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Friday, March 23 The Washington Women in Jazz Festival continues to be the big jazz event this week. And its Friday night performance sums up the purpose of the festival: demonstrating how much female jazz talent the area can boast. Enough, indeed, to form a powerful big band. Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes is 15 pieces strong, led by Virginia-based trombonist Gunn through a strong repertory of jazz standards and other favorites. Gunn describes the band as “laid-back but hard-swinging”; that’s a good nutshell for them (and credit to sterling drummer Lydia Lewis, who’s the nerve center of their sound), but unfortunately, it leaves out the remarkable level of finesse that the performers bring to the bandstand, and Gunn’s admirable skill in coaxing it out of them. The Bullettes are a joyful addition to the large-ensemble side of D.C. jazz; if that’s not immediately clear, watch the smile play across Gunn’s lips as she catches the contagious swing from her players. Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes perform at 6 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4th and I streets SW. $5.
Saturday, March 24
Sunday, March 25
Tuesday, March 27 Jazz guitarists tend to focus their sets on upbeat stuff, which lets them show their facility on the tricky instrument and work out their swing chops. Davy Mooney is no exception. He plays with a glowing tone with lots of oaky resonance around the edges, and a singular harmonic signature with an unusual but effective predilection for dissonant passing chords. He is a serious craftsman at high tempos, too, working at such blending speed and agility that it can sound like he’s playing slide guitar when navigating the changes. Where Mooney really shines, though, is when he plays ballads. His subtle melodic progressions and delicate chordings evoke the feeling of a delicate piece of sculpted glass, full of intricate detail but requiring very careful handling by a sensitive observer. Go for the ballads, therefore—-but stay for the swingers. Mooney performs with his trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $20.