16 years ago, Smithsonian historian and curator John Edward Hasse designated April as Jazz Appreciation Month to recognize and celebrate the fundamental role that creative, improvised music plays in the soundtrack of American culture. This April also marks the centenary of the birth of Ella Fitzgerald, the undisputed Queen of Jazz and, arguably, the most iconic jazz singer of all time. The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra kicks off Jazz Appreciation Month with a tribute show fit for the Queen. Read more >>> The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra performs at 7:30 p.m. at the National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. $25–$40. (202) 633-3587. americanhistory.si.edu/smithsonian-jazz. (Jackson Sinnenberg)
EAT THIS
Visit the Dupont Circle FRESHFARM market this Sunday to try a special bowl from Beefsteak.It’s available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or until supplies run out. The bowl features green garlic, tabbouleh, carrots, cucumber salad, and Swiss chard, and will include vegetables from the market. The taste of spring costs a suggested donation of $8. All profits will be donated to support FRESHFARM’s food access initiatives. If you miss out, the bowl will also be available from April 3 through April 30 at the Dupont Circle location of Beefsteak. FRESHFARM Dupont Circle Market, 20th St. NW between Massachusetts Avenue and Hillyer Place. freshfarm.org. (Laura Hayes)
OH AND ALSO
Friday: Peter Brooks expands on the subjects in his play The Mahabharata to create Battlefield, a new play about a family divided by war that plays at the Kennedy Center Family Theater through Sunday. 7:30 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. $45–$49.
Friday: Legendary post-punk act Thursday headlines a night of rock at Fillmore featuring sets from Touche Amore, Basement, and Wax Idols. 7:30 p.m. at 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $29.
Friday: The Folger Consort presents Starry Messenger, an evening of late Renaissance and early Baroque music with guest string players Risa Browder and John Moran, harpsichordist Webb Wiggins, and soprano Julianne Bairdat the Folger Elizabethan Theatre. 8 p.m. at 201 East Capitol St. SE. $40.
Saturday: Lambchop’s FLOTUS (For Love Often Turns Us Still), is a stunning record that seems both shocking and inevitable. Shocking because, over the course of 12 studio albums, we’ve become so accustomed to the unique alt-country loungecore that a record full of hypnotic electronics—even if it has all of frontman Kurt Wagner’s masterful subtlety—shatters expectations. Inevitable because Wagner is never one to stay static and he’s talented enough to pull off just about anything. Read more >>> Lambchop performs with Sloppy Heads at 7 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $25. (202) 588-1889. ustreetmusichall.com. (Justin Weber)
Saturday: As part of the Underground Comedy Festival, popular jokester and former D.C. resident Rory Scovel performs at Black Cat. 8 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $25.
Saturday: Rhizome and Sonic Circuits host an evening of experimental music with performances by BLK TAG, Matt Wellins, and Sarah Halpern. 8 p.m. at 6950 Maple St. NW. $10 suggested donation.
Sunday: Stories about the destructiveness of greed, temptation, and the horrors of war are, unfortunately, timeless. The National Gallery of Art knows this and presents a pioneering black-and-white effort that combines those themes, the 1953 Kenzi Mizoguchi-directed Japanese film Ugetsu, during its weekend film series. Drawn from a novel by 18th century Japanese writer Akinari Ueda and a story by 19th century French writer Guy de Maupassant, this jidai geki (“historical drama”) follows the adventures of two 16th-century Japanese peasants who earn money by selling their pottery to soldiers. Despite warnings from their wives and a local wise man’s specific message not to seek profit from warfare, the headstrong pair proceeds with tragic results. Read more >>> The film shows at 4 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art East Building Auditorium, 4th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Free. (202) 737-4215. nga.gov. (Steve Kiviat)
Sunday: Northern Virginia native Thao Nguyen performs a solo show without her band, The Get Down Stay Down at Rock and Roll Hotel. 8 p.m. at 1353 H St. NE. $20.
Sunday: Close out the weekend at DC9, where surf-rock band High Waisted performs with The Rememberables and Greenland. 8:30 p.m. at 1940 9th St. NW. $10.
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