Saturday, November 3 Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm Kevin Mahogany’s Big Joe Turner Tribute $28 general (All proceeds benefit the Central Area Senior Center) Kevin Mahogany is that rare jazz singer: a man, and under 50 years old, too. “There is little Mahogany cannot do,” wrote the L.A. Times, calling him “one of the first truly gifted male vocal- ists to emerge in years.” High praise, but again, with a catch. More than just a contemporary anomaly in a sub-genre dominated by the ladies, though, Mahogany sings with singular swing, and as a unique voice in jazz, he merits praise on his own terms. Perhaps ironically, then, Mahogany further establishes his importance as an individual artist with his tribute to one of the best blues shouters in history, Big Joe Turner. Hailed as the father of R&B, the legendary Turner is himself a cause célèbre, and Mahogany’s tribute channels a tangibly good vibe. Born in Kansas City, Mahogany rose as a professional singer with R&B groups in the 1980s. The first, simply called Mahogany, melded contemporary jazz and R&B. Later, the regionally popular Apollos – a pure throwback to the ‘60s- era R&B dance band – provided both regular work and a large audience with which Mahogany could hone the tenor/ baritone that would later serve him so well in jazz. Mahogany achieved rather sudden prominence in the mid-’90s. His repu- tation crested on the strength of two albums – Songs and Moments and You Got What It Takes, both for the Enja imprint – that established Mahogany as a char- ismatic and technically adept interpreter of standard-bearers from Duke Ellington to Billy Holiday. A soulful chameleon, Mahogany adept- ly sings ballads, bebop, and blues alike, each with thrilling precision, boundless feeling, and wide appeal. His is a voice that cannot be ignored. Equal parts honey-dripping tribute, butter-smooth interpretation, and deferential séance, his “Big Joe Turner” transports audiences and further establishes Mahogany as a fiercely independent voice in jazz.

October 2007 • Earshot Jazz • 45