live music

Rosslyn Jazz Fest Returns with All-Star Lineup

By ARLnow.com

The annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival is one month away, and this year’s lineup includes a trio of acclaimed performers.

The festival headliner for 2011 is Dee Dee Bridgewater, who won a Tony Award for her acting performance in ‘The Wiz’ and who has also snagged two Grammy Awards for ‘Best Jazz Vocal Performance’ and ‘Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal.’ In addition to her musical and acting accomplishments, Bridgewater hosts the weekly NPR jazz program ‘JazzSet.’

Also on the bill is New Orleans native Henry Butler, an eight-time W.C. Handy ‘Best Blues Instrumentalist – Piano’ award nominee. Blind since birth, Butler not only is a musical chameleon — mixing jazz, Caribbean, classical, pop, blues and R&B influences — but he’s also an accomplished photographer whose work has been displayed at exhibitions.

Rounding out the lineup is rising jazz star Grace Kelly. A saxophonist, singer, composer and arranger, Kelly has already amassed an impressive array of awards and accolades at the age of 19.

The Rosslyn Jazz Festival will take place from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, in Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway). D.C.’s own Al Williams Quartet and guest vocalist Juanita Williams will kick off the event, which is free and open to the public.

Photo via Rosslyn BID

Rosslyn Events Canceled Due to Heat

By ARLnow.com

With temperatures expected to reach into the mid-to-upper 90s over the next two days, the Rosslyn Business Improvement District has decided to nix three of its signature outdoor events.

Today’s Rosslyn lunchtime concert, slated to feature New Orleans-inspired rock quartet The Grandsons, has been canceled “due to excessive heat.” Thursday’s lunchtime concert has also been canceled, as has the Thursday lunchtime farmers market.

Despite the forecast of triple-digit temperatures on Friday, the BID has so far not pulled the plug on its outdoor film festival, which is scheduled to feature 90s comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. The films start at dusk on Fridays.

Cuba’s Sierra Maestra to Perform Tonight in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Sierra Maestra, a Havana-based, Grammy-nominated band that has been performing since 1976, will be bringing their traditional Cuban sound to Rosslyn’s Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd) tonight.

The group is making its only D.C.-area stop here for Artisphere’s Salsa Tuesdays. Dancing lessons start at 7:30 p.m., followed by the band’s performance and dancing from 8:30 to 11:00 p.m. Tickets are $25, discounted to $22 for students, military servicemembers and senior citizens.

Many of the members of Sierra Maestra have performed with the Buena Vista Social Club, the international “supergroup” created by Sierra Maestra founder Juan de Marcos Gonzales.

Tonight’s performance will take place in Artisphere’s 4,000 square foot ballroom.

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NYC’s Danny Ross Playing Iota Club on Sunday

By ARLnow.com

New York-based congressional staffer by day, singer-songwriter-pianist by night, Danny Ross will be making his Washington-area debut Sunday night at Iota Club in Clarendon.

Ross, a staffer in the Manhattan District Office of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), has played South by Southwest, the CMJ Music Fest and NYC’s Mercury Lounge, among other major venues, but he has yet to play the city that’s the focal point of his day job.

Ross cites Wilco, the Beatles and Ryan Adams as influence, and his eclectic, often ballad-y music has also garnered some comparisons to Ben Folds. He will perform with his 9-piece band and horns at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday at Iota Club (2832 Wilson Blvd).

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Local Real Estate Market Lags — While the average home sales price in Arlington was up 4.6 percent for the first half of 2011, the total volume of sales was down 19 percent compared to 2010. [Sun Gazette]

Garvey ‘Home’ in Alexandria, Arlington — State Senate candidate and Arlington School Board member Libby Garvey is trying to play up her local chops to both Arlington and Alexandria Democrats. “Garvey, a resident of Fairlington, considers Alexandria to be her neighborhood,” the Huntington-Belle Haven Patch reported yesterday. Meanwhile, Garvey told the Arlington County Democratic Committee last night that after debates in Fairfax and Alexandria, “it’s really nice to be home tonight.”

Shirlington Jazz Festival Starts Tonight — Shirlington’s outdoor summer jazz festival starts tonight. Local jazz group The Oscillators will perform at the Village at Shirlington Plaza from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The festival runs on Thursday nights through August 25. [Shirlington Village Blog Spot]

Shirlington Hilton Garden Inn Gets a Chef — The Shirlington Hilton Garden Inn (4271 Campbell Avenue), which has been trying to lure local diners to its Great American Grill restaurant, recently hired a new chef. [Shirlington Village Blog]

Lubber Run Performance Schedule Announced

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:55 a.m.) Two years after being “mothballed” by Arlington County, and less than two months after being saved by the approval of $100,000 worth of repairs, the Lubber Run Amphitheater is nearly ready to reopen.

Amphitheater supporters just released a schedule of performances for the upcoming summer season. The season will kick off on Friday, July 29, with a performance by Blues/R&B singer/songwriter Mary Ann Redmond. Organizers are planning on serving cake to attendees to celebrate the new season — the first since 2009.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without a community that appreciates the unique venue for family entertainment the Lubber Run amphitheater has offered for many years and a caring and responsive County government,” Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation President Esther Bowring said in a statement. “We are looking forward to the amphitheater’s reopening and to working with Arlington County and the community to bring great entertainment to the Lubber Run stage for summers to come.”

All shows will begin at 8:00 p.m. The complete performance schedule includes:

Singin’ the Blues on Columbia Pike This Weekend

By Katie Pyzyk

Disclosure: The Columbia Pike Blues Festival is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

You might get the summertime blues on the Pike this weekend.

The 16th annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival kicks off at 1:00 p.m. Saturday on South Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike. The free event runs through 8:00 p.m. and features acclaimed acts like southern blues rocker Tinsley Ellis, along with Columbia Pike’s own blues and soul band, The Curbfeelers.

Even if blues music isn’t your thing, the street fair offers a variety of other entertainment options. From kids’ activities like face painting and the “Guitars Not Guns” booth, to around 50 market and craft vendors, to a variety of food vendors, everybody should be able to find something to keep busy.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the event, which organizers say helps to celebrate the Pike’s diversity.

“The Pike is a very bluesy place,” says Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization Executive Director Takis Karantonis. “This is the place where you find diversity. You will see all types of people coming in.”

Karantonis says the festival will be an opportunity to show off the transformation Columbia Pike has undergone in the past several years. He points out the addition of another large apartment complex and the long-awaited opening of a new Giant food store next week. He says such developments bring back essential functionality to the neighborhood.

“This reflects the ‘new Pike,’ the urban environment in our area,” Karantonis said. “It’s a milestone in a long development over many years, and that’s something good to celebrate.”

CPRO is still looking for volunteers who want to help out at the neighborhood event. If you’re interested in lending a hand, contact CPRO at (703) 892-2776 or email [email protected]. There will also be a booth at the event for donations to help cover the costs of the festival.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

High Temperatures, High Humidity — With temperatures expected to soar to just below 100 degrees today, the National Weather Service has placed the region under a Heat Advisory. “Drink plenty of fluids… stay in an air conditioned room… stay out of the sun… [and] take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside,” NWS cautions. The area is also under a ‘Code Orange’ air quality alert, meaning that air pollution concentrations “may become unhealthy for sensitive groups.” [Weather Channel]

Rosslyn Concert Moved Indoors — Due to the excessive heat, the lunchtime concert that normally takes place in Rosslyn’s Central Space plaza has been moved to the Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd) ballroom. Local group The Joe Rathbone Trio will perform in air conditioned comfort from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Cost of Cherrydale Fire Station Increases, Again — Completion of the new Cherrydale Fire Station has been pushed back again, leading to county staff’s recommendation that the County Board increase funding for the project, again. Funding for the station was first approved in 1990. Construction began in March 2010. It’s now expected to wrap up “by late summer.” [Sun Gazette]

County Launches ArlingtonFamilies.com — Arlington County has launched a new internet portal for parents, featuring links to online resources for the parents of kids ranging from infants to teenagers. [ArlingtonFamilies.com]

Flickr pool photo by pderby

‘Rock the Lot’ Fundraiser for Ryan Diviney

By ARLnow.com

Tortoise & Hare (567 23rd Street S.) in Crystal City will be hosting a “Rock the Lot” fundraiser with the D.C. chapter of the West Virginia University Alumni Association this weekend.

A quarter of the proceeds will go to the medical care of Ryan Diviney, the WVU student from Ashburn who was badly beaten outside a convenience store in 2009 and left in a persistent vegetative state.

Another 70 percent of the money raised will benefit the American Cancer Society. The rest will be donated to Arlington’s police and firefighters.

Tickets to the event are $25 at the door or $20 online. The fundraiser, which is taking place from 2:00 p.m. until closing time on Saturday, will feature a cornhole tournament and the music of The New Relics, Modern Thieves, Flow in the Dark, Down Wilson and Rise & Fall.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Boccato Gelato Expanding with Boccato Lounge

By ARLnow.com

When the adjacent El Chaparral Meat Market closed earlier this year, the owners of Boccato Gelato & Espresso in Clarendon (2719 Wilson Blvd) spotted an opportunity. They signed a lease for the space, and are now in the process of converting it into a bar/lounge.

The new “Boccato Lounge” will serve as a “place for families and the community to gather,” according to co-owner Cristian Velasco. Featuring beer, wine and live entertainment, the lounge will similar to Tryst in Adams Morgan — a hybrid coffee/alcohol hang-out spot.

Velasco says the lounge will allow Boccato to give its coffee and espresso program the attention it deserves, while giving customers more room to enjoy their drinks. There will, of course, be free WiFi.

The lounge will include a stage where local musicians will be able to perform and movies will be able to be screened. Velasco envisions Latin, jazz and bluegrass musicians taking the stage on some nights, and DJs performing on other nights. The rest of the lounge space will be able to accommodate various community uses, including yoga in the mornings, educational events during the day, salsa dancing at night and kids activities on weekends.

“Chill atmosphere, good music,” is how he summarized the concept.

Meanwhile, Velasco is busy opening a second Boccato Gelato on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. He expects the store to open in late June. No word yet on when Boccato Lounge may open.

H/t to John Fontain

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