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Sunday, September 27 2026, 7:30 PM

John Howard Trio

John Howard – piano
Ian Riggs – acoustic bass
Jason Walker – drums

World Cup of Jazz

Inspired by this summer’s World Cup, we have selected 9 songs that represent highlights and the format of the World Cup, culminating with the championship match between Argentina and Spain, represented by an Argentinian tango and Chick Corea’s Spain. Other highlights include North African inspired tunes like Caravan and A Night In Tunisia, and a nod to the fabulous Erling Haaland of Norway and the great run of England, with a highly improvised version of the Beatles’ Norwegian Wood.

About the Artists

From a musical family, John Howard played many instruments before beginning piano study in his senior year of high school. He has a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he attended on an Andy Griffith Scholarship. While in Chapel Hill he also played in the jazz bands and performed with drummer Louis Bellson and trombonist Al Grey of the Count Basie Orchestra. John began teaching music at the Edmund Burke School in Washington, DC in 1989, where he founded the music department. John’s Burke bands have performed at Blues Alley annually for almost 20 years. They are also founding performers of the Big Band Jam on the Mall. Since 1995 they are annual participants in the Georgetown Day School Jazz Festival. John’s trio performs weekly at the Little Beast Bistro in Chevy Chase, DC every Thursday from 6-8 pm.

Ian M. Riggs (Double Bass) Ian has been making music in NYC and the DC area for over two decades. He was a frequent substitute bassist in Mean Girls and Paramour (Cirque du Soleil) on Broadway. His Off-Broadway roles include The Outer Space and No Place to Go (Obie 2012) at the Public Theater, both with Ethan Lipton and his Orchestra. With them he recently played at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and many venues across the USA and Europe, as well as in Amazon’s, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Other performances include the Hollywood Bowl and other Festivals with Burning Spear, and Bonnaroo with the Lonesome Trio.

Jason Walker is a seasoned DMV drummer and percussionist whose wide range of interests have led to playing a diverse range of music including blues, Afro-Caribbean jazz, afro beat, and Americana. You can hear him throughout the DMV with the John Howard Trio, Hard Swimmin’ Fish (www.hardswimminfish.com ), Chopteeth Afro-Funk Big Band (www.chopteeth.com) , the Vibe Collective (on FB @vibecollective), and the Bumper Jacksons (www.bumperjacksons.com) .

John, Ian, and Jason hone their arrangements every Thursday from 6-8 at the Little Beast Bistro in Chevy Chase, DC, where the trio has been resident for the last four years. All have classical backgrounds and are notable for their dynamic and subtle interplay.

John and Jason, with Eugenio Ibarz on bass, will next appear at the Salon on Sunday November 22. Theme TBD.

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