HR-57 Comes to H Street

uploaded by M.V. Jantzen on Flickr

January will mark 10 years I’ve lived in Washington, DC, and a decade of making the Hill my home. During that time, many adventures with friends and wine have happened in many fabulous places all over this city.  Many of these memories involve the jazz club HR-57 with friends and many bottles of wine.  Much of my mid-20’s were spent at this DC landmark, whose name derives from a House Resolution that designated jazz as “a rare and valuable national American treasure.” In addition to being a great place to gather and groove, HR-57 is also a music cultural center to preserve jazz.

It was here that we would spend hours drinking wine and getting lost in the musical whimsy of the night. Wynton Marsalis has also been known to drop into this establishment and join the band for an impromptu jam session.  I once had the honor of being in this venue during one of these times to see this legend bring amazing sounds with his trumpet, and than have the honor to shake his hand afterward. It was one of those places that made living in DC worth it.

It is with great excitement that I have learned that HR-57 will now be moving its doors over to H street.  The buzz is that rent on the old building on U streets 14th Street has gotten too high.  It looks like as of the first week of January, HR-57’s new home will be on 9th Street and H NE. I am very excited about welcoming this legendary establishment to Capitol Hill, and look forward to recapturing some of my youth through amazing music.