Spectacular Jazz Singer Kenny Washington, from San Francisco!

A DUO PERFORMANCE YOU WON'T FORGET! KENNY WASHINGTON TOGETHER WITH JOSH NELSON, RENOWNED JAZZ PIANIST/COMPOSER/CONDUCTOR! Join us for an unforgettable in-person night with Kenny Washington, the sensational jazz vocalist all the way from San Francisco! Get ready to vibe with soulful tunes, smooth melodies, and a performance that'll leave you wanting more. Bring your friends, relax, and soak in the magic of live jazz. This is one event you won’t want to miss! > “I love this man! He’s a consummate professional, with impeccable intonation. He’s a real improviser who brings depth to everything he does. We all love Kenny. If you love music, you’ve got to love Kenny!”— Wynton Marsalis [https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/08/the-world-is-finding-out-about-jazz-singer-kenny-washington/] Kenny Washington thrills audiences across the globe with his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and rapid-fire scatting. The New Orleans native, now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, appeared in 2013 at Jazz At Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra to perform Marsalis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio Blood On The Fields, alongside vocalists Gregory Porter and Paula West. In 2014, Washington returned to Jazz at Lincoln Center to perform Basie & The Blues with pianist Eric Reed and again in 2016 as the featured vocalist in JALC’s tribute to Frank Sinatra, in celebration of Sinatra’a 100th birthday. In 2017, Washington performed with Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra and vocalist Roberta Gambarini to celebrate Ella Fitzgerald’s 100th birthday. Born and raised in New Orleans, Washington grew up singing gospel in the church where his parents were choir members and playing saxophone in school bands. Jazz caught his interest during his senior year of high school, when the great clarinetist Alvin Batiste performed at his school with a band of students that included two precociously talented teenage brothers named Branford and Wynton Marsalis. Inspired, Washington went on to study music at Xavier University, playing saxophone and singing in a variety of styles including pop, classical, R&B and jazz, while listening closely to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Mel Tormé. Described as one of “the Bay Area’s best kept musical secrets,” Washington’s astounding improvisational flights, inventive approach and emotional intensity are awe inspiring. If you have never heard this New Orleans native sing before, prepare to join a global audience that has welcomed the introduction to Washington’s talent. Other recent highlights include The 58th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival with the Michael O’Neill Quintet, a 2014 Grammy win for the eponymous album from The Pacific Mambo Orchestra, which featured Washington’s stand-out rendition of Stevie Wonder’s tune ‘Overjoyed” and two new releases that feature Washington on vocals: Groove Conspiracy, from drummer Tommy Igoe’s modern big band, and New Beginnings, the third collaboration with saxophonist Michael O’Neill. In 2013, Washington appeared at The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, The 2013 Virginia Arts Festival, and as an adjudicator for the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Festival. Recent solo international performances include dates in Germany, Spain, Denmark, Georgia, Czech Republic, Singapore, South Korea, Mongolia, Canada, Japan and Russia. With this growing recognition, Washington was voted a “Rising Star” in the male vocals category in the 57th Annual Downbeat Critics’ Poll. You can buy tickets for this private event! Some of the proceeds will go to Charity Water.