KEVIN MAHOGANY: Double Rainbow

KEVIN MAHOGANY
Assisti a uma apresentação de Kevin Mahogany no "Van Dyke´s Cafe" em Miami, em 1998. Na ocasião ele estava na cidade, ministrando um curso de jazz, na Universidade de Miami. Após o "show", conversamos longamente sobre música - especialmente conjuntos vocais e Jobim, duas de suas paixões. KM tem uma cultura musical incrível e um talento gigantesco: além de cantar, toca sax barítono, piano e é professor de música. Além disso, é extremamente gentil, atencioso e um ótimo companheiro de copo...
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KEVIN MAHOGANY
Kevin Mahogany (born July 30, 1958, in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American jazz vocalist who became prominent in the 1990's. He is known for his scat singing, and his singing style has been compared with jazz singers Joe Williams and Johnny Hartman. Kevin Mahogany began his study of music as a child with piano and later learned to play the clarinet and baritone saxophone, performing with jazz bands and teaching music while still in high school. "When I was a kid, music was just as important as English and math in our household" says Mahogany. "In fact piano lessons were a grade school staple for the whole family." Mahogany attended Baker University, where he performed with both instrumental and vocal ensembles and formed a vocal jazz group. In 1981, Mahogany received his BFA in Music and English Drama. After graduation, he returned to Kansas City where he attracted a local following in the 1980's performing with his groups, "The Apollos" and "Mahogany." In 1991, he was featured on a CD by Frank Mantooth. His first CD release as a solo artist was Double Rainbow in 1993. This was followed by the self-titled album Kevin Mahogany, which won him his first critical acclaim in the media, prompting Newsweek to call Mahogany "the standout jazz vocalist of his generation." Mahogany appeared in Robert Altman's 1996 film Kansas City, playing a character said to be based on Kansas City singer Big Joe Turner. Kevin Mahogany lists his vocal influences as Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Al Jarreau and Eddie Jefferson. As a jazz educator, Mahogany has taught at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and the University of Miami.
(Source: wikipedia)
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ALBUM REVIEWS
Mahogany has a voice of plush velvet that is superbly utilized in this lush album and he is backed by superb musicians. Particular favorites of mine on this album are All Blues (Miles Davis) Double Rainbow (Jobim) and Dat Dere (Bobby Timmons). The selections are nicely varied from scat singing to soulful ballads. An excellent album.
By george N. Fabian - (Mountainside, USA)

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As Jon Hendricks (the patron saint of modern jazz singing) says in the charming liner notes, Mahogany really comes directly from the rich musical tradition but, just like Jon, I also think Kevin Mahogany sounds the best when he is scatting on material such as Miles Davis' "All Blues" and Charlie Parker's "Confirmation"... Brilliant! Have you heard his brilliant album "Pussy Cat Dues" from the year 2000, dedicated to Mingus ( Pussy Cat Dues: The Music of Charles Mingus )? He works as a star-instrumentalist of a big band on that one and it suits him just fine. However, his more romantic side ("Our love remains") doesn't sit as well with me (Kevin's voice, although at first glance very rich, sounds actually a bit empty on slow ones, at least here, in the beginning of his great recording carreer)...But, than again, I have a similar complaint for a great number of post-bop modernist, modal improvisers and smooth singers and players. So, maybe it's just me. "Three little words" (written by Kevin and Paul Hofmann) is (I believe) not very succesfull attempt at Jobimesque ellegance so, all in all, in spite of some really impressive hights, I give only 4 stars to this very intriguing album.
By Nikica Gilic (Zagreb, Croatia)
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MINHA OPINIÃO:
Este foi o primeiro álbum que ouvi de Kevin Mahogany, em 1993: quase fui a nocaute, pois há muito tempo eu não ouvia nada de novo na seara de cantores de Jazz, que me agradasse tanto. KM, com seu vozeirão (tipo Barry White), sintetiza tudo o que há de melhor em cantores de jazz: a "bossa" de Al Jarreau, a classe de Johnny Hartmann, o "swing" de Joe Williams, os "scats" de Joe Hendricks e a divisão de Mark Murphy. Parece que ele botou todos esses ingredientes no liquidificador e produziu seu próprio estilo. O repertório é fantástico: as versões da "jobiniana" 'Double Rainbow' e da obra-prima de Charles Mingus, 'Duke Ellingtons Sound of Love' são inigualáveis - assim como a de 'Pannonica", do grande Thelonious Monk. E o que dizer do "timaço" de craques que o acompanham? Por isso tudo, o álbum é OURO EM PÓ!
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KEVIN MAHOGANY: Double Rainbow

PERSONNEL:
Kevin Mahogany - vocal
Kenny Barron - piano
Ralph Moore - tenor sax
Ray Drummond - bass
Lewis Nash - drums

TRACKLIST
01. All Blues
02. Confirmation
03. Save That Time
04. Double Rainbow
05. Our Love Remains
06. Dat Dere
07. Little Butterfly (Pannonica)
08. My Dungeon Shook
09. Since I Fell for You
10. Three Little Words
11. Duke Ellington's Sound of Love
12. No One Knows Just What Love Holds in Store