Acclaimed saxophonist Will E. Smith brings his W.E.S. Group to Artmosphere!

Echoes of ancestral and native sounds can be heard in this collective of talented musicians, whose folk jazz and acoustic approach create a distinctive sound of peace and beauty. Exceptional musicians in their own right, the collaboration of these seasoned musicians exhibits the passion and spirit of a "great camp meeting in the promised land" of jazz and hip hop.

Through studying, composing, teaching and living music, saxophonist/composer W.E.S. (a.k.a W.E. Smith and affectionately called Will) has sought to enrich the lives of others through sound. His family roots go deep into the history of jazz and the African-American experience. His grandfather and great-uncle owned a music publishing company in the 1920s and published music that was performed by the great King Oliver as well as Noble Sissle. Many musicians used to come by the family home on the south side of Chicago including Art Tatum. W.E.S.’s cousin Warren Smith Jr. played percussion with the Miles Davis, Gil Evans orchestra and many other notable performers. In the spirit of this legacy, W.E.S. himself has performed with jazz greats, James Moody, Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Wynton Marsalis, and Jon Hendricks.

After leading a quartet under his own name (The Will Smith Quartet) for several years, Will decided to form a group (The W.E.S. Group) with many of the same musicians he had been playing with, but with a different focus from the original quartet. He wanted the group to transcend the traditional jazz classification from strictly art music, to music that has a world flavor and is not only enjoyed but inspires the best in people. Will recently received his doctorate at the University of Maryland College Park in Ethnomusicology. He also teaches private lessons as well as jazz history, music fundamentals, world music and runs his own label and production company.

W.E.S. is currently an Assistant Professor and the Jazz Ensemble Director at American University and gives lectures on jazz and hip hop at the University of Maryland, University of Delaware, and Howard University.

Artmosphere Café - Community Digital Café

Located in the lobby level of the Mount Rainier Arts Lofts in the heart of the Gateway Arts District.

Artmosphere Café in Mount Rainier, MD offers coffees, teas, beer, wine, pastries, wraps, salads and smoothies in a setting enhanced by local artwork. Owners Dyrell Madison and Andaiye Scott-Madison are artists and performers whose own work also graces their walls.

Friendly staff are just the beginning of the café’s community feel. The café opened August 2006 with the aim of becoming a hub for local artists to share their work and network with each other. Whether it is poetry, music, or artwork that moves you, Artmosphere provides a family-friendly environment in which to ‘‘sit, sip and be inspired,” as its motto goes. –The Gazette, Maryland Community Paper

The café is owned by husband and wife team Dyrell Madison and Andaiye Scott.  When they're not working behind the counter, both are artists: Madison paints and plays drums for the Proverbs raggae band, while Scott is a painter, choreographer and singer who performs traditional African music and jazz.  They live in the Mount Rainier Artist Lofts, a 44-unit apartment dwelling with subsidized rent for creative types.

Artmosphere is attached to the lofts, where some residents' works -- from stainied glass windows to purses made out of books -- are displayed for sale.  In the café, digital images of artists' efforts will rotate in a slide-show format on flat-screen TVs.

Offering a thoughtful lineup of weekly events, this coffee house aims to promote awareness of the arts in a casual, inviting environment.  Salads, quiches, espressos and baked goodies highlight the menu.  Among the weekly attractions are live weekend concerts and an open mic/poetry night on Wednesdays.

Espresso, great food and free wifi by day.

Entertainment, organic beers and great food by night...featuring the very best in unsigned artists.

Friday and Saturday Cover Charge with Entertainment: $10.00.