It’s the really big names that spring to mind when you hear his voice for the first time: Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Gregory Porter. Such comparisons sound very high-flown at first, especially for a jazz vocalist who spent a long time undiscovered as a gospel singer in a Baptist church in his hometown and in the U.S. Navy Band.
Relaxed swing and bebop interpretations – But in the case of Kenny Washington, who was born almost 67 years ago as Clark Kent in New Orleans, you can safely assume that such comparisons don’t go to his head, even if he only follows the best.
As relaxed as that sounds, his tasteful swing and bebop interpretations sound just as relaxed. The Grammy-nominated singer lets you hear a small excerpt from it in the well-attended Pappelgarten in Reutlingen.
Musically, Kenny Washington doesn’t offer anything new, but his voice and ability to give beautiful jazz and swing classics an emotional touch are arguments enough.
Washington performs the ballads together with the Augsburg pianist Theo Kollross, the Bavarian double bassist Martin Zenker and drummer Kim Minchan from South Korea, with a voice that is initially restrained but improves from song to song.
Above all, it is the combination of intonation, pitch and timing that brings out his intense voice. Musically, the evening is based on the swing era, jazz standards and easy listening classics by Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Miles Davis, Ben Bernie and crooner idol Frank Sinatra. Of course, songs like “Bewitched”, “Just one of those things”, “All Blues”, “It’s crazy” or “What a difference a day makes” are not to be missed.
Three experienced players – His three experienced players pack the evergreens into a pulsating arrangement, without major experiments and without overly extensive solos.
Above all, pianist Theo Kollross repeatedly impresses with virtuoso sound images and is often the center of attention when the little jazz vocalist from New Orleans takes a break.
Like the classic swing numbers from the 40s to 60s, Kenny Washington and his three players like to translate timeless sensibilities into smart entertainment music.
And when you then close your eyes to one of the jazz ballads reminiscent of Woody Allen film music, there are again those impressions that come and go as quickly as autumn showers: It is him, it is not him, it could be him.
No, not Frank Sinatra, Kenny Washington sings – and everything is good.
