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The PRJC can be reached at
484 626-0887.

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Potomac River Jazz Club [www.prjc.org ]
Potomac River Jazz Club - Celebrating 50 Years!




The Conservatory Classic Jazz Band   
  and the PRJC Jam

   Sep 24, October 29, November 19, and December 17, from 2:30-5pm.
Location: Alfio's La Trattoria, 4515 Willard Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD.

Conservatory Classic JB    The Conservatory Classic Jazz Band opens and closes the music, with a Jam Session in the middle. All are welcome to sit in or just sit back and enjoy!
The Conservatory Classic Jazz Band was formed in 2003 to present the sounds of traditional jazz to Washington DC audiences. A seven-piece group, they play New Orleans style, Chicago style, small-group swing, and mainstream. CCJB members include Dave Robinson, leader/cornet/trumpet, Brian Priebe on trombone, Gary Gregg on clarinet/sax, Dan Hall on bass, Jeff Reynolds on guitar/banjo, Brian Alpert on drums. Note: Alfio's has valet parking, street parking, and a full dinner menu available.

Visit the band's website at ccjazzband

Advanced Tickets are available from the PRJC EventBrite site: Tickets
 Admission: PRJC members ($10), Non-members ($15), Youth & Jammers (Free).




The PRJC Jazz Educational Discussion Early Jazz Guitarists featuring Steve Herberman
     Sept 27, 2023, 7-8:15pm
ONLINE via Zoom

Steve Herberman    Welcome to the next session in the PRJC Jazz Talks where we feature the extraodinary guitarist, Steve Herberman speaking on The Early Jazz Guitarists. He will discuss the styles of early great jazz guitarists such as Eddie Lang, George Van Eps, Freddie Green, Django Reinhardt, Tony Mottola and Charlie Christian. Steve will demonstrate important aspects of the player's styles that put them on the international jazz map.
Steve Herberman is a graduate of Berklee College Of Music majoring in Jazz guitar performance. He began playing a seven-string guitar in 1993. Steve Herberman has performed at venues such as Birdland in NYC, Spazio in Los Angeles, the NAMM shows in Anaheim and Nashville, the North Wales jazz guitar weekend in the U.K. and a tour of Italy. Closer to home he has performed at Blues Alley, the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe, and the Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts. Steve has performed with renowned musicians such as Keter Betts, Buster Williams, Gary Bartz, Drew Gress, Chuck Berghofer, Mark Ferber, Matt Clohesy, Colin Stranahan, Jim Snidero, Harvie S, Ali Ryerson, Steve Williams, Steve LaSpina, Jeff Hirshfield, John Pisano and many more. Steve Herberman is featured in the book “The Great Jazz Guitarists" by Scott Yanow. Herberman placed as a top guitarist in the 2022 All About Jazz reader's poll.

Steve has recorded four CDs as a leader and two CD's as co-leader; Thoughtlines (2001) Action:Reaction (2006) Ideals (2008) Between Friends (2015) A Little Closer (2018) and Counterbalance (2019.) His recordings have received wide critical acclaim in JazzTimes, Downbeat, Jazz Improv and many others. Steve’s recent CD, Ideals, reached the Top 10 on the JazzWeek chart for national airplay remaining on the chart for 16 weeks. Action:Reaction, a CD of Steve's original music, was chosen as one of the top 50 CD's of 2007 by Jazz Improv magazine. Steve Herberman's original composition "What We Do" won first place in the jazz category of the 2018 USA Songwriting Competition.

Herberman taught jazz guitar on the faculty of Towson University for 14 years and is currently a faculty member for JazzWire and Jazz Band Masterclass. Steve has a busy independent teaching studio. He has presented masterclasses in the U.K. and Italy and at many universities across the U.S. Steve has written instructional material for Downbeat magazine, Fingerstyle Guitar Journal, Fingerstyle 360, Mel Bay’s Guitar Sessions, Just Jazz Guitar and Modern Guitars webzine. He is an online instructor for www.mikesmasterclasses.com where he has produced about 60 instructional jazz video lessons. Steve Herberman has been featured on the covers of Fingerstyle Guitar Journal and Just Jazz Guitar Magazine with his Comins guitar that he has endorsed for many years. He is a GLB amplifier artist with his own signature model amp, the GIG 50SH, the flagship model for GLB Sound.
The PRJC has been bring trad jazz and swing music to the DC area for 52 years in the way of concerts, jams, and talks. Our Jazz Talk series centers around early jazz topics and features top musicians and historians. As these are all hosted on Zoom, you can enjoy them wherever you area. This series is offered for FREE, but we certainly appreciate your financial support through our "Donation Ticket" option, if you are able. Don't miss this great presentation - and register no later than two hours before it begins.


 Admission:The event is FREE! Registration by 5pm on the day of the event is required.


Zoom Registration Register for Zoom Link





PRJC Oktoberfest concert with David Sager's Pie in the Sky Jazz
   October 8, 2023, from 2:00pm-5:00pm
Rosensteel Knights of Columbus of Silver Spring, 9707 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Directions

Sager


The Potomac River Jazz Club (PRJC) invites you to join us for a swinging afternoon of lively New Orleans Traditional Jazz, and hot jazz and swing from the 20s & 30s with David Sager's Pie in the Sky Jazz Band.

Pie-in-the-Sky Jazz Band will make its exhilarating comeback, after a 3-year hiatus! The band specializes in music from the 1920s and boasts some of the finest musicians from this -- and any -- area. For this performance, the band will feature, in addition to Mr. Sager and his trombone, Ben Mauger - cornet & trumpet; Scott Silbert - clarinet and saxophones, Scott Kennedy - piano; Anita Thomas - string bass and bass saxophone; Tommy Barrick - drums. Don't miss it, folks! It'll be cat's whiskers.


  Admission: PRJC members ($20), General admission ($25; $22.50 in advance), Youth with valid student IDs (Free).
Purchase Tickets




The PRJC Jazz Talk: PRJC Jazz Talk: Jazz & Baseball
Presented by Smithsonian Curator Emeritus John Hasse,
     October 16, 2023, 7-8:15pm, ONLINE via Zoom

Jazz and baseball? At first glance, that sounds like pairing God and gambling. . .or reggae and Roosevelt. What’s their connection? Some have claimed that the very word jazz may owe its origins to baseball, for an early documented use of the word jazz, meaning a kind of pep, occurred in a 1912 Los Angeles Times article on baseball. This Zoom series is FREE and open to the public (although we always appreciate donations to offset the cost of the programs). Register by 5:00 p.m. the day of the presenation to get the Zoom link. John Hasse

Both baseball and jazz use swing as a noun and a verb, and in both fields, swing involves time and timing. In both fields we talk of players and playing—playing ball, playing jazz. Both were born in the United States and stand throughout the world as American symbols. Both require players with years of preparation, frequent practice, teamwork, motor memory, and a high level of skill. Both jazz musicians and baseball players strive for a perfect balance between disciplined practice and spontaneity, between the prescribed and the improvised.

Charlie Parker avidly followed the Kansas City Monarchs, later the Brooklyn Dodgers. Louis Armstrong sponsored a baseball team. Ella Fitzgerald hung out with the Dodgers. During the swing era, many big bands formed baseball teams—Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, etc. And jazz musicians recorded numerous songs about baseball, from Take Me Out to the Ball Game and Baseball Boogie to Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?.

John Edward Hasse, PhD has spoken for us in a previous Jazz Talk and we are excited for his return. During his 33-year tenure at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Curator Emeritus John Edward Hasse developed exhibitions on Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Ray Charles. He founded the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, now celebrating its 32nd anniversary, and international Jazz Appreciation Month, which is celebrated in all 50 states and 40 other countries.

His books include an acclaimed biography, Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington, with a Foreword by Wynton Marsalis, and Jazz: The First Century, with Forewords by Quincy Jones and Tony Bennett. As an expert on 20th century music, he is a contributor to The Washington Post and eight encyclopedias and has written 50+ articles on music for The Wall Street Journal.

His media appearances include CNN, CBS, PBS, BBC, NPR, and several documentary movies. He is the recipient of two Grammy Award nominations and two ASCAP awards for excellence in writing on music. Hasse earned a B.A. Cum Laude from Carleton College, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University, a Certificate in Business Administration from The Wharton School, and two Honorary Doctorates.

Active in cultural diplomacy for the U.S. State Department, Hasse has lectured on leadership, the arts, and music in 25 countries. His website is: www.johnedwardhasse.com.

The PRJC has been bringing traditional/early jazz to the DC area for 51 years. We began this series as a way to support musicians during Covd-19 pandemic shutdowns, and we have enjoyed it so much that we are continuing the programming. Learn more about our organization at prjc.org

 Admission:The event is FREE! Registration by 5pm on the day of the event is required.

Zoom Registration You can support the PRJC Jazz Educational Talks using the Paypal link www.paypal.me/PotomacRiverJazzClub





PRJC concert with The Seth Kibel Quintet featuring Flo Anito
   November 12, 2023, from 1:30-4:30pm
Rosensteel Knights of Columbus of Silver Spring, 9707 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Directions

Seth Kibel and Flo Anito


   The PRJC is excited to again host Seth (who has given several PRJC Jazz talks this year) and the band for what promises to be a varied program of jazz, swing, and yes, a little bit of klezmer for good measure. Expect lots of trad favorites, a few rarities, as well witty, insightful, and partially-accurate historical commentary from Seth. ou'll hear plenty of good music suitable for dancing, listening, drinking, and heckling, including quite a few from Seth's most recent album on Azalea City Recordings "Clown With A Stick," released in May 2023. (www.sethkibel.com)


  Admission: PRJC members ($20), General admission ($25; $22.50/advance), Youth with valid student ID (Free).
Ticket Purchase




The PRJC Jazz Educational Discussion The Assunto Dukes
Featuring Deano Assunto
     Nov 13, 2023, 7-8:15pm, ONLINE via Zoom

Dukes of Dixieland This presentation will be about the Dukes of Dixieland and the Assunto Family's rise to international fame which will include samples of live performances recorded in the early 1950's from the Famous Door on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, TV appearances, pictures of the group and recordings from the various record labels such as the Band Wagon Label, Audio Fidelity, Columbia Records, Decca Records among others such as outtake recordings made with Louis Armstrong. This will be the first public showing of some of this footage. Plus, hear back stories that made the Dukes a true family band.

The Assunto Brothers (aka The Dukes of Dixieland) were a standout Traditional Jazz Band from New Orleans from1950-1974. Many Trad Jazz enthusiasts have heard of Frank and Freddie Assunto and/or their contributions to this musical genre. At the ages of 17 and 19, the brothers won the famed Horace Heidt National Contest from New Orleans. They were the first band to record the classic song "Bourbon Street Parade". Pete Fountain got his start playing with the Assuntos. The band opened for headliners such as Louis Prima, Keely Smith and Dick Van Dyke. They recorded and performed on stage with jazz luminaries Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Sarah Vaughn and many others. They had a number of recording milestones such as being the first band to record in Hi-Fidelity and later the first band to record in Stereo sound in the country.


The Assunto Brothers (aka The Dukes of Dixieland) were a standout Traditional Jazz Band from New Orleans from1950-1974. Many Trad Jazz enthusiasts have heard of Frank and Freddie Assunto and/or their contributions to this musical genre. At the ages of 17 and 19, the brothers won the famed Horace Heidt National Contest from New Orleans. They were the first band to record the classic song "Bourbon Street Parade". Pete Fountain got his start playing with the Assuntos. The band opened for headliners such as Louis Prima, Keely Smith and Dick Van Dyke. They recorded and performed on stage with jazz luminaries Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Sarah Vaughn and many others. They had a number of recording milestones such as being the first band to record in Hi-Fidelity and later the first band to record in Stereo sound in the country.

The above is a short list of contributions the Assuntos made to New Orleans music history. Find out more about why The Assuntos were the first Trad Jazz band to sell over one million albums and why they were the number one jazz combo in the nation for 15 years (1950-65). There are still Assuntos performing on stage to this day making the family legacy over 100 years.

Our presenter, Deano Assunto, was born in New Orleans to Frank J. Assunto, Co-Founder of The Dukes of Dixieland, and Joan Bartet Assunto 1952/54 (3rd Place) Miss New Orleans Beauty Contestant.

A self-employed commercial printing business owner/operator since 1985, Deano is also the Administrator/Historian for the Assunto Estate and the Dukes of Dixieland. He is the manager of the Assunto Dukes Tribute Band www.assuntodukestribute.com and he has served several times as the President of the New Orleans Jazz Club. Deano has presented at the New Orleans Satchmo Festival in 2019 and 2023.

Our monthly Jazz Talks are FREE to the public although we do accept donations toward the programming. The Zoom link will be sent out two hours before the talk begins.
 Admission:The event is FREE!
Registration by 5pm on the day of the event is required:
Zoom Registration





PRJC Holiday Bash with Capital Focus Jazz Band
   December 10, 2023, from 1:30pm-4:30pm
Rosensteel Knights of Columbus of Silver Spring, 9707 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Directions

CFJB


The Capital Focus Jazz Band (CFJB, formerly known as the Federal Focus Jazz Band) is the Youth Learning Program of the Potomac River Jazz Club. Founded in 1988, CFJB has performed at receptions for the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State and many other dignitaries. CFJB has been led by Dave Robinson since its founding. Dave is an active jazz performer, historian, and educator. On trumpet, cornet, bass trumpet, valve trombone, and vocals, he has performed and toured with the top traditional and swing bands in the Washington DC area, and he currently leads the Conservatory Classic Jazz Band. Current CFJB members include Andrew Grabowski (George Mason U.) on banjo and guitar, Minh Vo (Rockville HS) on piano, Vinesh Sridhar (U. of Maryland graduate) on trumpet, Ashley Hsu (U. of Maryland graduate) on clarinet, Hudson Tao (Wheaton HS) on drums, Grace Tifford (U. of Maryland) on tuba, and Quinn Sarracco (U. of Maryland graduate) on tuba.


  Admission: PRJC members ($20), General admission ($25; $22.50/advance), Youth with valid student ID (Free).






You can support the PRJC, our monthly Educational Talks and PRJC Concerts
using the Paypal link www.paypal.me/PotomacRiverJazzClub


   Rosensteel Hall Directions: From the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Maryland take Georgia Ave. (Md. Rte. 97) a short distance north to signal at Forest Glen Road (Md. Rt. 192). Turn left and go west 0.4 miles. Turn right on Rosensteel Ave. The Hall is at 9707 Rosensteel Ave. on the right, opposite a church and cemetery. Parking is in the back. * This location is metro accessible: FOREST GLEN METRO STATION is only 2-3 blocks away. Rosensteel phone is 301-588-3303.
Rosensteel Knights of Columbus of Silver Spring , 9707 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910



Planning an event where a jazz band would add excitement?
Check our listing of PRJC-affiliated bands and contact them directly for rates and availability.

   Recorded tunes by 16 of these bands can be found on the CD ‘The Bands of the Potomac River Jazz Club.’



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