Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington DC

DC’s vibrant Jazz scene extends beyond the U Street Corridor into Jazz clubs such as Blues Alley, located in Georgetown, and to national cultural institutions including the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center, all of which are partner venues of the DEJF. The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra performs regularly at concerts in and around Washington, DC and also tours nationally and internationally. Shows at the KC Jazz Club and regular Jazz concerts are presented throughout the year at the Kennedy Center. In addition, since 1998, the Kennedy Center has cultivated new Jazz artists with Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program and the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival.

Washington, DC has a rich Jazz history and continues to be home to a thriving Jazz community. With the continued growth of the Jazz scene along U Street, around the city and with world-class events like the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, October 1-7, 2008, presented here, Washington, DC will keep the rhythm be-bopping for decades to come.