October 6 concert salutes revered balladeer
By Roscoe Crenshaw
For the St. Louis American
Kansas City’s Kevin Mahogany has established himself as one of the premier jazz vocalists of the modern era. His distinctive style is marked by rich timbre, flowing lines and precise enunciation – and a definite penchant for swinging. On October 6, on the heels of his September 2006 debut of “In Celebration of Johnny Hartman – His Life, His Music,” at New York’s Lincoln Center, he’ll honor the late, illustrious baritone at The Sheldon.
Hartman may be best remembered for his remarkable 1963 collaboration with the late John Coltrane, but perceptive observers recognized his unique gifts in the ‘40s, when he received less attention than comparable talents Herb Jeffries and Billy Eckstine. It was the immensely popular Frank Sinatra, however, who was his biggest nemesis – arguably receiving an undue share of the accolades and remuneration that Johnny deserved.
Recalling Hartman’s magnificent repertoire, there’s a tendency to become engrossed in his past vocal triumphs, but Mahogany’s efforts on previous recordings; and in live sets at the former Just Jazz in the Hotel Majestic and Jazz at the Bistro (as well as venues around the world) serve only to validate Mahogany’s decision to pay tribute to this master.
Revered actor/director Clint Eastwood, who reintroduced Hartman’s rare instrument to listeners in the acclaimed movie The Bridges of Madison County, remarked, “Kevin Mahogany is fabulous. He’s got great ease on the stage and a great, great voice and a great presentation. It’s kind of like the older type guys. It’s sort of reminiscent of the Johnny Hartmans and people of the ‘40s.”
Mahogany was weaned on Kansas City jazz and blues, Memphis soul and the Motown sound. Beginning on clarinet and piano, he was an accomplished baritone saxophonist by age 12, working regularly in the Eddie Baker New Breed Orchestra in Kansas City and teaching clarinet by age 14. He established a jazz choir while matriculating at Baker College and graduated with a BFA in Music, English and Drama in 1981.
Shortly thereafter, Kevin’s musical aspirations began shifting. As he revealed, “I’ve been on both sides as an instrumentalist and vocalist. What I see the instrumentalist saying is, ‘If you’re going to be a vocalist, you need to know what’s going on from my side.’”
At first joining an existing ‘60s R&B horn band, the towering crooner then evolved to form his own group, Mahogany, which focused on R&B, Motown, soul and contemporary jazz, later moving to more traditional jazz, recording three successful albums with Enja, then signing with Warner Brothers in 1995. His self-titled 1996 Warner debut evoked the Newsweek description: “the standout jazz vocalist of his generation,” and the Los Angeles Times called him “one of the first truly gifted male vocalists to emerge in years.”
His enormous talent landed Mahogany a role in Robert Altman’s film, Kansas City, and he was soon sought after to appear on the 1997 Malpaso release, Eastwood After Hours, recorded live at Carnegie Hall. He also did a guest spot on Monk On Monk, T.S. Monk’s tribute to his dad, that same year.
Kevin’s continued success was documented by a Downbeat Male Vocalist of the Year Award in 1998. Despite a largesse of stellar recordings for Warner, he moved to the Telarc label in the summer of 2002.
The versatile, innovative balladeer has demonstrated an effortless delivery and command of challenging material in various settings – from intimate club dates to big band spectacles – producing a signature sound. In 2003, he joined Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks and Mark Murphy, touring extensively as “The Four Brothers.” During this time he had an epiphany which moved him to seek true autonomy with the creation of his label, Mahogany Jazz.
The year 2004 was virtually consumed touring the globe, as his big band made stops in South Africa, Russia, the Caribbean, and selected U.S. venues, yet he found time for teaching responsibilities at the University of Miami.
Jack Bowers, upon hearing the CD Kevin Mahogany Big Band, in 2005, proclaimed, “Kevin Mahogany, the Kansas City cyclone, would sound terrific singing in the shower or standing on his head,” adding that he is “blessed with a voice that is instantly seductive – smooth as butter, sweet as honey and deep as a freshly dug well.” Not surprisingly, this duly acclaimed star was designated #1 male vocalist in jazz radio in 2005.
He will continue with international bookings in 2006-2007, with a tribute album scheduled for release in early spring 2007.
Kevin Mahogany performs at The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., on Friday, October 6 at 8 p.m. Call Metrotix at 534-1111
