Rating:
Genre:
Vocal Music
Release Date: 01/25/2005
Given the strong influence that
Joe Williams,
Jimmy Rushing and
Billy Eckstine have had on his work, it stands to reason that
Kevin Mahogany would provide a
big band-oriented album -- and on this early 2005 release, the deep-voiced
Mahogany reminds us of the great contributions that male vocalists have made to
jazz'
big band tradition.
Big Band doesn't find the Midwestern singer working with one
big band exclusively; instead, he teams up with hard-swinging outfits that include
Frank Mantooth's orchestra as well as the
Kansas City Boulevard Big Band and
the Big City Swing Big Band. And the producers vary, ranging from
Mantooth to
T.S. Monk to
Allen Farnham. Nonetheless,
Big Band has a feeling of continuity; whether
Mahogany is joining forces with
Mantooth on
"Moonlight in Vermont," Duke Ellington's
"It Don't Mean a Thing" (which receives an Afro-Cuban/
salsa-influenced treatment) and
Harry "Sweets" Edison's
"Centerpiece," or
T.S. Monk on father
Thelonious Monk's
"Ruby My Dear," Mahogany recalls a time when male
jazz vocalists made important contributions to the big bands of
Count Basie and others. But he does it on his own soulful terms;
Williams,
Rushing,
Eckstine and
Johnny Hartman are creative inspirations to
Mahogany, but they aren't people he actually tries to emulate. In terms of material,
Big Band isn't as risk-taking as some of
Mahogany's other albums; most of the
standards that he embraces on this project are warhorses that have been recorded countless times over the years.
Big Band won't go down in history as
Mahogany's most adventurous or unconventional album, but even so, it's a solid, worthwhile effort from the expressive
jazz singer.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
;)
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