Make sure to buy your passes now through paypal on my blog. Ind. tickets are sold through www.twinsjazz.com.

Excerpt from the CityPaper:

Last week I told you about the First Annual Washington Women in Jazz Festival, organized by local pianist Amy K. Bormet. It begins this week at Twins. The evening’s first set belongs to Melissa Gardiner, a Julliard-educated trombonist whose sound is, put bluntly, badass. It’s a lyrical phrasing and pacing that could fairly be called “classical,” perhaps even “old school,” delivered with a swagger that all but grins at you and just the hint of a growl. The second set is by Lena Seikaly–one of the contenders for D.C.’s best singer, with a rich voice and precise articulation that belies her enormous creativity on the vocal. There’s a crossover element, too: Seikaly will be in Gardiner’s band, and Gardiner in Seikaly’s. They perform at 8 and 10 p.m. at Twins, 1344 U St. NW. $15. —Mike West