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Most of the musicians listed below I saw performing at
Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.

CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET

In the fall of 2000, I saw tenor saxophonist Charles Lloyd at Blues Alley with his quartet, featuring Billy Higgins and John Abercrombie. Lloyd and guitarist Abercrombie were excellent, but I thought the most entertaining parts of the performance was seeing Billy Higgins on the drums. Sadly, this was one of Higgins' last tours; he died in May, 2001. A recommended CD from this group (plus Brad Mehldau on piano): "The Water Is Wide."

ROSEANNA VITRO

I have seen vocalist Roseanna Vitro twice. The first time was in New Jersey in 1997, where she was accompanied by pianist Kenny Werner in an entertaining tribute to Ray Charles. I went to see her again when she hit Blues Alley in May, 2001. This time, she was accompanied by a trio featuring Eddie Gomez, the late Bill Evans' longtime bassist. This show also featured some Ray Charles tunes, but also emphasized tunes associated with Bill Evans. Both shows were thoroughly enjoyable. I recommend looking for the following recordings: "Passion Dance" and "Catchin' Some Rays: The Music of Ray Charles"

JOHN HICKS QUINTET with BOBBY WATSON

The John Hicks Quintet with alto saxophonist Bobby Watson, flutist Elise Wood, bassist Steve Novocel, and drummer Cecil Brooks III, performed at Blues Alley in June, 2001. The set that I saw included several Monk tunes and one by Charlie Parker. There were some very strong solos by all concerned, particularly by pianist Hicks and by Watson. Also, it was definitely interesting to hear Charlie Parker's composition played on the flute. As an extra bonus, after the set, John Hicks stayed to play an excellent piano solo.

VALERY PONOMAREV QUINTET

In May, 2001, Soviet defector and former Jazz Messenger Valery Ponomarev performed with his quintet at Blues Alley. The music was very good, with strong solos by trumpeter Ponomarev and his pianist/musical director, Sid Simmons. Most of the music came from Ponomarev's recent CD, "The Messenger"; be sure to check it out.