This just in from fellow metro-blogger Alicia Ault, who informs her closest circle of dearest friends (of which I obviously am one, go me) that, and I quote, “as part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, there’s a free concert at the theater by the Wash. Monument at noon this saturday and it is FREE. It looks like it will be several hours of good music.

A little something about the line-up: Roy Hargrove is a hard bop trumpeter, and mixes it up with some funk. Poncho Sanchez is one of the latin jazz greats — this will be hot salsa. Dr. John, that piano dude from new orleans. John Scofield, who played with Miles Davis, now touring behind a CD that is the music of Ray Charles…he also is a favorite at festivals and among jam band people. Mavis Staples just won a national heritage award — formerly Bob Dylan’s girlfriend, formerly of the Staples Singers (she’s Pops’ daughter) and doing some gospel/folk/R&B-tinged stuff now. Nasar Abadey, I believe is a local jazz artist. “