May's Best Jazz Concerts

Two annual jazz festivals -- one staged indoors at the Kennedy Center, the other outdoors at Merriweather Post Pavilion -- are on tap in May, along with a diverse array of club dates in and around town. Here's a glimpse at what looks promising.

May 8, Connie Evingson at Blues Alley. A singer who has always kept good company in the studio, the Minneapolis-based Evingson will be joined by some of Washington's finest for this gig. And if her distinctive, widely acclaimed recordings offer any clues, expect to a hear a performance inspired by the likes Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, Peggy Lee and the Beatles.

May 8, Joe Sample and Randy Crawford at the Birchmere. Keyboardist Sample and vocalist Crawford will likely spend much of the evening performing tunes from their new CD, "Feeling Good." But the duo has been collaborating on and off for some three decades, so there should be some reminders of early, chart-topping encounters, too. Either way, you can't lose. "Feeling Good" finds both artists in terrific form, favoring acoustic moods, soulful ballads and slippery grooves.

May 10-12, The Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center. The 12th edition of the world-renowned jazz bash offers a familiar mix of artists -- veterans and newcomers alike. Expect to hear everything from intimate balladry to a blasting big band finale courtesy of Ann Patterson's 17 piece ensemble, Maiden Voyage, which plans to salute the late trombonist and arranger Melba Liston. Also appearing at the festival will be singers Flora Purim, Stephanie Jordan and Jeannie Cheatham, percussionist Airto Moreira (who will perform with Purim) pianists Lynne Arriale, Hiromi and Mayuko Katakuro, violinist Karen Briggs and saxophonist Anat Cohen. Saxophonist, composer and bandleader Jane Ira Bloom will receive the festival's namesake award on the 11th, and free performances are scheduled throughout the event with the focus on budding talent.

May 10-13, Joshua Redman at Blues Alley. The saxophonist's latest visit to Georgetown coincides with the release of his new CD "Back East," which celebrates tenor titan Sonny Rollins's early solo work and alludes to a broad variety of jazz and ethnic music influences. Among them is the reedman to whom the album is dedicated: Dewey Redman, the saxophonist's late father, who died shortly after appearing on "Back East." No doubt his spirit will be felt during this welcome engagement, too.

May 18, Orrin Evans Trio at Twins Jazz. The prolific, underrated pianist, whose credits includes stints with Bobby Watson the Mingus Big Band, will be playing alongside the gifted saxophonist Tim Warfield during this engagement. A bracing mix of self-penned, straightahead tunes and hard bop anthems should play a prominent role.

May 15-20, Mike Stern at Blues Alley. It's not often these days that someone is booked at the Georgetown club for a six-nighter. Guitarist Stern, who first gained recognition working alongside Miles Davis in his fusion days and has since recorded a series of highly regarded solo albums, will augment his band with bassist/Flecktone Victor Wooten for the first three nights before reuniting with his regular tour mate, bassist-vocalist Richard Bona. Behind the kit for all six nights will be powerhouse drummer Dennis Chambers.

May 18, Joe Wilder and Howard Alden at the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe. Wilder, the great Count Basie band alum and seemingly ageless trumpeter, and Alden, the virtuosic 7-string guitarist, should make for a vibrant, soulful and relentlessly swinging combination when they pair up for this intriguing gig. Vocalist Terrie Richards Alden, the guitarist's wife, will likely add plenty of charm and warmth.

May 20, "Such Sweet Thunder" at the Kennedy Center. What better way for the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestrate to participate in the ongoing "Shakespeare In Washington" celebration than to offer a performance of this Bard-inspired Duke Ellington-Billy Strayhorn suite? In addition to the ensemble's performance, conducted by jazz composer and scholar David Baker, the multimedia program will feature "soliloquies, scenes and speeches from the Bard's works."

May 24, John Eaton at Blues Alley. A rare club date for the pianist, crooner and raconteur who always delights audiences with his mix of pop scholarship and sardonic wit. Usually Eaton plans a theme for the evening, but in this setting, anything goes. May 27, Eric Felten at Blues Alley. Felton, the Washington-based trombonist/bandleader, will join friends in honoring the legacy of a true jazz giant -- the late tenor saxophonist Lester Young, best known for his work with the likes of Count Basie and Billie Holiday. Felten always does his homework, and always surrounds himself with some of the area's finest jazz musicians.

May 30-June 3, The 15th Annual Capital Jazz Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Marking a big milestone, the festival expands to five days with a lineup that includes a surefire opening night bill featuring Gerald Albright, George Benson and Al Jarreau. Among the numerous artists scheduled to perform this year are Herbie Hancock, Anita Baker, The Jazz Attack (featuring Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Peter White and Jonathan Butler), Dave Koz, Isaac Hayes, Ramsey Lewis, Bob James and War. Suffice to say that both the Pavilion Stage and the Symphony Woods Stage will see a lot of traffic, and as always there will be plenty of arts and crafts on display in the Marketplace -- not to mention snack, lunch and dinner options.

Next month: The sounds of pop and jazz commingle under the stars at Wolf Trap when Tony Bennett and Harry Connick, Jr., visit the Filene Center--on the 4th and the 21st, respectively.