I didn’t know he was a Jazz singer!?

This is a new thing for Al, singing “Jazz” music. What’s going on? Let Al explain his new direction…

“In my house, growing up I always heard jazz music, gospel & soul. My natural direction was gospel, funk, soul, and rock but jazz was always something I loved but never dared to sing. As a trombone player I have played jazz since way back in my high school days playing in the Eagle Rock jazz stage band but singing was a whole other story.

For me, singing jazz was more than just singing evergreens, playing in some clubs and then calling yourself a jazz singer. I’ve heard way too many cheesy singers singing all the cliché licks and phrases which always turned me off to jazz vocalists. Of course there are many great singers out there but I just did not see myself becoming a jazz vocalist. Still, somehow I thought that if I ever did try that I’d be true to myself, do it in my own way and not try to copy the style of expression that so many singers often do.”

In 2009, Al sang his very first jazz gig at a small Danish restaurant in Copenhagen. Together with a trio, Al learned enough songs to cover an evening and do 3 sets. Playing trombone and singing jazz, this was a very scary night for Al. When the gig happened it was a total flop in terms of the audience. There were only 3 people there! Later as the evening progressed, a group of his students came in to support him. The audience grew to about 10. Still, the band sounded good and pretty tight.

In 2010, Al made a return to the same restaurant but with a different concept. This was the concert entitled, “Al sings Ellington.” It was a great success with a full house, lots of happy listeners and the band sounded fantastic! Since that evening, Al experienced his first successful night as a jazz vocalist. With his confidence up and his chops sounding good, he decided to take this challenge seriously.

Currently Al Campos is singing the songs of Duke Ellington. Where will this all lead? Hhhmmmm… We shall see.