DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC

DC Jazz offers original and engaging stories about the Washington, DC jazz scene throughout its history—now available in paperback with a new preface.

While the familiar narrative of jazz in the United States begins in New Orleans, moves up the Mississippi River to Chicago, then travels to New York before spreading worldwide, this account highlights a vital but often overlooked contributor: the nation’s capital.

The book explores DC’s influential clubs, musicians, promoters, and institutions that have sustained jazz as a uniquely American art form. It also examines the ecosystem that keeps the music alive, including local schools such as the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, jazz programs at the University of the District of Columbia and Howard University, as well as churches, community organizations, media outlets, and performance venues.

Historians Maurice Jackson and Blair Ruble further examine jazz’s role in the desegregation of Washington, DC, offering insight into its cultural and political significance.

Published in collaboration with the DC History Center, the book includes more than thirty museum-quality photographs and a curated guide to resources for readers interested in Washington history, jazz history, and African American history.