Ronald Muldrow (February 2, 1949 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

– January 31, 2007 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

) was a

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...

and

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

jazz guitarist Jazz guitarists are guitarists who play jazz using an approach to chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist ( rhythm guitar) and soloist in small and large ...

. As an emerging jazz guitarist in the early 1970s, Muldrow connected with soul-jazz saxophonist

Eddie Harris Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...

and contributed to many of his

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

albums from 1971 to 1976 and reunited with the saxophonist on ''Listen Here'' (1982). A teenage Muldrow heard jazz guitarist

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

play "Canadian Sunset" on the radio and was captivated. His first big-time gig was with the

Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February ...

, a gospel group. He also taught at various colleges and had published guitar-instruction books. Muldrow began forming bands in high school and earned a bachelor's in jazz studies from

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The unive ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and a master's in studio and jazz guitar from the

USC Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

. Musician

Georgia Anne Muldrow Georgia Anne Muldrow (born 1983) is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. In 2008, she co-founded the SomeOthaShip Connect record label with fellow artist and former husband Dudley Perkins. Life and career Georgia Anne Muldrow grew ...

is his daughter.

Discography

As leader

* ''Yesterdays'' (Enja, 1993) * ''Diaspora'' (Enja, 1995) * ''Facing Wes'' (

Kokopelli Kokopelli () is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player (often with feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head), who is venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fer ...

, 1996) * ''Freedom's Serenade'' (

Double-Time In popular music, half-time is a type of meter and tempo that alters the rhythmic feel by essentially ''doubling the tempo resolution'' or metric division/level in comparison to common-time. Thus, two measures of approximate a single measure o ...

, 1999) * ''Mapenzi'' (Joh-Bev Records, 2003)

As sideman

With

* '' Instant Death'' (Atlantic, 1972) * '' Eddie Harris Sings the Blues'' (Atlantic, 1972) * ''

Excursions An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or Physical exercise, physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other (typically work-related) purposes. Pu ...

'' (Atlantic, 1973) * '' Is It In'' (Atlantic, 1974) * '' Bad Luck Is All I Have'' (Atlantic, 1975) * '' I Need Some Money'' (Atlantic, 1975) * ''

That Is Why You're Overweight ''That Is Why You're Overweight'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1975 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic, 1975) * ''

The Reason Why I'm Talking S--t ''The Reason Why I'm Talking S—t'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1975 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic, 1976) * '' How Can You Live Like That?'' (Atlantic, 1977) * ''Listen Here!'' (Enja, 1993) With others *

Les DeMerle Lester William DeMerle (born November 4, 1946, Brooklyn) is an American jazz drummer, vocalist, and bandleader. Career DeMerle first picked up drums at age ten. He studied drums and percussion with Bob Livingstone in New York from 1960 to 1965, j ...

, ''Concerts by the Sea'' (Bar T, 1978) * Les DeMerle, ''Transcendental Watusi!'' (United National, 1979) *

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

, ''Family'' (Columbia, 1980) *

Phil Perry Philip Eugene Perry (born January 12, 1952) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician and a former member of the soul group, The Montclairs, from 1971 to 1975. He was also known for performing the opening song to Disney’s sitcom, '' Goof ...

, ''My Book of Love'' (Private Music, 2000) * Sweet Baby J'ai, ''Evolution'' (Sunset Music, 2002) * Luther Thomas, ''Yo' Momma'' (Moers, 1981)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muldrow, Ronald 1949 births 2007 deaths Guitarists from Chicago USC Thornton School of Music alumni California State Polytechnic University, Pomona alumni California State Polytechnic University, Pomona faculty Roosevelt University alumni American jazz guitarists Hard bop guitarists Soul-jazz guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Jazz musicians from Illinois Double-Time Records artists Enja Records artists