Blues Alley. The internationally acclaimed Polish trumpeter, composer and ECM recording artist brings his quartet to the Georgetown club for a rare performance. Sometimes meditative, sometimes jarring, always intriguing, his last visit to Washington made for truly a memorable evening. And Stanko promises more of the same this time.

"We will be playing similar music to the last two times at Blues Alley -- but it will actually be completely different," he says. "There are some new tunes because we are preparing a new record and, of course, after three years -- everything is different. I'll be playing with the same band -- my quartet with pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz. They are much more mature now and they are much more professional, but they have not their lost the freshness of young musicians."

March 9 and 10 - Manhattan Transfer at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis. Besides layering four-part harmonies over six decades of pop, R&B and jazz, the 32-year-old quartet is bound to spend some time performing cuts from its recent and aptly titled CD, "Vibrate."

March 10 - Chris Botti at the Birchmere. The trumpeter, who's come to define a Miles Davis-inspired brand of "cool" in contemporary jazz circles, has attracted a big following, thanks in part to his collaborations with Sting. In other words, get your tickets early.

March 10 - Steve Smith and Buddy's Buddies at Blues Alley. Look for words and music to set this gig apart. Founded by veteran rock and fusion drummer Steve Smith, Buddy Rich's daughter Cathy Rich and longtime Buddy Rich alumni Steve Marcus (tenor sax) and Andy Fusco (alto sax), this quintet celebrates Buddy Rich's legacy and spirit with the help of pianist Mark Soskin (Sonny Rollins) and Vital Information bassist Baron Browne.

"Touring with the Buddy Rich alumni group is always an education, both musically and spiritually," Smith recently told us. "Both Andy and Steve have so many incredible stories about Buddy, and they never run out of new ones. In fact, as part of the concert Andy and Steve share a story with the audience and the people seem to really enjoy that. My rhythm-section mates, Baron Browne and Mark Soskin, are some of the most swingin' cats I've ever played with and they are very dedicated to this band. Collectively the group has the energy that Buddy was known for: a 'take no prisoners' approach to jazz."

The band will also perform on March 13 at Centennial High School in Ellicott City, Md. For more information visit: http://www.chsbuddies.com/ or call 410-960-7176.

March 16 - Eliane Elias at the Barns at Wolf Trap. The pianist's repertoire and harmonic prowess extend far beyond her Brazilian roots. So don't be surprised if imaginatively arranged pop standards and brisk, bop-inspired excursions surface amid the samba and bossa nova grooves.

March 18 - Fourplay at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis. These contemporary jazz kingpins -- keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, guitarist Larry Carlton and drummer Harvey Mason -- are accustomed to playing much larger venues. Perhaps they'll stretch out more than usual in this cozy setting.

March 25 - Nnenna Freelon and the Count Basie Orchestra at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Commemorating the bandleader's 100th birthday -- okay, so it was last August but who's complaining? -- this rare pairing will feature Freelon singing some of the best-known songs associated with the Basie songbook, as well as lesser-known tunes and fresh arrangements.

March 28 and 29 - Pat Metheny Group at Lisner Auditorium. The guitarist's on-again, off-again, on-again Group returns. Since the band's ambitious CD "This Way Up" showcases a 68-minute cinematic opus, the concert shouldn't hold many surprises. But chances are Metheny and keyboardist Lyle Mays will also revisit older tunes with support from an international array of talent.

March 31 - Billy Taylor Trio at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. The Kennedy Center's jazz artistic director will pay homage to Dizzy Gillespie with "Diz," among other tunes, during this installment in the Kennedy Center's ongoing "A New America: The 1940s and the Arts" festival. The Taylor-made composition and other pieces will be performed by his trio -- bassist Chip Jackson and drummer Winard Harper -- and special guest trumpeter Jon Faddis.

Next month: club dates by Pat Martino, Gary Burton, and a highly anticipated Kennedy Center performance by the Brazilian guitarist-composer Guinga.