Friendship (New York, NY): Led by Canadian pianist Jenny Xu, the band features bassist Ben Friedman (Roswell, GA) and drummer Kofi Shepsu (Richmond, VA).

Jose Luiz Martins (São Paulo, Brazil): Led by pianist-keyboardist Jose Luiz Martins, the band includes flautist-vocalist Alex Hamburger (Silver Spring, MD), bassist Romeir Mendez (Baltimore, MD) and drummer Dana Hawkins (Baltimore, MD).

Dave Meder New American Hymnal Quartet (Denton, TX): Led by pianist Dave Meder, the band includes trumpeter Philip Dizak (Denton, TX), bassist Marty Jaffe (New York, NY) and drummer Michael Piolet (Chicago, IL).

The Smoogies (Delray Beach, FL): The band features keyboardist-vocalist Vaughn Henry (Miami, FL), bassist Dion Kerr (Delray Beach, FL) and the double drums of David Chiverton (Miami, FL) and Harvel Nakundi (Miami, FL).

The 2024 DCJazzPrix program is made possible by major support of The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation and Venable Foundation. The DCJazzPrix award is made possible by the generous support of the Gillon Charitable Fund and the Galena-Yorktown Foundation.