Second Wednesdays: Jazz at the Kramer

May 8, 2024

6:00pm - 8:00pm

FREE

Join us at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery & Music Room on the second Wednesday of each month for an evening of jazz! This month's artists feature pianist Jon Ozment and vocalist Steve Washington.

Admission is FREE but advanced registration is required due to limited capacity.

Jazz at the Kramer is presented by Paul Carr's Jazz Academy of Music in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County and curated by Paul Carr.

** Masks are encouraged for all guests, regardless of vaccination status. Outside food and beverages are not permitted in the gallery with the exception of water. **

Steve Washington

Steve Washington has been performing since the early ‘80s with humble beginnings in Princeton University’s college singing groups and theatrical productions. After Princeton, Steve appeared in numerous professional theatrical productions, eventually earning membership in Actors’ Equity (the actor’s union) when cast in a late 80s Arena Stage production of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along. In the late 80s, forays into dramatic theater landed him a spot in a workshop for aspiring actors administered by the Shakespeare Theater at the Folger culminating in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in which Steve was cast as Demetrius.

After a handful of theatrical appearances in the DC-MD-VA area, in 1990, Steve auditioned in NYC for Jean Ann Ryan Productions and was cast as principal vocalist of several production shows to be performed on the Queen Elizabeth II.

In the 90s, after the QEII, Steve shifted his focus to music fronting some of DC’s top bands and orchestras and sharing stages with the Marvelettes, the Drifters, the Supremes, the Village People, Peter Noon, Gary Pucket, Orleans, comedian Steven Wright, and others. As a freelance vocalist, Steve performed in DC area jazz & blues clubs and performance spaces, including numerous sold-out appearances at the world-famous Blues Alley Jazz Supper Club.

Learn more about Steve.

Jon Ozment

Jon has been working in and around the DC area for twenty years as a performer, producer, composer, and arranger. He has produced and arranged recordings by local jazz artists Imani, Maryann Redmond, and Al Williams. Jon has performed extensively in the jazz and contemporary jazz fields, appearing on recordings with Buck Hill, David Yarborough, Origem, Matt Belzer, and Vinny Valentino. He has performed in concerts with Jon Faddis, Bobby Hutcherson, Al Jarreau, Nneena Freelon, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Frank Wess, Chuck Brown, Curtis Fuller, John Handy, and Larry Ridley, and has toured nationally with Marlena Shaw, Miki Howard, Rain Pryor, Kim Waters, and the Blackbyrds.

Learn more about Jon.

** Masks are encouraged for all guests, regardless of vaccination status. Outside food and beverages are not permitted in the gallery with the exception of water. **

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Betty Mae Kramer Gallery - Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, United States