It's Not Quite Summer, But It's Close Enough for Jazz

Labor Day signals the end of summer for most Washingtonians, but the official calendar end of summer doesn't come until later in September, after all, and Washington's summery heat and humidity often lingers into early October. Just because students are back in school doesn't mean it's time to give up on all the pleasures of the summer season.

One way to catch a last-minute dose of summer is to head to Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden and Pavilion Café. This activity, which has been running on Friday evenings all summer long, has been extended through September 26. Admission to the event is free, and it features small combo or solo jazz acts who play three sets out by the fountain at the middle of the garden. The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m.

September 5 will feature the Latin jazz stylings of Bossalingo. Dave Kline will continue the Latin jazz motif on September 12. On September 19, The Joshua Bayer Quartet will hold up the low end of things with their jazz bass combo. Young & Rollins will close out the season on September 26 with flamenco and jazz guitar.

Many people hang out at the edge of the fountain, dangling their bare feet into the cool water. Others bring picnics and spread out among the sculpture pieces, on shaded or sunny grass. The Pavilion Café offers tapas and other light dining options, as well as an assortment of cocktails, so some attendees sit inside the café or at the tables that surround the Metropolitain entrance gate, a relic of the Paris Metro. The music carries throughout the garden, so you can enjoy while you wander around looking at the seventeen works that have been installed there, as well as the landscaping, which is lovely and offers some respite from a busy city workweek. For more information on the sculptures themselves, pick up a guide at the main Seventh Street entrance to the garden or at any of the National Gallery's art information desks.

The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, which has been open since 1999, is located at Seventh Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, on the National Mall, in the block adjacent to the West Building of the Gallery. The nearest Metro stations are Archives/Navy Memorial (Green/Yellow lines), Smithsonian (Blue/Orange lines), and Judiciary Square (Red line). For more information about the event, call 202-289-3360 or visit the National Gallery online at www.nga.gov.

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