Hermenengildo "Gildo" Mahones (June 2, 1929, New York City – April 27, 2018) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist.

Biography

Mahones was born to Puerto Rican parents in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the eas ...

in New York City. Early in his career, he played with Joe Morris (1948) and

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solos as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his penchant for collaborating with ...

. Mahones served in the Army, and then played with

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

from 1953 to 1956. Later in the 1950s Mahones toured with the Jazz Modes (which included

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Wash ...

and

Julius Watkins Julius Watkins (October 10, 1921 – April 4, 1977) was an American jazz musician who played French horn. Described by AllMusic as "virtually the father of the jazz French horn", Watkins won the ''Down Beat'' critics poll in 1960 and 1961 for Mis ...

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

, and Benny Green. From 1959 to 1964 Mahones played behind

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were an American vocalese trio formed by jazz vocalists Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross. From 1962 to 1964, Ross was replaced by vocalist Yolande Bavan. History The group formed in 1957 and recorded their ...

. When Lambert, Hendricks & Ross broke up, Mahones moved to Los Angeles, where he worked both as a studio musician and as a jazz sideman. He led his own trio and appeared on recordings by O. C. Smith,

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song " You'll Never Find Another Love like Min ...

, James Moody,

Harold Land Harold de Vance Land (December 18, 1928 – July 27, 2001) was an American hard bop and post-bop tenor saxophonist. Land developed his hard bop playing with the Max Roach/Clifford Brown band into a personal, modern style, often rivalling Clifford ...

and

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and Bl ...

Leon Thomas Amos Leon Thomas Jr. (October 4, 1937 – May 8, 1999), known professionally as Leon Thomas, was an American jazz and blues vocalist, born in East St. Louis, Illinois, and known for his bellowing glottal-stop style of free jazz singing in the ...

, Jim Hall,

Big Joe Turner Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him". Turner's greatest fa ...

, Lorez Alexandria,

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

, Pony Poindexter,

Booker Ervin Booker Telleferro Ervin II (October 31, 1930 – August 31, 1970) was an American tenor saxophone player. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing. He is remembered for his association with bassi ...

, and

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues and jazz singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, an ...

. Mahones died on April 27, 2018, aged 88.

Discography

As leader

*''

I'm Shooting High I'm Shooting High may refer to: * I'm Shooting High (Gildo Mahones album), 1964 * I'm Shooting High (Ann Richards album), 1958 {{dab ...

'' (Prestige, 1963) *'' The Great Gildo'' (Prestige, 1963–64) *''Gildo Mahones Trio'' (Interplay, 1990)

As sideman

With

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

*''

Bluesy Burrell ''Bluesy Burrell'' (also released as ''Out of This World'') is an album by guitarist Kenny Burrell with saxophonist Coleman Hawkins recorded in 1962 and originally released on the Moodsville label. Reception AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars ...

'' ( Moodsville, 1963) With

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

*'' Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band'' (Uni, 1971) *'' Bill Cosby Presents Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral Marching Band'' (Sussex, 1972) With

Ted Curson Theodore Curson (June 3, 1935 – November 4, 2012) was an American jazz trumpeter. Life and career Curson was born in Philadelphia. He became interested in playing trumpet after watching a newspaper salesman play a silver trumpet. Curson's fath ...

*'' Ted Curson Plays Fire Down Below'' (Prestige, 1962) With

*'' The Blues Book'' (Prestige, 1964) *''

Groovin' High "Groovin' High" is an influential 1945 song by jazz composer and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The song was a bebop mainstay that became a jazz standard, one of Gillespie's best known hits, and according to ''Bebop: The Music and Its Players'' author ...

'' (Prestige, 1963–64) With

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

*'' Walkin' & Talkin''' (

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

, 1959) With

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and re ...

*'' A Good Git-Together'' (Pacific Jazz, 1959) With Willis Jackson *'' Neapolitan Nights'' (Prestige, 1962) With

*'' The Hottest New Group in Jazz'' (Columbia, 1960) With Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan *'' At Basin Street East'' (RCA Victor, 1963) *'' At Newport '63'' (RCA Victor, 1963) *'' Havin' a Ball at the Village Gate'' (RCA Victor, 1963) With Pony Poindexter * '' Pony's Express'' (Epic, 1962) *'' Pony Poindexter Plays the Big Ones'' (New Jazz, 1963) *'' Gumbo!'' (Prestige, 1963) with

With

*''We Paid Our Dues'' (CBS, 1961; Rouse tracks only, album shared with

Seldon Powell Seldon Powell (November 15, 1928 – January 25, 1997) was an American tenor saxophonist and flautist whose work spanned multiple genres, including jazz and rhythm and blues. Background Powell worked with Tab Smith (1949), Lucky Millinder (194 ...

) With

*'' Sonny Stitt with Strings: A Tribute to Duke Ellington'' (Catalyst, 1977) With

and

*'' Les Jazz Modes'' (Dawn, 1957) *'' Mood in Scarlet'' (Dawn, 1957) *'' The Most Happy Fella'' (Atlantic, 1958) *'' The Jazz Modes'' (Atlantic, 1959) With

Frank Wess Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He was renowned for his extensive solo work; however, he was also remembered for his time playing with Count Basie, Count Basie's band duri ...

*''

Yo Ho! Poor You, Little Me ''Yo Ho! Poor You, Little Me'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Frank Wess which was recorded in 1963 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1963) With

*'' Baby, Baby, Baby'' (Prestige, 1963) *'' Blue Spoon'' (Prestige, 1964)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahones, Gildo 1929 births 2018 deaths American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists 20th-century American pianists Prestige Records artists 20th-century American male musicians People from East Harlem Jazz musicians from New York (state)