purple piano
August 24th, 2011
We FINALLY made it to the new H Street NE location of HR-57 last weekend. It was long one of our favorite DC spots for live jazz music when it was formerly located on 14th St, and since it was super-nice enough to move along with us into our new neighborhood — well, yeah, we really have no excuse for not getting there earlier.
It’s still got a “new” vibe to it with the white-painted side walls (I definitely prefer the exposed brick at the former location), but the music was just as enjoyable during our evening there… so I’m not complaining. These places take time to settle into and find their real character. And if you judge by these pictures, doesn’t it look just as moody and comfortable and awesome as ever?
One other note of interest! It looks like they are now equipped with crepe-makers up front in the windows where you come inside. Though I didn’t smell any of the fresh doughy treats or see anyone order them, I’m going to have to look into it on our next visit. Wine, jazz, and crepes. Match made in heaven.
The show was great too — lots of long numbers in their set, hilarious commentary by the band members in between jams, and also a few spontaneous breakouts into the theme song from Sesame Street. This song is brought to you by the letters “H” and “R.” Love it!
trumpet guy
July 30th, 2010
Is it just me, or can you can almost hear the sounds of jazz coming from this silhouette near 14th and U St?
Lightswept
January 5th, 2010
This shot is a closeup of “Lightswept,” a neon light sculpture by artist Craig Kraft , that sits outside HR-57 on 14th Street. I wasn’t a huge fan of this piece at first, but in reading more about his process through his website, I can at least appreciate his craftsmanship, as well as some of his other public installations, much more now. I never put it together that this would be the same artist who created a similar neon sculpture, Lightweb, in Downtown Silver Spring, a piece I see nearly every day. I guess I like the Silver Spring sculpture a great deal more because it is integrated with the elevator shaft and seems to sweep around the existing structure. The one in front of HR-57 seems much more arbitrary, like it is sitting out in the open as an afterthought. Nonetheless, public art is a great thing that we shouldn’t take for granted, and I’m sure I will come around to this piece more in the future — maybe it will require another visit to HR-57 for an evening of jazz very soon.
Saxophone Guy
June 18th, 2008
Matt captured this guy mid-song with a pretty intense facial expression. He plays pretty regularly outside the Woodley Park Zoo metro entrance.
Metro Musicians
March 26th, 2008
It is my opinion that random street (or metro) musicians make the world a better place. You’re coming out of the train, up the escalator, wondering where that melody is coming from, and then you see him!! — the guy playing his trumpet for the joy of the daily commuter. Or sometimes it’s a saxophone, an acoustic guitar, or just some plastic tubs turned upside-down for drums. I’ve even heard shopping carts, tree branches, and spare change in a McDonald’s cup used as percussion instruments. Anything goes. Of course, the random street musician hopes you will toss him a few quarters or a dollar bill for his performance.
Check out this video of my favorite DC street performers:
the guys that beat the buckets in Chinatown. Anyone from DC knows and has seen these guys before.
Talkin’ All That Jazz…
January 22nd, 2008
TALKIN’ ALL THAT JAZZ
Well here’s how it started
Heard you on the radio
Talkin’ ’bout rap
Sayin’ all that crap about how we sample
Given examples
Think we’ll let you get away with that?
You criticize our method of how we make records
you said it wasn’t art, so now we’re gonna rip you apart
Stop, check it out my man
This is the music of a hip-hop band
Jazz, well you can call it that
But this jazz retains a new format
Point, where you misjudged us
Speculated, created a fuss
You’ve made the same mistake politicians have
Talkin’ all that jazz
Talk, well I heard talk is cheap
But like beauty, talk is just skin deep
And when you lie and you talk a lot
People tell you to step off a lot
You see, you misunderstood
A sample is a tactic
A portion of my method, a tool
In fact it’s only of importance when I make it a priority
And what we sample of, is the majority
But you are a minority, in terms of thought
Narrow minded and poorly taught
About hip-hop, playin’ all the silly games
You erase my music, so no one can use it
Step on us and we’ll step on you
Can’t have your cake and eat it too
Talkin’ all that jazz
Lies, that’s when you hide the truth
It’s when you talk more jazz than proof
And when you lie and address something you don’t know
It’s so whack that it’s bound to show
When you lie about me and the band we get angry
We’ll bite our pen, start writin’ again
And the things we write are always true
Suckers, get a grip, now we talkin’ ’bout you
Seems to me that you have a problem
So we can see what we can do to solve them
Think rap is a fad? you must be mad
‘Cause we’re so bad we get respect you never had
Tell the truth, James Brown was old
‘Til Eric and Rakim came out with “I Got Soul”
Rap brings back old R&B
And if we would not, people could’ve forgot
We wanna make this perfectly clear
We’re talented and strong and have no fear
Of those who choose to judge but lack pizazz
Talkin’ all that jazz
Now we’re not tryin’ to be a boss to you
We just wanna get across to you
That if you’re talkin’ jazz, the situation is a no-win
You might even get hurt, my friend
Stetsasonic, the hip-hop band
Like Sly and the Family Stone, we will stand
Up for the music we live and play
And for the song we sing today
For now, let us set the record straight
And later on we’ll have an informal and a formal debate
But it’s important you remember, though
What you reap is what you sew
Talkin’ all that jazz
Talkin’ all that jazz
Talkin’ all that jazz
- Stetasonic: In Full Gear c.1988
Photo: Miles Davis mural behind Bohemian Caverns jazz club. This photo was part of the series I took for use as artwork in the Union Row condo project.
