Michael O'neill Sextet Featuring Kenny Washington at Stanford Jazz Festival at Campbell Recital Hall

Kenny Washington sounds like (see above) the musical blending of Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald. His brilliant scatting and liquid jazz ballads have hypnotized crowds the world over, plus he’s shared the stage with pop icons like Elvis Costello and Debby Harry. And Michael O’Neill is his equal: He abandoned his biology Ph.D. courses to study with Joe Henderson and soon began turning up on the best gigs and CDs in the Bay Area, with heavies such as Mark Levine, Rob Schneiderman, and Larry Dunlap. When he and Kenny met, the music detonated. The songs are familiar, the arrangements unique, and the performances unforgettable. Both products of armed forces bands, these two artists have a take-no-prisoners commitment to the best kind of musical fireworks....

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Kenny Washington sounds like (see above) the musical blending of Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald. His brilliant scatting and liquid jazz ballads have hypnotized crowds the world over, plus he’s shared the stage with pop icons like Elvis Costello and Debby Harry. And Michael O’Neill is his equal: He abandoned his biology Ph.D. courses to study with Joe Henderson and soon began turning up on the best gigs and CDs in the Bay Area, with heavies such as Mark Levine, Rob Schneiderman, and Larry Dunlap. When he and Kenny met, the music detonated. The songs are familiar, the arrangements unique, and the performances unforgettable. Both products of armed forces bands, these two artists have a take-no-prisoners commitment to the best kind of musical fireworks.

Personnel: Michael O’Neill, saxophones; Kenny Washington, vocals; John R. Burr, piano; Erik Jekabson, trumpet; Dan Feiszli, bass; Alan Hall, drums

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