Ken Slavin: Jazz Crooner Extraordinaire

KEN SLAVIN: JAZZ CROONER EXTRAORDINAIRE!

This year Ken celebrates his 25th anniversary as a professional singer.  Some folks describe him as a younger Tony Bennett, Johnny Hartman or Mel Torme. One reviewer dubbed him “Mr. Tuxedo Voice.” Texas Monthly says he’s one of the “Swing Set.” And the San Antonio Express-News has declared, “When it comes to crooning in the classic jazz/pop tradition, Ken Slavin has no peers.”  His voice, persona and performance style have come together to create a unique interpreter of the Great American Songbook and has kept him in strong demand for singing engagements that run the gamut from local bistros and bars to country clubs and concert stages in Texas, New York and beyond

Ken recently became a voting member of The Recording Academy, which produces the annual GRAMMY Awards.  

His classy and fresh approach to his material has landed him headline appearances as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mexico City - and radio airplay around the world. He has opened for such jazz legends as The Four Freshmen, Eddie Palmieri, David Sanborn, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Chico Hamilton, performed in concert with the internationally acclaimed Jim Cullum Jazz Band and Little Joe Hernandez y La Familia, and has given private performances for legendary singers Helen Reddy and Vikki Carr.   A late bloomer who began singing professionally at the age of 29, he has since racked up numerous awards as “Best Male Vocalist” and “Best Musician” and “Best Lounge and Swing” performer from the San Antonio Current annual Reader’s Poll and recently was presented with a “Lifetime Achievement Award" by the annual San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz Festival.  

For years, Ken has been popular in hotel lounges and restaurants. Long-running gigs have included San Antonio’s Fairmount Hotel, the Emily Morgan Hotel, Omni at the Colonnade and Hotel Valencia. He is also a much sought-after performer for black-tie galas, outdoor jazz festivals, wedding receptions and more.

He has produced five CDs that have all received excellent reviews and airplay across the country and around the world.  His latest, "You Gotta Have Heart: Ken Slavin Live at the Metropolitan Room in New York," captures his Big Apple debut, which happened on Halloween Night 2013.  He performed two acclaimed shows at the popular Manhattan venue in 2014 and will appear there again in late 2015.

Ken currently performs every Thursday night at The Last Word in downtown San Antonio, twice a month at the Boardwalk Bistro in Alamo Heights and several times a month at III Forks in Austin.