Kevin Bryant Mahogany (July 30, 1958 – December 17, 2017) was an American jazz vocalist who became prominent in the 1990s. Particularly known for his

scat singing In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...

, his singing style has been compared with those of Billy Eckstine, Joe Williams and

Johnny Hartman John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer who specialized in ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for his ...

Early years

Mahogany began his study of music as a child with

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

and later learned to play the clarinet and baritone saxophone, performing with jazz bands and teaching music while still in high school. He said, "When I was a kid, music was just as important as English and math in our household... Piano lessons were a grade school staple for the whole family." He attended

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Ar ...

, where he performed with instrumental and vocal ensembles and formed a vocal jazz group. In 1981, he received his BFA in music and English drama.

Performing

After graduating, Mahogany returned to Kansas City, where he attracted a local following in the 1980s performing with his groups "The Apollos" and "Mahogany". In 1995 he was featured on a CD by

Frank Mantooth Frank Mantooth (April 11, 1947 in Tulsa, Oklahoma – January 30, 2004 in Garden City, Kansas) was an American jazz pianist and arranger. Mantooth attended University of North Texas College of Music, graduating in 1969, then played in and arrang ...

. Mahogany's first CD as a solo artist was ''Double Rainbow'' (1993). It was followed by the album ''Kevin Mahogany'' (1996), which gained positive attention in the media, and prompted ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' to call Mahogany "the standout jazz vocalist of his generation." Mahogany appeared in Robert Altman's film '' Kansas City'' (1996), playing a character said to be based on Kansas City singer Big Joe Turner. In 1997, Mahogany was featured on the soundtrack to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil singing Laura, written by Johnny Mercer. He has listed his vocal influences as

Lambert, Hendricks and Ross Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were an American vocalese trio formed by jazz vocalists Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross. From 1962 to 1964, Ross was replaced by vocalist Yolande Bavan. History The group formed in 1957 and recorded their f ...

, Al Jarreau and

Eddie Jefferson Eddie Jefferson (August 3, 1918 – May 9, 1979) was an American jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Jefferson himself claims t ...

. He has taught at the Berklee College of Music in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

. In 2016, he was featured on the track "Special Girl" on the CD '' Bang & Classic'' by Polish rapper Bosski Roman.

Death

Mahogany died on December 17, 2017 from the effects of diabetes. He was 59.

Discography

As leader

* ''Double Rainbow'' (Enja, 1993) * ''Songs and Moments'' (Enja, 1994) * ''You Got What It Takes'' (Enja, 1995) * ''Kevin Mahogany'' (Warner Bros., 1996) * ''Another Time Another Place'' (Warner Bros., 1997) * ''My Romance'' (Warner Bros., 1998) * ''Pussy Cat Dues: The Music of Charles Mingus'' (Enja, 2000) * ''Pride & Joy'' (Telarc, 2002) * ''Big Band'' (Zebra, 2005) * ''The Vienna Affair'' (Cracked AnEgg, 2015)

As sideman

Monty Alexander Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander (born 6 June 1944) is a Jamaican jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was influenced by Louis ...

, ''My America'' (Telarc, 2002) * Cheryl Bentyne, ''Moonlight Serenade'' (King, 2003) * Ray Brown, ''Some of My Best Friends Are...Singers'' (Telarc, 1998) *

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

, ''

It Don't Mean a Thing "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills. It is now accepted as a jazz standard, and jazz historian Gunther Schuller characterized it as "now legendary" and "a prophe ...

'' (Enja, 1993) *

Tony Lakatos Antal "Tony" Lakatos (born 13 November 1958 in Budapest) is a Hungarian Jazz saxophonist (tenor, soprano saxophone), who currently lives in Frankfurt (Germany). Lakatos attended the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest from 1975 to 1980, then ...

, ''The Coltrane Hartman Fantasy Vol. 1'' (Skip, 2010) *

, ''Sophisticated Lady'' (Sea Breeze, 1995) *

T. S. Monk Thelonious Sphere "T. S." Monk III (born December 27, 1949) is an American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader. He is the son of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. Biography Born in New York City, he began his music career early in his life, honin ...

, ''Monk on Monk'' (N2K Encoded, 1991) *

Marlena Shaw Marlena Shaw (born Marlina Burgess, September 22, 1942) is an American jazz, blues and soul singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in television ...

, ''Dangerous'' (Concord Jazz, 1996) *

Roseanna Vitro Roseanna Elizabeth Vitro (born February 28, 1951) is a jazz singer and teacher from Arkansas. Biography Born Roseanna Elizabeth VitroScott Fredrickson and Gary W. Kennedy.Vitro (Wickliffe), Roseanna" In ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2 ...

, ''Passion Dance'' (Telarc, 1996)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahogany, Kevin 1958 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Kansas City, Missouri American jazz singers Baker University alumni Berklee College of Music faculty Enja Records artists University of Miami faculty Singers from Missouri Jazz musicians from Missouri 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers