TT: See me, hear me—with a band!

I’ll be making two unusual out-of-town live appearances this week to promote Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington:
• Politics & Prose, the independent bookstore in Washington, D.C., where I’ve previously spoken about H.L. Mencken and Louis Armstrong, is sponsoring a Duke-related bash on Tuesday night at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club. Not only will I be speaking about, reading from, and signing copies of Duke, but a jazz quartet will be performing songs by the master. You can dine there as well, and I plan to do so–the menu looks fabulous.
The club is at 7719 Wisconsin Avenue and the show starts at seven p.m. Admission is $25. To buy a ticket or for more information, go here.
• The New Jersey Performing Arts Center is presenting a Duke Ellington tribute concert called “Portrait of Duke” on Saturday afternoon as part of its week-long James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival. I’m the curator of and master of ceremonies for the program, which features performances by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks (about whom much more here) of original charts by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Hilary Gardner, about whose debut album I recently raved in this space, will supply the vocals. I’ll be reading excerpts from Duke and introducing rare film clips of Ellington on and off stage.
The show starts at two p.m. Admission is $49. To buy a ticket or for more information, go here.