Followed by a Jazz Happy Hour with live music performed by the Georgetown Jazz Sextet

The editors and of DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC present their new book about the intertwined histories of our capital and jazz music, in conversation with one of the contributors. The familiar history of jazz music in the United States begins with its birth in New Orleans, moves upstream along the Mississippi River to Chicago, then by rail into New York before exploding across the globe. That telling of history, however, overlooks the pivotal role the nation's capital has played for jazz for a century. Some of the most important clubs in the jazz world have opened and closed their doors in Washington, DC, some of its greatest players and promoters were born there and continue to reside in the area, and some of the institutions so critical to national support of this uniquely American form of music, including Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., are rooted in the city. Closer to the ground, a network of local schools like the Duke Ellington High School for the Performing Arts, jazz programs at the University of the District of Columbia and Howard University, churches, informal associations, locally focused media, and clubs keeps the music alive to this day.

Noted historians Maurice Jackson and Blair Ruble present a collection of original and fascinating stories about the DC jazz scene throughout its history, including a portrait of the cultural hotbed of Seventh and U Streets, the role of jazz in desegregating the city, a portrait of the great Edward "Duke" Ellington's time in DC, notable women in DC jazz, and the seminal contributions of the University of District of Columbia and Howard University to the scene. The book also includes three jazz poems by celebrated Washington, DC, poet E. Ethelbert Miller. Collectively, these stories and poems underscore the deep connection between creativity and place. A copublishing initiative with the Historical Society of Washington, DC, the book includes over thirty museum-quality photographs and a guide to resources for learning more about DC jazz.

600 H Street NE, Washington DC 20002

This event is FREE and open to all. Please let us know you're coming on Facebook. 

Maurice Jackson teaches History and African American Studies at Georgetown University and is the author of Let This Voice be Heard: Anthony Benezet, Father of Atlantic Abolitionism. He is a 2009 inductee into the Washington, DC Hall of Fame and was inaugural chair of the DC Commission of African American Affairs. 

Blair Ruble is distinguished fellow for programs at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the author of Washington's U Street: A Biography.

Bridget Arnwine is a freelance writer and photographer residing in Reisterstown, Maryland. She has written bios for the Tri-C Jazz Festival and Jazz at Lincoln Center, and she served as the National Jazz Artists Examiner and DC Jazz Music Examiner for examiner.com for more than three years. Her other published work has appeared in allaboutjazz.com, jazzpolice.com, jazzjournalists.org, The Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Literature, and her newly formed Beets & Bebop Media at beetsandbebopmedia.com. She is a native of Cleveland, Ohio.