Kevin Mahogany &
Canarias Jazz & Más Big Band
Kevin Mahogany
Born in 1958 in Kansas City, Missouri, Mahogany grew up listening to Kansas City jazz and blues, Memphis soul, the sound of Motown, as well as the ever-evolving rock and roll of the 60's.
Growing up, Mahogany initially studied clarinet and piano. Mahogany was an accomplished baritone saxophonist by the age of 12, working regularly in the Eddie Baker New Breed Orchestra in Kansas City. Mahogany was teaching clarinet by the time he was 14.
Mahogany established a jazz choir while pursuing his music studies at Baker College. He graduated with a BFA in Music, English, and Drama in 1981.
After graduation, Mahogany began shifting his musical focus from instrumentalist to vocalist. When he turned to his vocal talents, Mahogany found them to be very versatile and artistically satisfying.
Initially, Mahogany joined an existing 60s R&B horn band. However, he then went on to form Mahogany, an outfit that specialized in R&B, Motown, soul and contemporary jazz.
"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,'" said Mahogany
Mahogany recorded three well-received albums with Enja, the independent German label, before signing with Warner Brothers in 1995. His self-titled Warner debut in 1996 garnered c"the standout jazz vocalist of his generation."ritical acclaim from Newsweek which described him as
Esteemed writer Whitney Balliet declared in The New Yorker, "there is little Mahogany cannot do."
The Los Angeles Times called him "one of the first truly gifted male vocalists to emerge in years."
The album also earned excellent reviews including four stars from USA Today. That same year, Mahogany appeared in the Robert Altman film "Kansas City," where he portrayed a character inspired by Big Joe Turner.
The auspicious Warner debut sparked high demand for the Mahogany touch on projects other than his own. He appeared on the 1997 Malpaso release Eastwood After Hours, a Clint Eastwood ensemble project performed and recorded live at Carnegie Hall. That same year, he made a guest appearance on Monk On Monk, T.S. Monk's tribute to his father.
After three more successful albums on Warner, Another Time, Another Place in 1997, My Romance in 1998 for which he received the Downbeat Male Vocalist of the Year Award, and Portrait of Kevin Mahogany in 2000. Mahogany moved to the Telarc label in the summer of 2002 for the release Pride & Joy, a jazzy set of extraordinarily distinctive takes on Motown classics.
When Mahogany arrived on the international jazz scene, it was with a sound that was both traditionally grounded and boldly innovative. The result was a much-needed change to the jazz landscape. Over the course of Mahogany's extraordinary career, he has made significant breakthroughs in style and sounds that redirected, redefined and even reinvented jazz music.
In the autumn of 2003, Mahogany, along with Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks and Mark Murphy toured extensively as The Four Brothers. It was during these tours that Mahogany decided the time had arrived for him to take control of all aspects of his career. He decided that he needed to create a new record label where artists would retain control of their music. He was able to secure a distribution deal with Warner Brothers - WEA, which provides him with the mechanism by which to distribute the music created by Mahogany and the other artists signed to Mahogany Jazz.
2004 was a year of worldwide touring. Mahogany brought his big band program to South Africa, Russia (two tours with The Igor Butman Big Band), the Caribbean, as well as selected US venues. Mahogany would perform at the Kennedy Center and toured the Hartman Show extensively throughout North America. Additionally, Mahogany continued to maintain his teaching responsibilities at the University of Miami.
January of 2005 begun a new chapter in the career of Kevin Mahogany with the release of the CD, Kevin Mahogany Big Band, on Mahogany Jazz with Warner Brothers - WEA distribution. Kevin Mahogany Big Band would hit #3 on the charts - making Kevin Mahogany the #1 male vocalist in 2005 on jazz radio.
September 2006 marks the debut at Lincoln Center of In Celebration of Johnny Hartman - His Life, His Music.
Most people only know Johnny Hartman for his music was featured by Clint Eastwood in the "Bridges of Madison County" or for his collaboration with John Coltrane in 1963. In a carefully crafted tribute, vocalist Kevin Mahogany has stepped forward and fused those two events.
Mahogany's presentation is not a rehash of the Hartman songbook. Rather, it is an eloquent synthesis of a refined vocal instrument, carefully chosen arrangements and imaginative interpretations.
"Kevin Mahogany is fabulous.
He's got great ease on the stage
a great voice and presentation.
It's kind of like the older type guys.
It's sort of reminiscent of Johnny Hartman
and people of the 40s,
when there were a lot of great singers around."
- Clint Eastwood
2006-2007 bookings include performances in concert halls and worldwide destinations. A tribute album will be released in early spring of 2007.
KEVIN MAHOGANY & CANARIAS JAZZ & MÁS BIG BAND
Saxs: Jim Odgren, Sergio García, Kike Perdomo, Fran Rodríguez, Sergio Yánez
Trumpets: Joe Magnarelli, Julián Díaz, José Martín, Fran González
Trombones: Efraín Mesa, Cristo Delgado, Santi González, Adams Pérez
Guitar: Yul Ballesteros
Piano: Gary Versace
Bass: Dave Santoro
Drums: Andrea Michelutti
KEVIN MAHOGANY with Joe Magnarelli & Dave Santoro Sextet
Piano: Gary Versace
Bass: Dave Santoro
Sax: Jim Odgren
Trumpet: Joe Magnarelli
Drums: Marcello Pelliteri
Guitar: Yul Ballesteros
