Jazz on Jackson Place 2016

THE JONATHAN PARKER OCTET
Thurs June 2, 2016
TICKETSSaxophonist/composer Jonathan Parker Jonathan Parker leads his smoldering Octet, now a mainstay of the DC jazz scene. Adept at weaving in between the idioms of traditional hard bop and contemporary jazz, the group performs Parker’s own compositions adjacent to his compelling arrangements of the standard repertoire.

“chock-full of tight ensemble work and compelling solo statements. Jonathan Parker utilizes all of the tone colors and rhythmic tools at his disposal” All About Jazz

THE DANIELLE WERTZ QUARTET
Thurs July 7, 2016
TICKETSJazz vocalist Danielle Wertz has already gained national recognition as one of the next generation’s leading voices in jazz. Semi-Finalist in the illustrious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, she was the inaugural winner of the Washington Women in Jazz Festival Young Artist Contest. Danielle is a recipient of several other accolades including the Outstanding Jazz Performance Award in the DownBeat 38th Annual Student Music Awards.

“her voice is the most subtle instrument, a soft delivery with a flawless articulation—it’s a late-night voice.” The Washington City Paper

THE SHARON CLARK TRIO
Thurs August 4, 2016
TICKETSJazz on Jackson Place welcomes Sharón Clark, the unrivalled jazz diva of Washington, DC.

“You can’t underestimate the transformation of what seems like an ordinary song when an interpreter like Sharón Clark, a Washington-based jazz and soul diva, tears it apart and peers inside.” The New York Times

The Wall Street Journal put it best, “an absolute triumph. The brilliant Sharón Clark, however, knows how to personalize the songs of Motown or the Beatles, no less than if they were by Gershwin or Rodgers, and offers an object lesson in how to revitalize someone else’s vintage hit. Her approach is firmly rooted in the pantheon of jazz singers, particularly Carmen McRae and especially Sarah Vaughan.

“a singer with the range, musicality and command of tone and timbre that was Sarah Vaughn at her best” JazzTimes