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Low-key Lowcountry musician Stephen Washington is productive and happy at home in Charleston
Sometimes talent is hard to describe. We recognize it when we witness it, but struggle to put it into words.
Ask some local musicians about Stephen Washington, and they will burst forth with exclamations such as, “His musicality, his vocabulary, is out of this world” (Calvin Baxter) or “He’s not like any other person I’ve ever played with” (Quiana Parler) or “Stephen is a musical genius” (Jarell Smalls).
You will learn from Washington’s musical colleagues that he possesses nimble keyboard skills, an ability to improvise freely, a multitasking brain, a quiet demeanor and humility. You might be surprised to discover that he is an accomplished drummer and producer. You will hear about the fluidity of his musical direction on stage, his love of all kinds of musical styles and his versatility.
But why exactly is he so good, so unusual? His friend and musical collaborator Charlton Singleton explains it this way:
“One of the first times I performed with Quiana and her party band, we were playing for a wedding reception and we were all wearing in-ear monitors. Stephen, being the music director, had a talk-back mic in addition to a regular one. He would come straight to our ears. … We get to a song that Quiana has to sing, something that’s come up literally 10 minutes before. Vonny (bass player LaVonta Green) looks over and says, ‘I’m iffy on the song.’ Stephen says he’ll call it out to everybody. He has two keyboards. … Stephen starts the song, tells JT (drummer JT Rollerson) what to do, then is calling out chords to everybody. That’s fine. Then I look at his hands. He’s playing the chords he’s calling out to everyone with his left hand, and playing a string line with his right hand. But the keyboard on top is transposed. I saw him doing that, using my perfect pitch. I just stood right there and said, ‘Damn, that’s some s*** right there.’”
Source: Low-key Lowcountry musician Stephen Washington is productive and happy at home in Charleston
About The ZD Experience
The ZD Experience is a dynamic boutique concert and event production company powered by the combined gifts of vocalist/media host/producer Zandrina Dunning and composer/arranger/pianist Stephen Washington.
Specializing in creating unforgettable experiences, we handle everything from intimate shows to large-scale tribute events.
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