DC JazzFest Opens on a High Note at The Hamilton Live
By • September 3, 2026 0 276
By LaMarr Funn
The 22nd annual DC Jazz Festival kicked off Wednesday, Sept. 2, at The Hamilton Live. Opening night was a success!
This year’s festival was launched before a standing-room-only crowd.
Bandleader and saxophonist Paul Carr took center stage, leading the JazzDC All-Stars Big Band.
Highlights from the evening included features by trombonist Reginald Cyntje, trumpeter Kenny Rittenhouse, pianist Janelle Gill, bassist Herman Burney, drummer CV Dashiell and saxophonist Tedd Baker. They contributed to a sound that was polished, powerful and unmistakably alive.
The celebration featured special guest artists Jason Marsalis and Washington, D.C.’s own Grammy-nominated vocalist Christie Dashiell.
Dashiell performed her original song, “Dynasty,” arranged by Allyn Johnson. Jason Marsalis followed on vibes, with “Swingin’ at the Haven,” composed by his late father, the legendary Ellis Marsalis Jr.
Through Labor Day weekend, DC JazzFest takes over The Wharf in Southwest Washington, bringing artists and audiences together to celebrate jazz as an evolving American art form.
Reginald Cyntje.
