Charles Fishman, Dizzy Gillespie's former personal manager and producer, has lived in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC, for 21 years. Throughout his time in the city, he wondered why Washington was the only major capital city in the Western world without a jazz festival. "I thought it was a shame since jazz was invented in this country, and DC was the birthplace, musical training ground and home of the legendary Duke Ellington".

On September 28, 2005, with the support of the Government of the District of Columbia, Congressional resolution HR501 and numerous national and local sponsors, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival debuted in honor of one of the 20th century's most celebrated musical geniuses.

Like the inaugural festival, this year's event presents major artists from around the country, from around the world and also introduces emerging artists. In addition to the grand free jazz showcase on The National Mall, prominent featured locations for festival events include the Lincoln Theatre, The Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art and neighborhood spots like the U Street Corridor's Busboys & Poets, the historic Bohemian Caverns and Twins Jazz Club.

The 2006 lineup features headline artists: Paquito D'Rivera; Roy Haynes; Randy Weston; Dr. John; John Scofield with special guest Mavis Staples; Poncho Sanchez; Roy Hargrove; Janis Siegel (of Manhattan Transfer); Luciana Souza; Michael Philip Mossman; Stephanie Jordan; Wallace Roney; and Geri Allen. International artists featured include: *Paquito D'Rivera (Cuba) & the United Nation Orchestra; *Poncho Sanchez (Mexican-American); *Eugenio Toussaint (Mexico); *Na'Rimbo (Mexico) *Edmar Castaneda (Colombia); *Diego Urcola (Argentina); Luciana Souza (Brazil); Victor Masondo & Lalela (South Africa); Thembi Mtshali-Jones (South Africa); Gino Sitson & Vocal Deliria (Cameroon); and Eli Degibri Quartet (Israel). [* Special note of October as Hispanic Heritage Month].

Highlights of the 2006 planned events include:
• Viva Las Americas, a kick-off invitational gala sponsored with Inter-American Development Bank, in celebration of music of the Americas with Paquito D'Rivera;
• Awarding of the 2nd Duke Ellington Jazz Festival Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Billy Taylor;
• An NEA Jazz Masters concert with D'Rivera & The United Nation Orchestra and the Roy Haynes Quartet;
• An International Jazz Showcase events featuring artists from (6) countries;
• A recreation of the legendary Cotton Club at The Willard Hotel with Avery Brooks & The New Washingtonians (Duke's original band was The Washingtonians), conducted by DC native, Davey Yarborough (head of jazz at Duke Ellington School of Arts), with guests D'Rivera and Roy Hargrove, both Artists-in-Residence for the Festival;
• Duke Ellington's arrangement of Tchaikovksy's "Nutcracker Suite," performed by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the first presentation in DC; and
• South Africa Digs Duke, a tribute to Duke Ellington, featuring South African jazz artists Victor Masondo & Lalela with special guest Roy Hargrove and American pianist, Randy Weston.

In 1987 jazz was designated by the US Congress as a "rare and valuable American national treasure," transcending differences of nationality, religion, language, culture, socio-economic status and race. Aware of this from a career spent in jazz, respected producer and Grammy-Award winner, Charles Fishman, worked with the Government of The District of Columbia, with Members of Congress, and with local and national sponsors to create and present the first-ever Duke Ellington Jazz Festival.

Club schedule for the festival (visit http://www.dejazzfest.org/duke/events.html for complete schedule of all festival events)

BOHEMIAN CAVERNS
2001 11th Street
202-299-0800
www.bohemiancaverns.com
Wednesday October 4 THAD WILSON QUARTET
Thursday October 5 STEVE WILLIAMS QUINTET Featuring Larry WIllis
Friday October 6 EUGENIO TOUSSAINT TRIO (MEXICO)
Saturday October 7 ELI DEGIBRI QUARTET (ISRAEL)

TWINS JAZZ CLUB
1344 U Street
202-234-0072
www.twinsjazz.com
Wednesday October 4 Allyn Johnson & Larry Willis
Thursday October 5 ORGANISMO
Friday October 6 JASON MARSHALL QUARTET
Saturday October 7 JASON MARSHALL QUARTET
Sunday October 8 W.E.S. GROUP


BLUES ALLEY
1073 WISCONSIN AVE, NW
202-337-4141
Wednesday October 4 MIKE STERN TRIO featuring Richard Bona & Dennis Chambers
Thursday October 5 WALLACE RONEY SEXTET
Friday October 6 WALLACE RONEY SEXTET
Saturday October 7 WALLACE RONEY SEXTET
Sunday October 8 WALLACE RONEY SEXTET


CAFE NEMA
1334 U Street
202.667.3215
www.cafenema.com
Wednesday October 4 TED BAKER QUARTET
Thursday October 5 THE YOUNG LIONS
Friday October 6 THEMBI MTSHALI (SOUTH AFRICA)
Saturday October 7 DIEGO URCOLA QUINTET (ARGENTINA)


CAFE 1401
WILLARD-INTERCONTINENTAL AVE, & 14th ST, NW
202-628-9100
Thursday October 5 DICK MORGAN QUARTET
Sunday October 8 COTTON CLUB

BUSBOYS & POETS
2021 14TH STREET, NW
202-387-7638
Thursday October 5 EDMAR CASTANEDA TRIO (COLOMBIA)
October 7 DC BASS CHOIR (Herman Burney Jr.)
Sunday October 8 GINO SITSON & VOCAL DELIRIA (CAMEROON)

KELLY'S ELLIS ISLAND
3908 12 STREET, NE
202-832-6117
Friday October 6 GEORGE JOHNSON, JR QUARTET featuring ARNOLD STERLING
Saturday October 7 GEORGE JOHNSON, JR QUARTET featuring FRED FOSS

JAZZ ON HISTORIC U STREET: DC'S BLACK BROADWAY
Washington DC's northwest U Street corridor proudly dubbed, "Black Broadway," served as the entertainment district for the African American community from the early 1900's to the 1960's. Also known as the Shaw neighborhood, a burgeoning middle-class African American community, comprised of Black-owned businesses and cultural hot spots. It was the place to be and bear witness to an astonishing array of talent ranging from vaudeville acts, traveling shows, musicals, comedy, and of course, Jazz music! Black Broadway's reputation exceeded the city limits and drew audiences and performers from all parts of America…and sometimes the world.

Jazz and Washington, DC are synonymous with one single iconic figure; perhaps the greatest composer/arranger of the 20th century... Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. Ellington penned his first composition, "Soda Fountain/Poodle Dog Rag" as an homage to U Street's Poodle Dog Cafe, once located at 7th & Florida Avenue. Shortly thereafter, Ellington performed one of his first gigs as a bandleader with "Duke's Serenaders" in a dance hall at the True Reformers Hall, an architectural and entrepreneurial icon of Washington's Black community, located at 12th & U Street. After several changes in ownership, it is now a National Historic Landmark and has been listed on the DC Inventory of Historic Sites.

Almost two decades before New York's Apollo Theater, the Howard Theater opened its doors in 1910 to serve up some of the finest entertainment in the nation. After twenty years, the Howard Theater closed its doors during the depression, only to re-open in 1931 with Ellington's Orchestra at the helm to celebrate its revival. This was one of few de-segregated theaters in the city, where all races gathered to see Jazz legends such as native Washingtonian Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstine, Cab Calloway, Sarah Vaughan and Lionel Hampton. As a matter of fact, just about every major Black entertainer performed at the Howard Theater at some point in his or her career and many were regularly billed, sometimes performing several sets in one day. The community where the Howard resides was also called "Little Harlem," where a number of clubs (7th& T Lounge, Cecilia's, Abarts, Odessa Madres) thrived until the riot-torn 60's. To date, the theater remains closed, with hopes for the future, edged on the present U Street corridors' economic and cultural revitalization. www.dejazzfest.org