Crooner Jonathan Karrant grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas, but now lives and works in San Diego. Karrant works straight out of the American songbook with a level of manly confidence and jazz suave and bonhomie that was patented by Mel Torme himself. Among his influences, he cites Little Jimmy Scott, an American jazz singer known for his high contralto voice.
His full-length On and On was released in early 2012, hit number four on the Billboard Jazz charts. He has received honors throughout the states including; the New York City Jazz Cabaret Honors, “Best Singer” for the Bravo California Awards and was named one of the top 12 rising jazz vocalists by Downbeat Magazine.
Jonathan Karrant Live was released in 2018 and reached the number two slot on the iTunes Jazz Charts. "It was recorded live at the Smith Center in Las Vegas and I've always been a big fan of live recordings. They are so organic and in the moment."
His Autumn 2020 single is a jazzy arrangement of the popular song "All I Want for Christmas is You" that features Charles McNeal on sax, James Whiting on vibes, Patrick Hogan on piano, Nick Schmitt on bass, and Jeremy Klewicki on drums.
His May 2021 album Shadows Fall is a collaboration with local jazz pianist Joshua White. The 13-track album covers classic standards such as "Lush Life," "So in Love," and "I Thought About You," as well as contemporary non-jazz numbers like "Simply the Best," "I Try," and "Your Smiling Face."
The duo has worked together often on stage. White was praised by Herbie Hancock as having “immense talent” and lauded for his “daring and courageous approach to improvisation... on the cutting edge of innovation.” He placed in the top two as a finalist of the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.
In late 2022, Karrant announced "I'm releasing a new holiday album this year called Christmas Wish and will be touring with it." Album guests include jazz icon Diane Schuur, sax player Houston Person, trumpeter Kenny Rampton, and the entire Joe Alterman Trio.
Karrant and pianist Joe Alterman collaborated in early 2023 on a jazzy single covering “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield. Alterman began at NYU with a BA and Masters in Jazz Piano followed by performances with Ramsey Lewis and others. Kevin Smith plays bass and Justin Chesarek plays drums on the track. In summer 2023, Karrant collaborated with Grammy nominated singer Jane Monheit to cover an Ivan Lins song called "Love Dance," assisted by saxophonist Houston Person. It's from an album called Eclectic, a collection of popular songs written from the 1940s through the 2010s by Smokey Robinson, James Taylor, Macy Gray, and others.
(Photo by Michelle Majors, used with permission from and provided by Jonathan Karrant)