For New Year’s Eve and our Anniversary Eve as well, Audrey and I took Micah and Victoria to the Kennedy Center to hear vocalist Jazzmeia Horn and her Noble Force. The musical energy started high and stayed high, with Jazzmeia leading a full big band horn section with 5 saxes, 4 trombones and 4 trumpets through a series of her own compositions. “Strive” and “Freedom” were particularly powerful. (Listen to Freedom on Spotify.) ...

On their first night in DC, I took Micah and Victoria for a walk around the Tidal Basin at night. It was a warm, calm evening. Perfect for a winter walk. And Thomas Jefferson was glad we visited. Martin Luther King seemed to have a few things to say to the Washington Monument. While Micah and Victoria read all the MLK quotes, I set up my tripod for some clear night shots. ...

On a sunny Saturday morning in December, we took the dogs for a stroll in Old Town Alexandria, about 25 minutes from our house. We enjoyed all the colonial-era houses, many with tasteful decorations. Sugar Baby and Ollie enjoyed the walk but reported better odds of finding dropped food on the ground near our house. click to see the photos larger

The Nate Smith Quartet made our journey to downtown Baltimore on a rainy Friday night worthwhile, with a great set featuring the Christian McBride (bass), Marquis Hill (trumpet), and Geoffrey Keezer (piano and rhodes). The overall vibe of the set was mostly straightahead jazz, and just a little of Smith’s forays into pop and hip hop shining through. Each band member contributed adventuresome solos to most songs, for example, some unusual piano solos by Keezer. As a bass player, I was particularly glad that McBride had space to stretch out and show what he can do. Marquis Hill covered a wide range of moods to perfection. ...

For a special pre-Thanksgiving treat, Audrey and I enjoyed Billy Joel’s 96th concert in his series at the Garden. His voice was as good as ever, and the band was tight. Billy Joel puts on a good show, with plenty of greatest hits, but also some unexpected covers. He pranced like Mick Jagger to the the Stone’s “Start me up” and crooned “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” among others. Of course, the crowd sang every word of “The Piano Man” – the last song. But then he came back for three rocking encores. ...