“In the past two years, Bohemian has
undergone a meteoric rise to become basically the manifestation of everything people
were hoping the D.C. jazz scene would have,”
says Giovanni Russonello, editor of D.C. jazz
website capitalbop.com and organizer of the
Jazz Loft series.
The 23-year-old Russonello embodies the
youthful and energetic movement of jazz in
this city, and he’s on a mission to bring more
jazz to the masses. He started his news blog
and site in 2010, after seeing too many great
shows in which musicians outnumbered
audience members. In that vein, late last year
he also helped launch the Jazz Loft series,
presenting young and up-and-coming musicians in a laid-back atmosphere, “free from
the constraints of often-stuffy jazz clubs,”
Russonello wrote on his blog.
“We now have a place that brings
together, on a regular basis, some of the
best jazz musicians of different types,” he
tells me. “This isn’t about making a club
owner happy or playing while people eat
dinner—it’s about going as far as you want
to go with your music.”
Though the shows take place at Red Door
in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood, it’s
worth the trek away from U Street, not only
for the eclectic mix of jazz but also because
there’s no expensive cover charge or pricey
drinks. Instead, the event is BYOB and a $10
donation supports the musicians.
For U Street visitors looking for variety,
the corridor offers other genres of music.
Sprinkled among the jazz clubs is a crop of
recently opened indie rock venues, including U Street Music Hall, a D.J.-owned and
-operated music venue, and Patty Boom
Boom, a reggae club that specializes in
rum-based drinks.
Brower says that, despite “a lot of really
nice young players are coming out of this
town,” U Street may never recapture the
grandeur of its glory days, musically. Still,
strolling the corridor on a weekend night,
the rhythm of snare drums and bass moving you along, it’s hard not to feel you’re
part of something big. Just a block west of
Bohemian Caverns, a face comes into view
at the intersection of U and 12th streets.
It’s Ellington, peering down from a massive
building mural—a constant reminder, perhaps, of where this neighborhood has been
and, appropriately, where it’s staying.
