The Vibe Man to See: Chuck Redd

Map It:  Federal Triangle 

ACCORDING TO local jazz drummer and vibraphonist Chuck Redd, D.C. is absolutely a jazz town. "No doubt about it, and I've played in a lot of towns," Redd says. "There have always been a handful of nationally and internationally known players based here."

Most people are aware of early jazz icon Duke Ellington's association with the city, but the District was also once home to guitarist Charlie Byrd and the late double bassist Keter Betts, among other jazz notables.

Redd joined Byrd's trio in 1980 at the age of 21. He notes he still plays drums but has since become an acclaimed jazz vibes man. His vibraphonist skills have assisted such legendary figures as Tommy Flanagan, Mel Torme and Dizzy Gillespie. "When you look up and see those cheeks with that trumpet attached to it, it's a surreal feeling," says Redd.

Today, Redd balances regular for-hire gigs with occasional academic jazz clinics and his residency at the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe.

Redd speaks highly of his colleagues in the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra — orchestra executive producer Ken Kimery is now its drummer — and the camaraderie of the cafe's regulars. Located in the National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe would seem an unlikely jazz joint.

"The cafe has helped build my fan base," Redd says. "It has great community support and attracts a wide demographic of music lovers. And there's almost always a festive atmosphere there ... great energy, never just background music."

On Friday, Redd will lead a quartet in an evening of the music of George Gershwin and Cole Porter. The quartet will include Redd's brother Robert on piano, Tommy Cecil on bass, and Lenny Robinson on drums.

"We'll play the songs as instrumentals ... the lyrics of Gershwin and Porter are already ingrained in the American psyche," Redd says. "But it's still relevant ... it's everywhere. I think the coffee-shop boom has helped bring jazz back as a soundtrack for young adult life."

» Smithsonian Jazz Cafe, 10th Street & Constitution Avenue NW.; Fri., 6:30-10 p.m.; $12; 202-633-8801. (Federal Triangle)

Written by Express contributor Johnathan Rickman
Photo courtesy Chuck Redd Music