Raphael Rogiński / Sarah Hughes

Raphael Rogiński presents a solo electric-guitar program built around John Coltrane’s compositions and musical responses to Langston Hughes’s poetry. Drawing on blues, jazz, and traditional music from around the world, Rogiński performs without overdubs or effects, using slowed-down, polyphonic reinterpretations, original improvisations, and spacious passages of tension and silence to create a contemplative, spiritually focused concert.

Sarah Hughes joins the program with intuitive, genre-crossing improvisation. A performing and visual artist, Hughes draws on 26 years of alto-saxophone experience and also plays soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Her work combines traditional and contemporary musical approaches, classical and jazz training, and a commitment to experimentation.

When: Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Schedule: Doors open at 7:00 PM; the show begins at 7:30 PM and is scheduled through 10:00 PM.

Tickets: $20–30

Venue: Rhizome DC

Lineup: Raphael Rogiński, solo electric guitar; Sarah Hughes, saxophones, flute, clarinet, and improvisation.

Raphael Rogiński’s program: “Plays John Coltrane and Langston Hughes” originated in 2015 as part of Bôłt Records’ Populista series and was reissued by Unsound in 2024 with four additional recordings. The material reflects Rogiński’s development across a 52-concert tour and presents an expanded, more nuanced version of the project.

Sarah Hughes: Hughes studied classical saxophone with Dale Underwood at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in music education in 2008. She later received a master’s degree in jazz saxophone performance from Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music in 2015, studying with Jerry Bergonzi, Ran Blake, Anthony Coleman, and Donny McCaslin.

Note: Rogiński’s tour is supported by the Polish Cultural Institute New York.