| Music may not be the first attraction most people | | | | as mainstreamers like Foo Fighters, Garbage and |
| associate with Washington, DC, but the nation's | | | | The Offspring. The Black Cat has a smoke-free |
| capital hits all of the right notes for the music | | | | cafe, called Food for Thought, which serves a |
| lover. | | | | vegetarian and vegan menu. |
| At the world-famous Kennedy Center, you can | | | | Jazz fans will also find avant-garde artists, minor |
| revel in performances that feature music | | | | legends and the best of the local scene at Twins |
| luminaries like Renee Fleming, Midori, Yo-Yo Ma, | | | | Jazz (1344 U St NW). Ethiopian cuisine is available |
| Roberta Flack, and Wynonna. The John F. | | | | to complement the Jazz. Believe it or not, Blues |
| Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (the | | | | Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave) is a legendary DC |
| official name) also features Jazz by performers | | | | venue for live jazz, in spite of its name. This |
| such as Tigran Homosian (the 2006 winner of the | | | | Georgetown supper club is small, with only 40 |
| Thelonius Monk International Jazz Piano Contest, | | | | tables, but the sound is big. Creole is the specialty |
| the compelling Dianne Reeves, and Grammy | | | | on the menu at Blues Alley. |
| winner John Patitucci. The center also offers a | | | | For a mixture of Blues, Folk, and Country acts, |
| robust schedule of chamber music, as well as | | | | head to Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, |
| family- oriented performances, such as the NSO | | | | Alexandria), where headliners have included the |
| Family Concert: More Spooky Sounds and Scary | | | | Dave Matthews Band, Lyle Lovett, k.d. lang and |
| Tales around Halloween. | | | | Vince Gill. Birchmere is a music hall, with homespun |
| If you don't mind standing room only, the 9:30 | | | | décor and a seating capacity of 500. For |
| Club (815 V St NW) is consistently voted the best | | | | Folk fans (with some jazz, blues and country |
| music venue in the city by locals. The 9:30 Club | | | | thrown in), Jammin' Java (227 Maple Avenue East, |
| features national and up-and-coming acts, with | | | | Vienna) is the place to be. The coffeehouse club |
| 300 shows annually, and past performers have | | | | remains a staple of the Washington, DC area |
| included R.E.M., Beastie Boys, Radiohead, Nirvana, | | | | music community, and is run by musicians. The |
| the Smashing Pumpkins and James Brown. | | | | club features live music seven nights a week and |
| Another great venue for up and comers is the | | | | kids concerts in the mornings. As its name |
| Black Cat (1811 14th St NW), which locals know is | | | | suggests, Jammin' Java offers a variety of coffee |
| the place to go for great indie acts, such as Ani | | | | drinks, as well as beer and wine. |
| DiFranco, Sleater-Kinney and Yo La Tengo as well | | | | |