By Brian Ossip & Nia Hightower, DC Music Live
Looking for something to do during the next week? Well there are a ton of killer shows coming up so check out our list, and then check out a few shows!
John Legend & Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – May 4
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Photo Courtesy of Jacob Blickenstaff
R&B singer, songwriter John Legend marks the 40th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s performance of his iconic What’s Going On album at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts on May 4. Legend will be joined by the National Symphony Orchestra and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Earlier this year, Legend and the Kennedy Center launched What’s Going On…NOW, a national arts and digital media campaign to inspire and engage youth while marking the 40th anniversary. The performance will begin 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $20-$80.
Nick Africano – May 5
Nick Africano
Photo Courtesy of Nick Africano
Singer-songwriter Nick Africano is bringing his sultry sound and powerful voice to The Black Squirrel in Adam’s Morgan. Africano will be out promoting his new album, The Butterfly Bull, which has been featured on AOL all this week. The singer brings an intensity and passion to his songs that can’t help but rub off on his listeners. Show starts at 9pm.
Chaka Khan – May 5
Chaka Khan
Photo Courtesy of Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan. Chaka Khan. The Grammy Award-winning singer’s name just rolls off the lips, and this weekend fans get two opportunities to enjoy the music of the R&B songstress — known for such classics as “Tell Me Something Good,” “I Feel For You” and “Sweet Thang.” Show times at The Howard Theatre are 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 in advance. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Rachelle Farrell – May 6
Rachelle Farrell
Photo Courtesy of Rachelle Farrell
Missed Out on those Mint Condition tickets at The Birchmere? Don’t worry there’s more good music this weekend at the venue. Jazz and R&B vocalist Rachelle Farrell returns to The Birchmere on May 6 after her sold-out April 22 show to perform songs from her repertoire. The show begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $59.50.
Art Sorority for Girls – May 6
Art Sorority for Girls
Photo Courtesy of Art Sorority for Girls
Art Sorority for Girls has been the vessel for Daoud Tyler-Ameen’s wordy, witty songwriting since 2002. The duo, including drummer Josh Gottesman, will be taking their act to the Black Cat Backstage on May 6, opening for Möbius Strip and Southern Problems. Slow Dance, the group’s full length debut, was released at the end of 2011, and is filled with 35 solid minutes of one deliriously joyous track after another.
Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival – May 10
Jane Burnett
Photo Courtesy of Jane Burnett
The Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival kicks off on Thursday May 10 and runs through May 12. The festival, now in its 17th year, is hosted by jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and will feature the world’s top female jazz artists such as pianist Chihiro Yamanaka, Canadian flutist, saxaphonist and pianist Jane Bunnett and Cuban pianist Hilario Duran, Cuban jazz percussionist Camero Candido and vocalist, arranger and composer Carmen Lundy. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. Tickets are $38.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or shoot us an e-mail at DCMusicLive.info@gmail.com.
