June 13, 2016 -- This week’s summer fare performances will feature evenings of jazz music, as the Marine Jazz Ensemble performs at 8 p.m., Wednesday, June 15 on the west terrace of the U.S. Capitol and at 8 p.m., Thursday, June 16 at the Sylvan Theater, on the grounds of the Washington Monument. Coordinated by trumpeter Master Sgt. Daniel Orban and double bassist Gunnery Sgt. Eric Sabo, the ensemble will perform a collection of jazz standards and favorites, from the slow, sultry sounds of Tommy Wolf’s “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” to the toe-tapping groove of Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Paparelli’s “Blue ‘N’ Boogie.” The concerts will also feature the works of such legendary jazz artists as Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, and Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis. A highlight of the performances is a new arrangement by pianist Gunnery Sgt. AnnaMaria Mottola of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The piece is one of her favorite classical works so she arranged the recognizable theme from the concerto into what starts in a jazz style and then morphs into a heavy rock and roll. “I enjoy fusing different styles of music together and that’s what makes this piece so unique,” Mottola said.

Marine Band musicians perform jazz frequently at the White House for President Barack Obama and his guests and the two concerts this week will give patrons the rare opportunity to listen to the same music performed at the Executive Mansion.

For the Summer Fare performances, limited street parking is available. For concerts at the Capitol, patrons may travel via Metro and take the red line to Union Station or the blue, orange, or silver lines to the Capitol South station, and the orange, blue, or silver lines to the Smithsonian station for concerts at the Sylvan Theater. The concerts are free but weather permitting and programming is subject to change. Inclement weather announcements will be made by 6 p.m. on the band’s Concert Information Line at (202) 433-4011.

Complete program

Directions and parking