Kenny Washington with Michael O'Neill April 6, 2010

Kenny Washington

The San Francisco Chronicle recently heralded Kenny Washington as “the Superman of the Bay Area jazz scene.” Ravi Coltrane declared that Kenny was his favorite male vocalist. Mark Murphy said in a Jazz Times interview that he thought “Kenny was the only contemporary male vocalist carrying on the tradition” and Kenny was recently voted “Rising Star” in the male vocals category in the 57th Annual Downbeat Critics' Poll.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Kenny grew up singing gospel in church and playing saxophone in his school bands. He studied music performance at Xavier University, majoring on saxophone and voice.

Washington joined the Navy band as a saxophonist, but when his singing prowess was discovered he became the band’s featured vocalist. With the Navy band, he performed across Asia, Russia, Australia and the U.S. After leaving the Navy in 1995, Kenny moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he has made his home ever since.

Washington has performed at major jazz venues across the country, including three week-long engagements at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center with Joe Locke, the 55 Bar and the Knitting Factory in New York City, Snug Harbor in Orleans, The Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, all major San Francisco Bay Area jazz clubs including both Yoshi’s, The Jazz School, Anna’s Jazz Island, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Cetrella. The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay and Jazz at Pearl’s. He has headlined at major local festivals including the SFJazz Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival, Jazz on the Hill, the Healdsberg Jazz Festival, the Stanford Jazz Festival, the Fillmore Jazz Festival and the North Beach Jazz Fest – many with the Michael O’Neill Quintet.

Kenny has performed and/or recorded with Louie Bellson, Wycleff Gordon, Jon Hendricks, Elvis Costello, Jason and Delfeayo Marsalis, Eddie Marshall, Joe Locke, Geoffery Keezer, George Mraz Clarence Penn, the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, the Slammin’ All Body Band and of course The Michael O’Neill Quintet. Major recordings featuring Kenny include The Long and the Short of It with the Michael O’Neill Quintet, Still Dancin’ by the Michael O’Neill Quintet featuring Kenny Washington with special guest Joe Locke, Kenny Washington Live at Anna’s Jazz Island, and as special guest on Joe Locke’s new release, For the Love of You.

Michael O’Neill

A reviewer of a recent Yoshi’s concert enthused that Michael O'Neill “sounded like he could improvise all night without ever repeating himself. His saxophone work is extraordinary. He plays with orchestral diction yet classic jazz chops. It makes him a rare treatit's almost as if he's not only playing but teaching saxophone on stage.” Michael performs weekly with his quartet at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, and recently concluded a seven-and-a-half year engagement with his quartet at Cetrella in Half Moon Bay. He has performed with several of the Bay Area’s leading big bands, including a two-year stint with the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. He plays frequently at all the leading jazz venues in the Bay Area including Yoshi’s in San Francisco and Oakland, Jazz at Pearl’s, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Anna’s Jazz Island, and The Jazz Schoolboth as a band leader and sideman.

A San Diego native, Michael began studying clarinet at age eight. After taking up the saxophone at thirteen, he performed in school bands and orchestras and later studied composition and arranging in college. After graduate school in Texas, he returned to the Bay Area and began studying with the great Joe Henderson. About this time, he became increasingly involved with composition and formed groups to perform his original material. This started a trend that is still ongoing today with his current quintet, featuring vocalist extraordinaire Kenny Washington.
Michael has performed and/or recorded with Idris Muhammad, Joe Locke, Giacomo Gates, Eddie Fisher, Rodney Jones, Kim Nalley, Jackie Ryan, Tony Lindsay, Margie Baker, Akira Tana, Faye Carol, Brenda Boykin, Nicolas Bearde, Jeff Chambers, Rob Schneiderman, Mark Levine, Frank Jackson, Frank Martin, Larry Dunlap, Bobbi Norris, Peter Horvath, Matt Clark, Smith Dobson, Don Haas, Dave Mathews, Michael Bluestein, Omar Clay, Scott Morris and many others. Major recordings featuring Michael include The Long and the Short of It by the Michael O’Neill Quintet featuring Kenny Washington, Still Dancin’ by the Michael O’Neill Quintet featuring Kenny Washington with special guest Joe Locke, and Margie Baker and Friends, Live at Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.

Official Website: http://www.yoshis.com/