The Ninety Miles project wasn’t just about the three American musicians involved with it and the fact that they traveled to Cuba to lay down some tracks. Really, it was a recording-studio summit between saxophonist David Sánchez, trumpeter Christian Scott, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and Havana-based pianists Rember Duharte and Harold Lopez-Nussa, made possible by recently eased U.S. travel restrictions. Now that the songs are out there, they can be taken on the road, and the American delegation, now with trumpeter and keys player Nicholas Payton in place of Scott, is still tearing them up and making something new of them with every performance. Read more >>> Ninety Miles performs at 8 p.m. at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. $35. (301) 405-2787. claricesmithcenter.umd.edu. (Michael J. West)
EAT THIS
Bottled cocktails are officially a thing right now. The Coupe started offering three varieties when it opened in the fall. Since then, the novel drinking containers have also appeared at Range in Chevy Chase, where head bartender Owen Thomson has a bottled a vodka soda called “The Name Says It All” and “Mother-in-Law” with bourbon, maraschino, bitters, and curacao. Range even offers three punches in 750 mL bottles for groups ($35). And then there’s Del Campo, a South American grill which opened Monday in Penn Quarter. We suggest you try the Argentinian-inspired Fernet Branca and Coca-Cola with Madagascar vanilla bean syrup, which is “embotellado en casa.” Read more about the bottled cocktail trend here. (Jessica Sidman)
OH AND ALSO
Tonight: The storytelling champs that make up the Story League All Stars are getting ready to present an evening of deep, dark secrets. Don’t miss out! 9 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $15.
Tonight: Spooky Action Theater debuts Optimism!, its new adaptation of Voltaire’s Candide presented in rhymed couplets. 8 p.m. at Spooky Action Theater, 1810 16th St. NW. $10–$25.
Tonight: Malian musician Cheick Hamala Diabate celebrates the release of his latest album with a performance at Tropicalia, featuring Tosin Beats and the Sol Power All Stars. 8 p.m. at Tropicalia, 2001 14th St. NW. $10.
Tonight: Anyone who remembers good times and late nights at the District’s legendary Tracks nightclub has to check out this weekend’s Tracks Reunion events. Tonight, DC9 hosts the first reunion party featuring the music of the club’s Thursday and Friday nights: dark electronic and industrial. 8 p.m. at 1940 9th St. NW. $10. Check out the whole sked at the reunion’s official website.
Tonight: Helen Hayes Award winners Mitchell Hébert, Naomi Jacobson, and Holly Twyford participate in Theatre Lab’s annual Dramathon, during which local playwrights craft new one-act plays and perform them in less than 24 hours. 10:30 p.m. at Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW. $10–$15.
Saturday: Mix the lightning-quick wit of Brooklyn MC Fabolous with the arrogant drug-dealer brags of Virginia’s Pusha T and you have a show that appeals to a sweeping variety of hip-hop fans. Inspired by “Life Is So Exciting,” the tag-team lyrical beatdown from Fab’s The Soul Tape 2, MTV Jams decided to put the show on the road. Read more >>> 8 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T Street NW. $36.50–$40. (Julian Kimble)
Saturday: Everyone’s favorite local comedic talk show You, Me, Them, Everybody is bringing its show to the big screen. Featured guests include sportswriter Dave Zirin, comedian Stephanie Hasz, and music from Black Hills, among others. 8 p.m. at Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $10.
Saturday: Garage rockers The Numerators, Teen Liver, and Post Nasal Drip all perform at Comet Ping Pong. Check out our recent One Track Mind column for Teen Liver’s song, “Good For Your Health.” 10 p.m. at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. $10.
Sunday: For wildflower photographer Jackie Bailey Labovitz, a large part of the appeal is the hunt. The fruits of her labor are currently on display at the U.S. Botanic Garden and a few offerings stand out—a common blue violet in a pose that suggests a cartoon duck, a Virginia bluebell with fussy petals that imitate a frilly antebellum dress, a positively downcast red columbine, and a blade of “blue-eyed grass” that somehow manages to live up to its name. Read more >>> 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Free. (Louis Jacobson)
Sunday: Israeli musician Noa performs at Montgomery College to kick off the 14th annual Washington Jewish Music Festival. 7:30 p.m. at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. $32–$35.
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