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…From me, that is. April, of course, is Jazz Appreciation Month at the Smithsonian, and where’ve I been? Not on top of things. Mired in work, for April is also my day job’s busiest and most stressful month. Mea culpa, D.C.
Fortunately, this last weekend of JAM happens to be one of its most eventful. To wit: Today, April 24, a Master Class on the future of the American songbook is being held at the National Museum of the American Indian (on the National Mall) from 1:00 to 2:30. Nearby, at the American Art Museum, docents are leading tours of jazz-related art starting at 2:00.
Tomorrow there will be two outdoor concerts – students of D.C.’s Music Teaching Project will perform at 10:00 am in the plaza outside the National Building Museum as part of the also-in-progress Smithsonian Craft Show. In the evening, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra will perform at the Sylvan Amphitheater at 5:00. Both shows are free.
The big event, though, is on Sunday afternoon, when the great Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez appears with his trio (bassist Ben Street and drummer Adam Cruz) take the stage at the American History Museum’s Carmichael Auditorium. Perez will first take part in an onstage interview, to be followed by a performance with the trio. Once again, the show is free.