Russell Lamar Malone (November 8, 1963 – August 23, 2024) 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 ...

guitarist. He began working with Jimmy Smith in 1988 and went on to work with

Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling ma ...

and

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...

throughout the 1990s.

Biography

Malone was born in

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in Southwest Geo ...

, United States on November 8, 1963. He began playing at the age of four with a toy guitar that his mother bought him. He was influenced by B. B. King and

The Dixie Hummingbirds The Dixie Hummingbirds (formerly known as The Sterling High School Quartet) are an influential United States, American gospel music group, spanning more than 80 years from the Jubilee quartets, jubilee quartet style of the 1920s, through the "h ...

. A significant experience for Malone was when he was 12 years old seeing

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

perform on television with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

. Malone was mostly self-taught. Starting in 1988, he spent two years with Jimmy Smith, then three with

In 1995, Malone became the guitarist for the

Trio, participating in three

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-nominated albums, including ''When I Look in Your Eyes'', which won the award for Best Vocal Jazz Performance. Malone was part of pianist Benny Green's recordings in the late 1990s and 2000: ''Kaleidoscope'' (1997), ''These Are Soulful Days'' (1999), and ''Naturally'' (2000). The two formed a duo and released the live album ''Jazz at The Bistro'' in 2003 and the studio album ''Bluebird'' in 2004. They toured until 2007. Malone toured with

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy Awards, and is also a Cello, cellist who has reco ...

Roy Hargrove Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved critical acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...

, and Dianne Reeves and did session work with

Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Early life ...

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ens ...

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuffy (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. He was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...

Mulgrew Miller Mulgrew Miller (August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained in his ...

, and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. He recorded his first solo album in 1992 and led his own trio and quartet. He also appeared as a special guest with vibraphonist

Bobby Hutcherson Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note Records, Blue Note album ''Components (album), Components'', is one of his best-known composi ...

, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and pianist

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts h ...

in celebration of his 90th birthday. In October 2008, Malone performed in a duo with guitarist

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist. He first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a participant ...

at Yoshi's in

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

, California. During the next year, Malone became a member of the band for saxophonist

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

, celebrating his 80th birthday in New York City. Malone recorded live on September 9–11, 2005, at

Jazz Standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

, New York City, and Maxjazz documented the performances on the albums ''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, were Martin Bejerano on piano, Tassili Bond on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums. Malone's 2010 recording ''Triple Play'' (also on Maxjazz) featured David Wong on bass and Montez Coleman on drums. His album, ''All About Melody'' featured pianist Rick Germanson, bassist Luke Sellick, and drummer Willie Jones III. Malone died from a heart attack in Tokyo on August 23, 2024, at the age of 60; he had been on tour in Japan as part of a trio with Carter and Donald Vega.

Discography

As leader

* ''Russell Malone'' (Columbia, 1992) * ''Black Butterfly'' (Columbia, 1993) * ''Sweet Georgia Peach'' (Impulse!, 1998) * ''Look Who's Here'' (Verve, 2000) * ''Heartstrings'' (Verve, 2001) * ''Ray Brown/Monty Alexander/Russell Malone'' (Telarc, 2002) * ''Jazz at the Bistro'' with Benny Green (Telarc, 2003) * ''Bluebird'' with Benny Green (Telarc, 2004) * ''Playground'' (Maxjazz, 2004) * ''Live at Jazz Standard Vol. One'' (Maxjazz, 2006) * ''Live at Jazz Standard Vol. Two'' (Maxjazz, 2007) * ''Triple Play'' (Maxjazz, 2010) * ''Love Looks Good on You'' (HighNote, 2015) * ''All About Melody'' (HighNote, 2016) * ''Time for the Dancers'' (HighNote, 2017)

As guest

With Ray Brown * ''Some of My Best Friends Are...Singers'' (Telarc, 1998) * ''Christmas Songs with the Ray Brown Trio'' (Telarc, 1999) * ''Some of My Best Friends Are...Guitarists'' (Telarc, 2002) With

* ''We Are in Love'' (Columbia, 1990) * ''Blue Light Red Light'' (Columbia, 1991) * ''When My Heart Finds Christmas'' (Columbia, 1993) With Benny Green * ''Kaleidoscope'' (Blue Note, 1997) * ''These Are Soulful Days'' (Blue Note, 1999) * ''Naturally'' (Telarc, 2000) With

* '' All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio'' (Impulse!, 1996) * '' Love Scenes'' (Impulse!, 1997) * ''

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical '' Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. ...

'' (Impulse!, 1998) * '' When I Look in Your Eyes'' (Verve, 1999) * '' The Look of Love'' (Verve, 2001) * ''

Christmas Songs Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of J ...

'' (Verve, 2005) * '' Turn Up the Quiet'' (Verve, 2017) * '' This Dream of You'' (Verve, 2020) With

Houston Person Houston Person (born November 10, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing music, swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. He re ...

* '' Soft Lights'' ( HighNote, 1999) * '' Sentimental Journey'' (HighNote, 2002) * ''The Art and Soul of Houston Person'' (HighNote, 2008) With

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (July 30, 1945 – May 12, 2024) was an American alto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He began playing the saxophone at the age o ...

* '' Time Again'' (Verve, 2003) * ''Closer'' (Verve, 2005) * '' Here and Gone'' (Decca, 2008) With others *

Mose Allison Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to N ...

, ''Gimcracks and Gewgaws'' (Blue Note, 1998) *

, ''Spirit Song'' (Verve, 2000) * Gary Bartz, ''The Blues Chronicles'' (Atlantic, 1996) * Stefano Di Battista, ''Trouble Shootin' '' (Blue Note, 2007) * David Benoit, ''Here's to You Charlie Brown'' (GRP, 2000) * Don Braden, ''Organic'' (Epicure, 1995) *

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz Vibraphone, vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused ...

, ''For Hamp, Red, Bags, and Cal'' (Concord Jazz, 2001) * Regina Carter, ''Motor City Moments'' (Verve, 2000) *

, ''The Golden Striker'' (Blue Note, 2003) * Cyrus Chestnut, ''Genuine Chestnut'' (Telarc, 2006) *

The Chieftains The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...

, ''Tears of Stone'' (RCA Victor, 1999) *

Jimmy Cobb Wilbur James "Jimmy" Cobb (January 20, 1929May 24, 2020) was an American jazz drummer. He was part of Miles Davis's First Great Sextet. He was awarded an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2009. Early life Cobb was born in Washington, D.C., on J ...

, ''Jazz in the Key of Blue'' (Chesky, 2009) *

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

, ''Ask A Woman Who Knows'' (Verve, 2002) * Leon Lee Dorsey, ''Cantaloupe Island'' (Jazz Avenue 1, 2022) *

Will Downing Wilfred "Will" Downing (born November 29, 1963) is an American R&B, soul, neo soul, and jazz singer and songwriter. He has released 22 studio albums. Biography Early life Downing was born and raised to a working-class family in Bedford-Stuy ...

, ''Sensual Journey'' (Verve, 2002) * Deelee Dubé, ''Trying Times'' (Concord Jazz, 2020) * Jon Faddis, ''Teranga'' (Koch, 2006) *

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known professionally as Macy Gray, is an American contemporary R&B, R&B and soul music, soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influence ...

, '' Stripped'' (Chesky, 2016) *

Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...

, ''Two for the Road'' (GRP, 1997) *

, ''Habana'' (Verve, 1997) * Vincent Herring, ''Hard Times'' (Smoke Sessions, 2017) *

Shirley Horn Shirley Valerie Horn (May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and oth ...

, ''You're My Thrill'' (Verve, 2001) *

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

, '' On the Real Side'' (Four Quarters, 2008) *

Etta Jones Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz singer. Her best-known recordings are "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Save Your Love for Me". She worked with Buddy Johnson, Oliver Nelson, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Gene Ammo ...

, ''All the Way'' (HighNote, 1999) * B. B. King, ''Let the Good Times Roll'' (MCA, 1999) *

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...

, ''Before Me'' (Verve, 2006) * Jeff Lorber, ''He Had a Hat'' (Blue Note, 2007) *

, ''I Heard You Twice the First Time'' (Columbia, 1992) *

Christian McBride Christian McBride (born May 31, 1972) is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 400 recordings as a sideman, and is a nine-time Grammy Award winner. McBride has performed and recorded with a number of jaz ...

, '' A Family Affair'' (Verve, 1998) * Bill Mobley, ''Hittin' Home'' (Space Time, 2016) * New York Voices, ''New York Voices Sing the Songs of Paul Simon'' (RCA Victor, 1998) * Johnny O'Neal, ''On the Montreal Scene'' (Justin Time, 1996) * Kenny Rankin, ''A Song for You'' (Verve, 2002) * Tony Reedus, ''People Get Ready'' (Sweet Basil, 1998) * Dianne Reeves, ''The Calling'' (Blue Note, 2001) * Dianne Reeves, ''When You Know'' (Blue Note, 2008) *

, ''Road Shows, Vol. 2'' (EmArcy, 2011) * Stephen Scott, ''The Beautiful Thing'' (Verve, 1997) *

Janis Siegel Janis Siegel (born July 23, 1952) is a multiple grammy-winning American jazz singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. Musical career In 1965, Siegel made her recording debut with a group called Young Generation ...

, ''The Tender Trap'' (Monarch, 1999) * Janis Siegel, ''Friday Night Special'' (Telarc, 2003) * Terell Stafford, ''Centripetal Force'' (Candid, 1997) *

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

, ''Colour Me Free!'' (Virgin, 2009) * Jimmy Smith, ''Dot Com Blues'' (Blue Thumb, 2000) *

Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the a ...

, ''Taylor Made at the Kennedy Center'' (Kennedy Center Jazz, 2005) * Steve Turre, ''Delicious and Delightful'' (HighNote, 2010) * Steve Turre, Kenny Barron, ''The Very Thought of You'' (Smoke Sessions, 2018) *

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. He arranged music for D ...

Orchestra, ''In My Time'' (Mack Avenue, 2005)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Russell 1963 births 2024 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century African-American musicians African-American jazz guitarists American jazz guitarists Bebop guitarists Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) HighNote Records artists Impulse! Records artists Musicians from Albany, Georgia Swing guitarists Verve Records artists