In the second part of Thursday's Up to Date we take some time with jazz vocalist Kevin Mahogany. We'll talk with the Kansas City native who, like many American jazz artists, will be heading out for an extended tour to other parts of the world. But for now, Mahogany is in town for an appearance with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. We'll ask Kevin about a career that began at age 12 as a saxophone player and recently found him starting his own record label.
More information: Kevin Mahogany performs with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra this Friday, September 14th at 8:00 p.m. at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Details and ticket information are available here.
Kevin Mahogany grew up in a home where "music was just as important as English and math in our household." Starting out on piano before moving to the baritone sax, it wasn't until his senior year in high school that his singing talent was discovered. Mahogany continued his musical pursuits while attending Baker University and upon graduation he returned to Kansas City where he formed two groups that made him one of the areas most popular performers throughout the 80's. In February 1993, Kevin's debut album " Double Rainbow" hit the record stores. He recorded three more records: " Songs and Moments", " You Got What It Takes", and " Pussy Cat Dues" with the independent German record label Enja. In 1995 Kevin joined with Warner Brothers and released four albums with the label. Mahogany returned to the recording studio in 2002 and released "Pride and Joy" for Telarc Records. The latest venture for Kevin Mahogany is his own label, " Mahogany Jazz " with his partner Rick Cioffi which has two projects scheduled for release: " Kevin Mahogany - Big Band", and "To: Johnny Hartman", a tribute to the incredible vocalist of the 1940-70's.