Kenny Washington

Kenny Washington, the jazz vocalist (not to be confused with the drummer of the same name), has always taken his time. After a 35-year career in which he has often been a featured guest on others’ records, this summer the 63-year-old singer is finally releasing his first studio album under his own name.

The album is called What’s the Hurry?

“I’m originally from New Orleans, the Big Easy,” Washington says. “The people are laid back. I’ve never been in a hurry to do anything.”

For decades, he mostly stayed close to home in Oakland, California, content to be a local Bay Area jazz star. Eventually, however, word about him spread, and he began to earn a national, even international, reputation.

“I think he’s one of the most important male vocalists in the world,” says vibraphone master Joe Locke, who has featured Washington on records