Jean-Paul Etienne Bourelly (born November 23, 1960) is an American guitarist whose music crosses the boundaries of jazz fusion and rock. Bourelly was born in Chicago, Illinois, to parents from

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. His grandmother taught him

Yoruba music Yoruba music is the pattern/style of music practiced by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, Togo, and Benin. It is perhaps best known for its extremely advanced drumming tradition and techniques, especially using the gongon hourglass shape tension drums ...

. When he was ten years old, he sang at the

Lyric Opera Lyric may refer to: * Lyrics, the words, often in verse form, which are sung, usually to a melody, and constitute the semantic content of a song * Lyric poetry is a form of poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view * Lyric, from t ...

. He took lessons on piano and drums. He played acoustic guitar, but after hearing

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

on the radio, he bought an electric guitar with money he had saved from working at his uncle's gas station. During the same year, a late-night radio show introduced him to the music of

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, which impressed him. In 1979, he moved to New York City. During the 1980s, he worked with

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

Olu Dara Olu Dara Jones (born Charles Jones III, January 12, 1941) is an American cornetist, guitarist, and singer. He is the father of rapper Nas. Early life Olu Dara was born Charles Jones III on January 12, 1941 in Natchez, Mississippi. His mother, El ...

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jazz ...

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA ...

Steve Coleman Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. Early life Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing al ...

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wait ...

Elliott Sharp Elliott Sharp (born March 1, 1951) is an American contemporary classical composer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer. A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released ...

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

, and

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

. He produced albums for

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...

. He got a small role in the film '' The Cotton Club'' directed by

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

. Near the end of the decade, he played on '' Amandla'', one of Miles Davis's last albums. In 1987, he released his first solo album, ''

Jungle Cowboy ''Jungle Cowboy'' is the debut album by guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly which was recorded in late 1986 and released on the JMT label with distribution by Polygram. Reception The AllMusic review by Brian Olewnick states "A couple of the tracks ...

'', and through 1995 he led the BluWave Bandits. Bourelly said that when he moved to Europe in the 1990s, his music became difficult to classify, and that it combines his Haitian heritage, African rhythms, blues, and rock. He founded the record label JPGotMangos and led several groups during the 2000s, including 3kings, Citizen X, and Blues Bandits. His daughter,

Bibi Bourelly Badriia Ines "Bibi" Bourelly (born July 14, 1994) is a German-American singer-songwriter signed to Def Jam Recordings. She has co-written several notable songs including Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "Higher", Demi Lovato's " Anyone" ...

, is a singer and songwriter.

Discography

As leader

* ''

'' ( JMT, 1987) * ''Trippin'' (

Enemy An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...

, 1992) * ''Saints & Sinners'' ( DIW, 1993) * ''Blackadelic-Blu'' (DIW, 1994) * ''Tribute to Jimi'' (DIW, 1995) * ''Live! Fade to Cacophony'' (DIW, 1995) * ''Rock the Cathartic Spirits'' (DIW, 1996) * ''Mag Five'' with Harry Sokal, Lonnie Plaxico, Ronnie Burrage (PAO, 1998) * ''Vibe Music'' (PAO, 1999) * ''Boom Bop'' (PAO, 2000) * ''Trance Atlantic (Boom Bop II)'' (Double Moon, 2001) * ''News from a Darked Out Room'' (Phonector, 2006) * ''CutMotion'' (JPGotMangos, 2007) * ''Kiss the Sky'' with Daryl Taylor, Kenny Martin (JPGotMangos, 2018)

As sideman

With

* ''

Point of View Point of view or Points of View may refer to: Concept and technique * Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something * Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the prono ...

'' (JMT, 1986) * '' Days Aweigh'' (JMT, 1987) * '' She Who Weeps'' (JMT, 1991) * '' Dance to the Drums Again'' (Columbia, 1992) * ''Songbook'' (JMT, 1995) With others * George Adams, ''Old Feeling'' (Blue Note, 1991) *

, ''

Blues Forever ''Blues Forever'' is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams, released by the Italian label Black Saint in 1982 and featuring performances of seven of Abrams compositions by an eleven-member big band. Critical reception The AllMusic review by Ron Wyn ...

'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1982) * Muhal Richard Abrams, '' Rejoicing with the Light'' (Black Saint, 1983) *

Ayibobo Ayibobo is a band from New York City, United States of America, United States that is Jean-Paul Bourelly's side project. ''Ayibobo'' is one spelling of a Haitian Creole word that means "amen". MusicHound described the band as combining "Haitian s ...

, ''Freestyle'' (DIW, 1993) * Ayibobo, ''Stone Voudou'' (DIW, 2003) *

Bell Biv DeVoe Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe. The band is best known for their debut album, the multi-pl ...

, ''Poison'' (MCA, 1990) *

Charles & Eddie Charles & Eddie were an American soul music duo composed of Charles Pettigrew and Eddie Chacon. Their single " Would I Lie to You?", taken from their 1992 debut album, ''Duophonic'', won Ivor Novello Awards in 1993 in the Best Contemporary Song, ...

, ''

Duophonic Duophonic sound was a trade name for a type of audio signal processing used by Capitol Records on certain releases and re-releases of mono recordings issued during the 1960s and 1970s. In this process monaural recordings were reprocessed into a ...

'' (Capitol, 1992) * D-Nice, ''To Tha Rescue'' (Jive, 1991) *

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

, ''Amandla'' (Warner Bros., 1989) *

Defunkt Defunkt is an American musical group founded by the trombonist and singer Joseph Bowie in 1978 in New York City. Their music touches on elements of punk rock, funk, and jazz. Career Joseph Bowie is the brother of big band musician Byron Bowi ...

, ''A Blues Tribute Jimi Hendrix & Muddy Waters'' (Enemy, 1994) *

Pee Wee Ellis Alfred James Ellis (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown's band in the 196 ...

, ''Blues Mission'' (Gramavision, 1993) *

Craig Harris Craig S. Harris (born September 10, 1953) is an American jazz trombonist, who started working with Sun Ra in 1976. He also has worked with Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Char ...

, '' Blackout in the Square Root of Soul'' (JMT, 1988) *

Graham Haynes Graham Haynes (born September 16, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cornetist, trumpeter and composer. The son of jazz drummer Roy Haynes, Graham is known for his work in nu jazz, fusing jazz with elements of hip hop and electronic mus ...

, ''Transition'' (Antilles, 1995) *

Vincent Henry Vincent Henry (born November 1953) is an American saxophonist and guitarist who plays jazz and R&B. Career Henry was born in New York and grew up in Harlem. He started venturing out to concerts and clubs on his own when he was 14. In the early 1 ...

, ''Vincent'' (Jive, 1990) *

Hi-Five Hi-Five is an American R&B quintet from Waco, Texas. Hi-Five had a No. 1 hit on ''Billboards Hot 100 in 1991 with "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)". The band was formed in 1989 and consisted of founding and original members: Tony Thomps ...

, ''Keep It Goin' On'' (Jive, 1992) *

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of rapper Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) and disc jockey Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff). Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasion ...

, ''Ring My Bell'' (Jive, 1991) *

'' Love & Peace'' (Trio, 1982) *

Butch Morris Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings. B ...

, ''Dust to Dust'' (New World, 1991) * Butch Morris, ''Possible Universe'' (Nu Bop, 2014) *

Marvin Peterson Hannibal Lokumbe (born Marvin Peterson on November 11, 1948) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career A native of Smithville, Texas, United States, he is sometimes known by the name "Hannibal". He attended high school in Texas City, Texas and was i ...

, ''Visions of a New World'' (Atlantic, 1989) *

Jeff Redd Jeff Redd is an American singer who performed new jack swing-style R&B music in the late 1980s - Early 1990s Career A New York native, Redd began singing with the short-lived group, The Sophisticated Gents, at the age of 17 in the mid-1980s. Re ...

, ''A Quiet Storm'' (Uptown/MCA, 1990) *

Sonya Robinson Sonya L. Robinson (born July 29, 1959) is an American musician and songwriter. Background Sonya Robinson is a graduate of Nicolet High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. In 1983, she was crowned Miss Black ...

, ''Sonya'' (Columbia, 1987) * Roz, ''A-Yo Ah'Ite'' (ZYX Music, 1994) *

Omar Sosa Omar Sosa (born April 10, 1965) is a jazz pianist from Cuba. Biography A native of Camagüey, Cuba, Sosa studied percussion at the Escuela Nacional de Musica and Instituto Superior de Arte. In the 1980s he started the band Tributo, recording alb ...

, ''Tales from the Earth'' (Ota, 2009) * Stone Raiders, ''Truth to Power'' (Yellowbird, 2012) *

Jamaaladeen Tacuma Jamaaladeen Tacuma (born Rudy McDaniel; June 11, 1956) is an American free jazz bassist born in Hempstead, New York. He was a bandleader on the Gramavision label and worked with Ornette Coleman during the 1970s and 1980s, mostly in Coleman's Pr ...

, ''Brotherzone'' (P-Vine, 1999) * Jamaaladeen Tacuma, ''Revolutionary Royalty'' (Jam-All, 2014)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourelly, Jean-Paul 1960 births Living people African-American jazz guitarists American male guitarists American jazz guitarists American rock guitarists American people of Haitian descent Blues rock musicians MNRK Music Group artists Guitarists from Chicago 20th-century American guitarists Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians DIW Records artists Enemy Records artists Black Saint/Soul Note artists JMT Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people