It will be all jazz all day Saturday in Edmonds for the eighth annual Edmonds Jazz Connection with free performances starting at 10 a.m. The action will be topped off by an all-star evening concert led by jazz vocalist Kevin Mahogany as well as Phil Kelly and his Northwest Prevailing Winds Big Band.
Mahogany may not be a household name in Snohomish County, but critics have had a lot to say about his tremendous voice and 11 CDs as a band leader, some as a sideman and a few of his own recordings.
For example, Newsweek described him as “the standout jazz vocalist of his generation,” and the Los Angeles Times delivered this assessment: “Mahogany is one of the first truly gifted male vocalists to arise in years.”
Mahogany can turn bebop, ballads, blues and swing into a personal statement. By 12, he was playing the baritone saxophone after lessons on the piano and clarinet, and was well on his way down the musical path. Now he has started his own label.
Kelly brings his big band and a long resume: He has written for Doc Severinsen’s “Tonight Show” band; arranged, conducted, directed and even played drums for many well-known musicians; arranged for Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Cincinnati and other symphonies; been a lecturer in college film-scoring classes; and had his music on more than 700 national commercials.
This full day of free jazz runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with three stages for 18 award-winning student groups, including two Essentially Ellington big-band competition finalists from Mountlake Terrace and South Whidbey high schools.
The big bands perform at Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N.; vocal jazz groups are at Edmonds Masonic Center, 616 Dayton St.; and jazz combos play at Edmonds Theatre, 415 Main St. Jazz critic Paul de Barros will speak on the roots of Seattle jazz at noon at Edmonds Theatre.
At 7:30 p.m. at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, Mahogany, backed up by Kelly’s Prevailing Winds Big Band, and then Kelly and his big band will perform, as well as the All-Star Jazz Choir and Band.
The Edmonds Jazz Connection is presented by Edmonds Daybreakers Rotary and Edmonds Center for Arts. It benefits Burned Children Recovery Foundation and youth scholarships. For more information, go to www.ec4arts.org.
Tickets for the evening performance are $30 for adults and $15 for students. Call 877-548-3237.
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