Oral History Project:
Jazz at Westminster Presbyterian Church
The Lived Experiences of DC's Musicians
Funded by a generous grant from DC Humanities, this Oral History Project focuses on the lived and shared experiences of jazz musicians who have performed at Jazz at Westminster Presbyterian Church and who were born, raised, or call Washington, DC their home.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, DC’s Jazz Church, located in Southwest, Washington, DC, has a long and storied history of supporting local musicians, and the DC community-at-large through jazz and blues music performances.
Through this Oral History Project, we explore and share the interconnected stories of DC musicians as it relates to Westminster Presbyterian Church. We inquire on the role DC musicians have played in defining and representing the culture of Washington through their personal and lived experiences.
Bobby Felder
Bobby Felder is a jazz trombonist, pianist, conductor and composer. His band regularly performs at Jazz Night at Westminster Presbyterian Church. For several years, Felder’s eight piece jazz band has peformed the Friday after Thanksgiving at Jazz at Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Brian Hamilton
Reverend Brian Hamilton is co-pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, which hosts the weekly Friday “Jazz Night in DC ” concerts. He co-organizes the series with singer Dick Smith.
Corcoran Holt
Corcoran Holt is a bassist that grew up in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C.,learning jazz and African music. As a teenager and young adult, he attended many concerts atthe Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “Jazz Night in DC” series before hestarted performingat the church in his 20s.
Lenny Robinson
Leonard “Lenny” Robinson is a jazz drummer and a music educator in Washington, D.C. He is a veteran and frequent performer at the Westminster Presbyterian Church’s “Jazz Night in D.C.” series, having performed at over 200 times
by estimation
Herb Scott
Herbert Scott is a saxophonist that grew up in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C.,and came up through the DC public schools’ music education programs and the Duke EllingtonSchool of the Arts. Since returning to D.C. following his undergraduatestudies at MichiganState, Scott has become a major player on the D.C. jazz scene, including founding the CapitolHill Jazz Foundation. He started seeing shows at the Westminster Presbyterian Church’s Friday“Jazz Night in DC” series as a teenager and hassince played the church multiple times as eithera sideman or as a headliner there.
Dick Smith
Richard “Dick” Smith is a singer and activist for the jazz community in Washington, D.C. He co-founded the “Jazz Night” series at Westminster Presbyterian Church with Reverend Brian Hamilton and he curates the performers.