Russell Malone (born November 8, 1963) is 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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

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 television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...

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'' maga ...

throughout the 1990s.Neuroth, Matt. (2008). ''Bio: Russell Malone.'' Retrieved January 13, 200
Down Beat
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Biography

Malone was born in Albany, Georgia, United States. He began playing at the age of four with a toy guitar his mother bought him. He was influenced by

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

and

The Dixie Hummingbirds The Dixie Hummingbirds are an influential American gospel music group, spanning more than 80 years from the jubilee quartet style of the 1920s, through the "hard gospel" quartet style of gospel's golden age in the 1940s and 1950s, to the eclecti ...

. A significant experience was when he was twelve and saw

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American 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 1960s, pla ...

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". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

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

Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...

In 1995, he became the guitarist for the

Trio, participating in three Grammy-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 has 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 cellist who has recorded nu ...

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 worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...

, and

Dianne Reeves Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer. Biography Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and h ...

and has done session work with

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, 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. Biography Born in Philadel ...

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed inst ...

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awar ...

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (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 who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era ...

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 ...

, and

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was ...

. He recorded his first solo album in 1992 and has led his own trio and quartet. Other guest appearances have included Malone 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 album '' Components'', is one of his best-known compositions.Huey, Steve. "Components – Bob ...

, organist

Dr. Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith (July 3, 1942 – September 28, 2021), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, was an American jazz Hammond B3 organist who was a member of the George Benson quartet in the 1960s. He recorded albums with saxophonist Lou Donaldson for Blue Note be ...

, 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 described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored ...

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

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell 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 ...

at Yoshi's in Oakland, 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 jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

, 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 lis ...

, New York City, and

Maxjazz Maxjazz (corporately styled MAXJAZZ) was an American jazz record label founded in 1998 by investment banker Richard McDonnell. Maxjazz recordings are generally regarded as a "straight-ahead" acoustic style of jazz. It was based in St. Louis, Miss ...

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 Johnathan Blake (born July 1, 1976, in Philadelphia) is an American jazz drummer. Biography Johnathan Blake is the son of jazz violinist John Blake Jr. He started playing the drums when he was ten; He gained his first experience in his homet ...

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 Rick Germanson (born May 29, 1972) is an American jazz pianist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Career Germanson started playing piano at a young age. After winning the grand prize at the American Pianists Association's Jazz Piano Competition in 1996 ...

, bassist Luke Sellick, and drummer

Willie Jones III Willie Jones III (born June 8, 1968 in Los Angeles, California) is a jazz drummer. He has played, toured, and recorded with Horace Silver, Roy Hargrove, Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, and Herbie Hancock. He played on Arturo Sandoval's Grammy-winn ...

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) * ''Playground'' (Maxjazz, 2004) * ''Bluebird'' with Benny Green (Telarc, 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'' (Sony, 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'' (Justin Time, 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. In ...

'' (Impulse!, 1998) * ''Diana Krall'' (Verve, 1999) * ''

When I Look in Your Eyes ''When I Look in Your Eyes'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on June 8, 1999, by Verve Records. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, the first time in 25 years that a jazz album was nominate ...

'' (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 or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

'' (Verve, 2005) * ''

Turn Up the Quiet ''Turn Up the Quiet'' is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on May 5, 2017, by Verve Records. Background The album consists of 11 jazz standards. The Japanese edition of the album includes "How Deep Is the Ocean ...

'' (Verve, 2017) * ''

This Dream of You ''This Dream of You'' is the fifteenth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on September 25, 2020, by Verve Records. The album spawned two singles released in August 2020. Background The album is named after Krall's rendition of ...

'' (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 genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. He received the ...

* '' Soft Lights'' (

HighNote HighNote Records is a jazz record company and label founded by Joe Fields with his son, Barney Fields, in 1997. Joe Fields worked for Prestige Records in the 1960s, and in the 1970s founded Muse Records. After he sold Muse, he started the Highn ...

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

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 1 ...

* ''Timeagain'' (Verve, 2003) * ''Closer'' (Verve, 2005) * ''Here & 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 Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz studied at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Works ...

, ''The Blues Chronicles'' (Atlantic, 1996) * Stefano di Battista, ''Trouble Shootin' '' (Blue Note, 2007) *

David Benoit David Bryan Benoit (born August 18, 1953) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer, based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Benoit has charted over 25 albums since 1980, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. He is a ...

, ''Here's to You Charlie Brown'' (GRP, 2000) *

Don Braden Don Braden (born November 20, 1963) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.https://jazzbakery.org/events/saxophoniest-don-braden-quartet-presents-earth-wind-and-wonder saxophonist Don Braden Quartet presents Earth Wind and Wonder Career Braden w ...

, ''Organic'' (Epicure, 1995) *

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz 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 him to be he ...

, ''For Hamp, Red, Bags, and Cal'' (Concord Jazz, 2001) *

Regina Carter Regina Carter (born August 6, 1966) is an American jazz violinist. She is the cousin of jazz saxophonist James Carter. Early life Carter was born in Detroit and was one of three children in her family. She began piano lessons at the age of t ...

, ''Motor City Moments'' (Verve, 2000) *

, ''The Golden Striker'' (Blue Note, 2003) *

Cyrus Chestnut Cyrus Chestnut (born January 17, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer. In 2006, Josh Tyrangiel, music critic for ''Time'', wrote: "What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes ...

, ''Genuine Chestnut'' (Telarc, 2006) *

The Chieftains The Chieftains are 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 wi ...

, ''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. At the time of his death, he had been the band's last surviving member for nearly thirty years. He was a ...

, ''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 American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

, ''Ask A Woman Who Knows'' (Verve, 2002) *

Will Downing Wilfred "Will" Downing (born November 29, 1963) is an American singer and songwriter. He is married to singer Audrey Wheeler, who was a member of the R&B group Unlimited Touch. Biography Downing enrolled in Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, ...

, ''Sensual Journey'' (Verve, 2002) *

Jon Faddis Jon Faddis (born July 24, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator, renowned for both his playing and for his expertise in the field of music education. Upon his first appearance on the scene, he became known ...

, ''Teranga'' (Koch, 2006) *

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray ha ...

, ''

Stripped Stripped may refer to: Music * "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986 * ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002 * ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014 * ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016 * ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...

'' (Chesky, 2016) *

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" 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 w ...

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

, ''Habana'' (Verve, 1997) *

Vincent Herring Vincent Dwayne Herring (born November 19, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer, and educator. Known for his fiery and soulful playing in the bands of Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, and Nat Adderley in the earlier stages of h ...

, ''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 othe ...

, ''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 ''On the Real Side'' is the final studio album recorded by American jazz musician Freddie Hubbard. The album was recorded in 2007 in Englewood, NJ to celebrate his 70th birthday in 2008 and released on the Times Square label in the same year as ...

'' (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 A ...

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

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

, ''Before Me'' (Verve, 2006) *

Jeff Lorber Jeffrey H. Lorber (born November 4, 1952) is an American keyboardist, composer, and record producer. After six previous nominations, Lorber won his first Grammy Award on January 28, 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for '' Prototype' ...

, ''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 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner. McBride has performed and recorded with a number of j ...

, '' A Family Affair'' (Verve, 1998) *

Bill Mobley Joseph William Mobley (born April 7, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Early life and education Mobley was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Both of his parents were musicians. Mobley learned piano, his mother's instrument, from ...

, ''Hittin' Home'' (Space Time, 2016) *

New York Voices New York Voices is a jazz vocal group that was founded in 1987 by Peter Eldridge, Caprice Fox, Sara Krieger, Darmon Meader, and Kim Nazarian. All except Krieger were members of an alumni group from Ithaca College that toured Europe in 1986. They ...

, ''New York Voices Sing the Songs of Paul Simon'' (RCA Victor, 1998) *

Johnny O'Neal Johnny O'Neal (born October 10, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American neo-bop jazz pianist and vocalist. His playing ranges from the technically virtuosic to the tenderest of ballad interpretations. Though unique in style, he is influenced ...

, ''On the Montreal Scene'' (Justin Time, 1996) *

Kenny Rankin Kenneth Joseph Rankin (February 10, 1940 – June 7, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter in the folk rock and singer-songwriter genres; he was influenced by jazz. Rankin would often sing notes in a high range to express emotion. Biogr ...

, ''A Song for You'' (Verve, 2002) *

Tony Reedus Tony Reedus (22 September 1959 – 16 November 2008) was an American jazz drummer. Reedus first gained attention performing in Woody Shaw's band during the 1980s. He played with Dave Stryker, Mulgrew Miller, Art Blakey, Mike Nock, Kenny Garre ...

, ''People Get Ready'' (Sweet Basil, 1998) *

, ''The Calling'' (Blue Note, 2001) * Dianne Reeves, ''When You Know'' (Blue Note, 2008) *

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

Janis Siegel Janis Siegel (born July 23, 1952) is an 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 on Red Bird Records. Af ...

, ''The Tender Trap'' (Monarch, 1999) * Janis Siegel, ''Friday Night Special'' (Telarc, 2003) *

Terell Stafford Terell Stafford (born November 25, 1966) is a professional jazz trumpet player and current Director of Jazz Studies at the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University. Terell Stafford was born in Miami, Florida, and raised in both Chi ...

, ''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 ...

, ''Taylor Made at the Kennedy Center'' (Kennedy Center Jazz 2005) *

Steve Turre Stephen Johnson Turre (born September 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist and a pioneer of using Conch (instrument), seashells as instruments, a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. For ...

, ''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. In addition to being a ...

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

References

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