Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center announced the schedule of the 2005-2006 Jazz Season, under the guidance of Artistic Director Billy Taylor. In addition to big-name performances by Wynton Marsalis, Lou Rawls, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band, Bill Charlap and Diane Schuur, the Kennedy Center will also host a variety of nontraditional events and performances.
The KC Jazz Club, set on the roof-level Terrace Gallery in a cabaret setting to imitate the surroundings of a small jazz club, will feature performances by Jay Leonhart, Steve Wilson, Curtis Stigers and Joyce DiCamillo Trio with trumpeter Marvin Stamm.
The special concerts of the season offer a variety of jazz options, from the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition to NPR’s “Jazz Piano Christmas.” Also highlighting the 2005-2006 season is the Eleventh Annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, a three-day festival that highlights the contributions and performances of women in jazz.
A full schedule is available at www.kennedy-center.org.