Friday, April 14

Let’s talk about a fellow who should be talked about much more often, certainly around these parts—let’s talk about Charlie Byrd. He was a major postwar jazz guitarist, and a key player in importing the sound of Brazilian bossa nova to American shores. Stan Getz often gets the credit for the groundbreaking Jazz Samba album—in fact, he shared billing on the record with Charlie Byrd. And the guitarist, let’s remember, lived in D.C. for the last 50 years of his life, running a Georgetown club and running a band that boosted many of the most important local musicians, including bass godfather Keter Betts and saxophone titan Buck Hill. Another of his protégés is vibraphonist Chuck Redd, another D.C. institution; he’s paying a fitting tribute to Charlie Byrd with a concert that also features Harry Allen (tenor saxophone), Nate Najar (guitar), Tommy Cecil (bass), Matt Home (drums), and Maucha Adnet (vocals). They begin at 8 p.m. at AMP by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave. in North Bethesda. $25-$35. 

Saturday, April 15 

One constant with trumpeter Dave Douglas: He’s always juggling umpteen projects. He’s got a working quintet, an electronically charged quartet called High Risk, a Wayne Shorter tribute project (Sound Prints) that he co-leads with saxophonist Joe Lovano, and a Jimmy Giuffre–inspired quartet (Riverside) that he co-leads with clarinetist Chet Doxas. And now, another co-leadership project, one that places Douglas alongside French pianist Frank Woeste. The band is called DADA People, rounded out by bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Clarence Penn. The concept is a unique one, and not just among Douglas’s projects: DADA People make music based on the readymades of dada artist Man Ray. (In keeping with the bi-cultural roots of the bandleaders, Ray was an American artist who found most of his success while living in Paris.) What does a jazz tune have to do with an iron lined with carpet tacks, or a mobile made of coat hangers? I know a way to find out. DADA People perform at 8 p.m. at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. $20-$32. 

Sunday, April 16 

“Ted Chubb delivers a fresh approach to modern jazz, drawing the listener in with striking originals and reimagined classics, while keeping the audience swinging and partying along.” That’s the opening line of trumpeter Chubb’s official bio, and it is the most boilerplate sentence about jazz ever written. (Does anyone ever announce that they have a stale, you’ve-heard-it-all-before approach to modern jazz?) Here’s what you need to know: Chubb is a straight-ahead player from the Clifford Brown–Lee Morgan school, with a little bit of Miles Davis thrown in for ballast. And he likes to throw change-ups. If he is playing a ballad, his solo might suddenly blast off into aggression that seems near to chaos. If his trumpet line is pushing the beat, on a dime it will fall behind, then nudge its way forward again. And he’ll surely slip in a chord change you hadn’t heard in the theme. At the same time, though, he can sometimes just charge through a tune, keeping pace with the band (and himself). If jazz, as critic Whitney Balliett said, is “the sound of surprise,” a good player has to keep you guessing, right? Ted Chubb performs at 6 p.m. at Alice’s Jazz and Cultural Society, 2813 12th St. NE. $5. 

Monday, April 17 

Mao Sone was, until recently, part of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute: the jazz education program at Boston’s Berklee College of Music that’s dedicated to using jazz as a tool of cross-cultural, sociopolitical understanding. There’s a lot of philosophical considerations and ramifications there, obviously. But as far as your ears are concerned, it means reading blues, bop, Latin, and all the other cultural variations of jazz as one language. Hence, even though Sone performs here as part of Blues Alley’s Japanese Jazz Series, it’s rather astonishing how much of things like flamenco sonorities work their way into his trumpet sound. And yet, Sone is also concerned with bringing traditional Japanese vibes to the fore. It’s unique, wonderful music with his unique, wonderful quartet (guitar, bass, and drums join Sone, who also plays piano and keyboards). They perform at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $20.