US pianist Kevin Toney, Detroit's very own, was in the seminal jazz funk band The Blackbyrds and has died at the age of 70. Toney attended Howard University in Washington DC where Donald Byrd who was head of the jazz studies department, assembled a group of students that became the Blackbyrds led by Toney. On a record of Toney's released last year, An Evening With Kevin Toney And Friends there is a fine rococo version of Billy Strayhorn classic 'Lush Life'. There was warm love in the room, the North Coast Rep in San Diego. Kamau Kenyatta who was a school friend of Kevin's, is also on the album, the pair used to hang out listening to records by John Coltrane and Miles Davis when they visited one another.
Kevin died on Monday. On his official Facebook page there is a message dated 21 March that reads: ''After a brief battle with cancer, our beloved Kevin Toney peacefully transitioned on Monday March 18th, 2024. We want to thank our village for their prayers, love, and support over the last few months.''
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