Potomac River Jazz Club - Celebrating Over 50 Years!

Known to serious students of jazz as the "Father of Stride Piano," James P. Johnson has only recently begun to receive the acclaim he merits James P. Johnson (1894-1955) is one of the most important figures in twentieth-century American music. However, few people other than scholars and serious fans know of his life and work. Rare jazz aficionados know him as the Father of Harlem Stride piano but his other monumental contributions to American music are seldom acknowledged. Speakeasies to Symphonies: The Jazz Genius of James P. Johnson seeks to rectify this. Born in New Brunswick, NJ and reared in the cultural hotbed of Harlem, Johnson spanned the ragtime era, through the roaring twenties and into the swing era. His career stretched from the early 1910s-50s, but his heyday was the 1920s--the decade known for the Jazz Age, the Harlem Renaissance, rent parties, classic blues singers, the first golden age of Broadway and the great American song book, and, perhaps most notably, the worldwide music and dance phenomenon, the Charleston. Johnson not only composed the signature tune that has come to define the decade but was a critical part of the other seminal cornerstones of American music. He absorbed many musical elements in his youth, especially the African American culture of the Southeastern Seaboard, to create a new musical and rhythmic force for jazz, musical theater, and symphonic music.

The Conservatory Classic Jazz Band   
  and the PRJC Jam

The Conservatory Classic Jazz Band opens and closes the music, with a Jam Session in the middle. All are welcome to sit in or just sit back and enjoy! The Conservatory Classic Jazz Band was formed in 2003 to present the sounds of traditional jazz to Washington DC audiences. A seven-piece group, they play New Orleans style, Chicago style, small-group swing, and mainstream. CCJB members include Dave Robinson, leader/cornet/trumpet, Brian Priebe on trombone, Gary Gregg on clarinet/sax, Dan Hall on bass, Jeff Reynolds on guitar/banjo, Brian Alpert on drums. Note: Alfio's has valet parking, street parking, and a full dinner menu available. Visit the band's website at ccjazzband

   Rosensteel Hall Directions: From the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Maryland take Georgia Ave. (Md. Rte. 97) a short distance north to signal at Forest Glen Road (Md. Rt. 192). Turn left and go west 0.4 miles. Turn right on Rosensteel Ave. The Hall is at 9707 Rosensteel Ave. on the right, opposite a church and cemetery. Parking is in the back. * This location is metro accessible: FOREST GLEN METRO STATION is only 2-3 blocks away. Rosensteel phone is 301-588-3303.
Rosensteel Knights of Columbus of Silver Spring , 9707 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Planning an event where a jazz band would add excitement? Check our listing of PRJC-affiliated bands and contact them directly for rates and availability.    Recorded tunes by 16 of these bands can be found on the CD ‘The Bands of the Potomac River Jazz Club.’