Othello Molineaux (born 1939) is a jazz steelpan player who spent much of his early career with

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony "Jaco" Pastorius III (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987) was an American jazz bassist, composer and producer. He recorded albums as a solo artist and band leader and was a member of Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. ...

. He was among the earliest musicians to adapt the steelpan to jazz. He has worked with Monty Alexander,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, and David Johansen.

Career

Born in a family of musicians, his mother being a piano teacher and his father playing the violin, he learned the piano very young, and at the age of eleven began to play the steelpan. He left Trinidad in 1969 and began a career as a pianist, while continuing to play the steelpan. It is with his group mixing steelpan and conventional instruments that he moved to Miami in 1971. There he met bassist

and played in 1976 on his first album, which allowed him to appear on the jazz-rock scene. From then on, he would go on to concerts around the world, collaborating with big names in jazz including

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

, Monty Alexander,

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocalis ...

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Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones, July 2, 1930) is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator. For six decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. Biography Early life Jamal was born Fr ...

. Othello Molineaux is recognized as having revealed steelpan to jazz as a solo instrument and improvisation, like the piano. He has mainly been an accompanist, notably of Jaco Pastorius, participating in almost all of his albums, and in the tour with the big band Word of Mouth. The latter which will also devote a record to steelpan, Holiday for Pans (1982). Othello Molineaux began his solo career in 1993 with the album It's About Time, on the Big World Music label. He also collaborated with Habana Abierta on the album Boomerang (2006).

Discography

As leader

* ''It's About Time'' (Big World Music, 1993)

As sideman

With Monty Alexander * ''Ivory & Steel'' (Concord Picante, 1980) * ''Jamboree'' (Concord Picante, 1988) * ''Caribbean Circle'' (Chesky, 1992) With

Randy Bernsen Randy Bernsen (born July 15, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Bernsen was born in Needham, Massachusetts and grew up in Florida. He attended high school in Plantation, Florida, Plantation and was active in the clubs of South Florida ...

* ''Music for Planets, People & Washing Machines'' (Zebra, 1985) * ''Mo' Wasabi'' (Zebra, 1986) * ''Paradise Citizens'' (Zebra, 1988) * ''Calling Me Back Home'' (101 South, 1993) With

* ''Jaco Pastorius'' (Epic, 1976) * ''Word of Mouth'' (Warner Bros., 1981) * ''Twins I Aurex Jazz Festival '82'' (Warner Bros., 1982) * ''Twins II Aurex Jazz Festival '82'' (Warner Bros., 1982) * ''Invitation'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * ''Holiday for Pans'' (Sound Hills, 1993) * ''The Birthday Concert'' (Warner Bros., 1995) * ''Twins I & II: Live in Japan 1982'' (Warner Bros., 1999) * ''Holiday for Pans: Full Complete Sessions'' (Sound Hills, 1999) * ''Word of Mouth Band 1983 Japan Tour'' (Rhino, 2012) * ''Modern American Music...Period! The Criteria Sessions'' (Omnivore, 2014) * ''Then & Now'' (Rhino/Warner, 2016) * ''Truth, Liberty & Soul'' (Resonance, 2017) With others * Carles Benavent, ''Fenix'' (Nuevos Medios, 1997) * Debbie Cameron, ''Be with Me'' (BMG/Ricochet/RCA Victor, 1996) *

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, ''Chicago X'' (Columbia, 1976) * Eliane Elias, '' A Long Story'' (Manhattan, 1991) *

, ''Nature: The Essence Part III'' (Birdology/Atlantic, 1998) * David Johansen, ''Here Comes the Night'' (Blue Sky, 1981) * Jorge Pardo, ''Huellas'' (Cabra Road, 2012) * Roberto Perera, ''Passions, Illusions & Fantasies'' (101 South, 1993) * Michal Urbaniak, ''Ecstasy'' (Marlin, 1978)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molineaux, Othello Living people Jazz drummers Steelpan musicians 1939 births