Wanna get down and dirty NOLA style?  No need to book a flight, just catch the metro down to the mall this weekend and enjoy the sounds of New Orleans (thanks to the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival). 

On Friday, June 12, at 7:30 pm, the Nation’s Capitol will be treated to the soulful sounds of the Terence Blanchard Quintet.  Then on Saturday the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Don Vappie & the Creole Serenaders will keep the party going.   And on Sunday get your dancing shoes ready for some zydeco. 

Getting there:  take the Metro to the Smithsonian stop on the Blue/Orange lines, exit at Independence Avenue and proceed east.  Festivities will take place at Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument grounds, southeast corner.

Admission:  FREE

The annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival kicks-off today in DC, through June 15.  Highlights of the festival include two free Jazz on The National Mall concerts June 13-14; the return of the popular Jazz in the ‘Hoods and Brunchin’ in the ‘Hoods, which features performances at over 35 restaurants, clubs, hotels and art galleries across the city; and the free Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days, held this Saturday and Sunday (June 6-7):

  At Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days, families will interact with instruments in the instrument petting zoo, listen to jazz geared toward younger listeners, enjoy a lively storyteller, and dabble in a hands-on art-making workshop. Participants also will encounter superb works of art in an intimate setting and enjoy the Young Artists exhibition, which features photographs and collages created by students after exploring Jacob Lawrence’s The Migration Series.

Event:  Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days (June 6-7)

Times:  Saturday, June 6. 10am-5pm. (Deal Middle School Band, Antonio Parker Quartet, Janelle Gill, Alona Lee and the Reginald Cyntje Trio). Sunday, June 7. 11am-6pm. (Felix Contreras Trio, Julian Hipkins, Chuck Redd and the Brian Settles Trio).

Location:  The Phillips Collection is at 1600 21st Street NW, Washington, DC.  (Metro:  Dupont Circle).

Contact:  202.387.2151 or www.dejazzfest.org.

Admission:  FREE.