RUSSELL MALONE

Russell Malone, born November 8, 1963 in Albany, Georgia is an essentially self-taught swing jazz guitarist. He also performs in the bebop and contemporary jazz genres of jazz. He began working with Jimmy Smith in 1988, and went on to work with Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall throughout the 1990's.

Malone began playing at the age of four in his home of Albany, Georgia, with a toy guitar his mother had bought him, influenced by musicians such as B.B. King and The Dixie Hummingbirds. However, he cites that the most influential musical experience he had as a youth was "[At the age of twelve] seeing George Benson perform on television…with Benny Goodman."He learned technique from listening to recordings of Benson, Wes Montgomery, and Charlie Christian, among others.

Malone played with jazz organist Jimmy Smith from 1988—1990. He then joined the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band from 1989-1994. In 1995, Malone became part of the Diana Krall trio, participating in multiple Grammy-nominated albums, the final one in 1999, "When I Look In Your Eyes," winning Best Vocal Jazz Performance.

In addition to touring regularly as leader of The Russell Malone Quartet, Russell Malone can be seen in appearances with Dianne Reeves and Romero Lubambo. He also tours frequently with Ron Carter as part of the Golden Striker Trio often featuring Mulgrew Miller at piano. Other special guest appearances have included Malone with Bobby Hutcherson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Hank Jones (in celebration of his 90th birthday). October, 2008, found Russell Malone in duo at Yoshi's in Oakland, California, with fellow jazz guitarist and Grammy-winner Bill Frisell. The duo toured once again in February, 2009, in the Pacific Northwest.

Malone's two most recent MAXJAZZ releases are "Live At Jazz Standard, Volume One" (2006) and Live At Jazz Standard, Volume Two" (2007). Appearing on these two volumes, and touring as The Russell Malone Quartet, are Martin Bejerano on piano, Tassili Bond on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums.

Discography

Russell Malone (COLUMBIA - 1992)[2]
Black Butterfly (COLUMBIA - 1993)[4]
Sweet Georgia Peach (IMPULSE! - 1998)
Wholly Cats (VENUS - 1999)
Look Who's Here (VERVE - 2000)
Heartstrings (VERVE - 2001)
Playground (MAXJAZZ - 2004)[5]
Live At Jazz Standard, Volume One (MAXJAZZ - 2006)
Live At Jazz Standard, Volume Two (MAXJAZZ - 2007)

References

a b c Jung, Fred & Malone, Russell. A Fireside Chat with Russell Malone. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
a b Neuroth, Matt. (2008). Bio: Russell Malone. Retrieved January 13, 2008 http://www.downbeat.com/artists/window.asp?action=new&aid=501&aname=Russell+Malone Down Beat]
a b National Public Radio. (2002). Billy Taylor's Jazz | Guest Artist: Russell Malone. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from http://www.npr.org/programs/btaylor/pastprograms/rmalone.html
Amazon.com. (2008). Amazon.com: Black Butterfly: Music: Russell Malone. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from http://www.amazon.com/Black-Butterfly-Russell-Malone/dp/B00000295V/ref=m_art_li_5
(2008). Russell Malone at All About Jazz. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=9011

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Ever since Charlie "Bird" Parker recorded his (first) Charlie Parker With Strings sessions in 1949 and 1950, jazz artists have celebrated their romantic sides by employing lush string sections. Everyone from Chet Baker to Clifford Brown to Wes Montgomery did some of their best work in the presence of string sections, and on Heartstrings (Verve), Russell Malone puts his own spin on the jazz-with-strings tradition. Those who think that they’ve heard it all when it comes to strings projects are in for a surprise; Heartstrings, the swinging yet lyrical guitarist’s sixth album, is full of gems that jazzmen often overlook.

Typically, a jazz-with-strings project will emphasize what has often been called "The Great American Songbook"—namely, well-known standards of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. But on Heartstrings, which was produced by the GRAMMY®-winning Verve Music Group Chairman Tommy LiPuma, Malone doesn’t limit himself to the George Gershwin and Cole Porter standards that jazz artists have recorded time and time again. Employing a solid rhythm section (pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts) and three different string arrangers (pianist Alan Broadbent, Brazilian great Dori Caymmi, and the famous Mandel), Malone lends his unmistakable sound to everything from an Anne Murray hit ("You Needed Me") to a gospel favorite ("What A Friend We Have in Jesus") to the Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne gem "Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry."

"I’ve always felt that jazz is the way in which something is done," the 37-year-old Malone asserts. "The material can come from anywhere—what makes it jazz is the way you approach it. I was recently listening to Sonny Rollins playing ‘Tennessee Waltz,’ which isn’t a song you associate with jazz. But man, Sonny plays his heart out on that song. Sonny is interested in the quality of a song rather than where it comes from, and that is how I approached this record. I like a lot of different kinds of songs."

Indeed, Heartstrings finds Malone interpreting a variety of material. "Wind in the Willow" is a ballad that has been recorded by cabaret singer Michael Feinstein, while "Handful of Stars" is a Jack Lawrence/Ted Shapiro classic that was recorded by Nat "King" Cole and Stan Getz, among others. 

"I pick songs based on the strength of the melody, and all of the songs I chose for this album have strong melodies," Malone comments. "I take pride in knowing a lot of songs. I’m happy to say that I’m never at a loss for material."

Although Malone is very much a jazz artist and Heartstrings is very much a jazz album, he will be the first to tell you that he is far from a jazz snob. Quite the contrary—Malone appreciates everything from R&B, gospel, rock, and blues to cabaret and country. If you looked through Malone’s CD collection, you would find plenty of jazz. But you would also find artists who range from Mahalia Jackson to Michael Feinstein to Johnny Cash to Frank Sinatra.

"As much as I love jazz music, I would never say that it is any more valid than rock, R&B, blues, gospel, or country," Malone says. "I would never say that because I love all kinds of music. I can have just as much fun playing a Willie Nelson song as I would have playing something by Duke Ellington. A lot of jazz people can be very condescending toward people who play other kinds of music, but I would never do that. I would never look down my nose at a rock, R&B, or country musician because I know they’re just as serious about what they’re doing as I am about what I’m doing."

Born in Albany, Georgia, Russell Malone grew up playing a variety of music. Eventually, he made jazz his main focus, but he never lost his appreciation of other styles. Malone, who now lives in New Jersey, was 25 when, in 1988, he was hired as a sideman by the seminal organist Jimmy Smith. He went on to back Harry Connick, Jr. from 1990-1994 and spent four years working with Verve labelmate Diana Krall, in addition to guesting on numerous recordings.

Malone first recorded as a leader in 1992, when he provided his self-titled debut album for Columbia. Subsequently, Malone recorded Black Butterfly for Columbia in 1993, Wholly Cats for Japan’s Venus label in 1995, Sweet Georgia Peach for Impulse! in 1998, and Look Who’s Here for Verve in 1999. Having produced the latter two, Tommy LiPuma was obviously the man for the job when Malone was ready to record Heartstrings.

When Malone was recording Heartstrings, he found LiPuma’s input to be consistently valuable. The two were definitely on the same page when it came to string arrangers. They agreed that Mandel (who, in addition to co-producing "How About Me" and "Heartstrings" with LiPuma, provides the string arrangements for those songs) would be perfect for the project, and they were equally enthusiastic about the participation of Alan Broadbent, who handles the string arrangements on "Loved Ones," "You Needed Me," and "Why Try to Change Me Now." Caymmi, meanwhile, handles the string arrangements on "Handful of Stars," "Wind in the Willow," "The Bad and the Beautiful," and "Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry."

Malone was thrilled with the chemistry and professionalism that the musicians exhibited during the recording of Heartstrings. "The quartet went in the studio without doing any rehearsing. All of the guys in the quartet read the music and listened to a demo tape that Tommy and I had done, but there was no rehearsal. We did most of the tunes in one take! I’ve been in situations where you spend ten hours in the studio and barely get through three tunes, but I don’t like to work that way—and I was happy that this quartet was well prepared. Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, and I had been in various situations before, and Jeff Watts really blew me away. He’s such a marvelous musician; he knows the whole history of jazz drums."

Malone is also ecstatic about the quality that the strings added to the music. "I trust and respect Tommy LiPuma, and I knew I could count on him. We could have done the record without the strings—the quartet sounded very good on its own—but the strings added another dimension."

"I’ve always wanted to do a record with strings, and when I first signed with Verve Records, that was one of the things I discussed with Tommy LiPuma," Malone remembers. "I wanted to experiment with some other musical situations. Having done that, I felt that I was free to record Heartstrings. I’m very proud of this record."

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Russell Malone's first guitar was a plastic green toy his mother bought him. Only four years old, Malone strummed the little guitar all day long for days on end trying to emulate the sounds he had heard from guitarists at church in Albany, Georgia. As a child, Malone developed an interest in blues and country music after seeing musicians on television like Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Son Seals, and B.B. King. Then, at age 12, he saw George Benson perform with Benny Goodman on Soundstage. Malone has said, “I knew right then and there that I wanted to play this music.”

A self-taught player, Malone progressed well enough to land a gig with master organist Jimmy Smith when he was 25. “It made me realize that I wasn't as good as I thought I was,” Malone recalls of his first on-stage jam with Smith. After two years with Smith, he hooked up with Harry Connick Jr.'s orchestra, a position he held from 1990-94, appearing on three of Harry's recordings. But Malone also worked in a variety of contexts, performing with artists as diverse as Clarence Carter, Little Anthony, Peabo Bryson, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, Roy Hargrove, The Winans, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Jack McDuff.

Along the way, Malone made a name for himself combining the bluesy sound of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell with the relentless attack of Django Reinhardt and Pat Martino.

Now Malone is one of the most commanding and versatile guitarists performing. He can move from blues to gospel to pop to R&B and jazz without hesitation, a rare facility that has prompted some of the highest profile artists in the world to call upon him: Diana Krall, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Natalie Cole, Wynton Marsalis, David Sanborn, Shirley Horn, Christina Aguilera and Harry Connick, Jr.

After hearing Malone play in Connick's band, former Sony head, Tommy Mottola, brought Malone over to Columbia. Malone's self-titled debut, Russell Malone, in 1992 quickly went to #1 on the radio charts and was followed by Black Butterfly.

Malone joined Diana Krall in 1995, contributing to Krall's first three Grammy-nominated albums. In addition to winning for Jazz Vocal Performance, When I Look In Your Eyes (1999) was the first jazz album since 1976 (George Bensons's Breezin') nominated for Album of The Year. Diana Krall's label, Verve Records, came calling next and released three albums by Malone: Sweet Georgia Peach, Look Who's Here, and Heartstrings.

~ 1998 ~ SWEET GEORGIA PEACH ~

Those who have been following jazz in the 90s have probably wondered about guitarist Russell Malone. As in: “Where have his spectacular talents been hiding?”

Hiding in plain sight: as a stogie-smoking, finger-snapping musician in Robert Altman's 1996 movie Kansas City on records like Stephen Scott's 1997 release The Beautiful Thing and Benny Green's 1997 recording Kaleidoscope. Russell Malone was a member of Diana Krall's studio and live band, playing on the Grammy-nominated All For You, Love Scenes, and the Grammy-winning When I Look In Your Eyes, along with touring the world with the vocalist/pianist. Malone was also part of the Crisol band with Roy Hargrove on the Grammy-winning Latin Jazz release, also from 1997, Habana. Believe it, Malone had been anything but inactive.

The only thing Malone didn't do for a period of four years - ironically - is record under his own name. Which is hard to believe for an artist hailed as one of the most promising young musicians to emerge in the past decade. That makes his Verve/Impulse! debut Sweet Georgia Peach (1998) cause for more than a bit of celebration. The title is a reference to Malone's home state of Georgia. Born November 8, 1963, in Albany, Georgia, he grew up influenced by the deep spirituals of his childhood church environment. He received his first guitar from his intuitive mother - “a green plastic four-string” - at the age of four. A major turning point came at age nine when he saw B.B. King play “How Blue Can You Get” on the popular 70s TV show Sanford and Son That experience led him to listen to more blues, country music, and jazz, and artists like Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Wes Montgomery and George Benson.

On the Sweet Georgia Peach album, Malone is joined by an all-star accompaniment from pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Lewis Nash, and percussionist Steve Kroon.

~ 2004 ~ PLAYGROUND ~ 

Malone has had the honor of launching the Strings Series for MAXJAZZ with his label debut Playground (April 6, 2004), which features his working band of Martin Bejerano, piano; Tassili Bond, bass; E.J. Strickland, drums; and guests Gary Bartz, saxophone, and Joe Locke, vibes. All arrangements are by Malone, who also produced the CD and wrote six of the ten tracks.

~ 2006 ~ LIVE AT JAZZ STANDARD VOLUME ONE~

Guitarist Russell Malone answers his well received MAXJAZZ debut, Playground (2004) with his first live recording, documenting performances held September 9-11, 2005, at New York's Jazz Standard. Malone has traded recent over-populated groups for his working band, which includes crack pianist Martin Bejerano's sharp direction, supported by bassist Tassili Bond and drummer Johnathan Blake's solid momentum and cyclotron swing.

Russell Malone usually doesn't like to write about his recordings, he says, preferring instead “to let the music speak for itself.” However, he makes an exception here to point out that this is his first live recording with his working band. Malone goes on to note his gratification at being able to make this recording at Jazz Standard, terming it “one of the finest venues in New York.”

~ 2007 ~ LIVE AT JAZZ STANDARD VOLUME TWO ~

Live At Jazz Standard Volume Two is the continuing “sequel” to Russell Malone's Live At Jazz Standard Volume One (2006). Volume Two was released by MAXJAZZ on July 17, 2007. In celebration of this event, a special CD Release “Party” was held July 20 and 21, 2007, at Jazz At The Bistro in St. Louis, Missouri. The two volumes were recorded live at New York City's Jazz Standard on September 9-11, 2005. Russell Malone's fans from all over the world have been waiting patiently for this second and final installment of the live experience of Mr. Malone's guitar wizardry.