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Savor the world-renowned sound of the MJF—right here in the DMV!
One of the jazz world’s most enduring and essential institutions, the Monterey Jazz Festival celebrates its 65th anniversary season with a touring ensemble that represents both the peerless artistry and top-tier bona fides of its namesake. Taking turns at the microphone are two of the most celebrated vocalists of our era: NEA Jazz Master, Grammy and Tony Award-winner Dee Dee Bridgewater and fellow Grammy winner and multiple DownBeat poll-topper Kurt Elling. Directing the ace ensemble is pianist, Mack Avenue recording artist, and five-time Grammy nominee Christian Sands. Rounding out the sizzling sextet are Lakecia Benjamin, 2020’s DownBeat Critics Poll “Rising Star Alto Saxophonist,” plus the incandescent rhythm section of bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Clarence Penn.
Dee Dee Bridgewater, vocals
Kurt Elling, vocals
Lakecia Benjamin, alto saxophone
Christian Sands, piano, musical director
Yasushi Nakamura, bass
Clarence Penn, drums
Co-presented with Strathmore
This is one of twenty 2022/23 season performances included in Washington Performing Arts’s The World in Our City initiative, which promotes cross-cultural understanding and cultural diplomacy via the presentation of international visiting artists, globally inspired local programming, and the award-winning Embassy Adoption Program, a partnership with D.C. Public Schools.
Special thanks to the following lead supporters of Washington Performing Arts’s mission-driven work: Jacqueline Badger Mars and Mars, Incorporated; D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities; the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; and the Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts.
