Alphonse Mouzon, Smooth jazz Artist

This week’s Featured Artist was one of the top jazz-fusion drummer/percussionist in the 60s and 70s, and was instrumental as a founding member of the jazz fusion band, Weather Report.  Meet jazz fusion musician/drummer – Alphonse Mouzon

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Genre: Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Funk, Post-bop

Chairman/CEO of Tenacious Records, composer, arranger, producer, multi-instrumentalist and actor Alphonse Mouzon has been composing and producing beautiful music that has captivated and enthralled audiences throughout the world for over two decades.

Alphonse Mouzon (who is an African American mixed with French and Blackfoot Indian) was born on November 21st in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended Bonds-Wilson High School where he received his early musical training under the direction of saxophonist high school music teacher Lonnie Hamilton III, and took some drum lessons from Charles Garner before playing gigs with the Lonnie Hamilton Band. Following graduation from high school, he moved to New York to study music and drama at New York City College and medicine at Manhattan Medical School.  Mouzon took drum lessons from jazz pianist Billy Taylor’s drummer Bobby Thomas.  While attending college, Alphonse played in the pit band of the Broadway show “PROMISES, PROMISES” after being recommended by Bobby Thomas.  Mouzon also worked as a medical technologist at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital after graduating from Manhattan Medical School. However his medical career was short lived.

By 1969 his reputation as a player had spread to such an extent that a medical career was no longer attractive.  By the early seventies, he had embarked upon a musical journey that would take him to almost every corner of the world and would establish his reputation as one the most creative musician of the era.  In 1975 Mouzon studied acting at The Lee Strausberg Institute for Actors in Hollywood, California.  In 1997 he studied acting with Susan Ricketts and in 1998Mouzon studied advance voice-overs with Don Pitts at California State University of Northridge.

Alphonse Mouzon musical associations read like a veritable Who’s Who of Modern Jazz and Pop Music.  His talents cover a broad range of musical disciplines and philosophies. He was the rhythmic foundation for the far reaching musical explorations of pianist McCoy Tyner.  He was a charter member along with keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, of the group Weather Report. Along with guitarist Larry Coryell, Mouzon was co-founder of The Eleventh House, the seminal fusion band of the seventies.  Mouzon andCoryell still tour together in a trio and with the Eleventh House.

Alphonse Mouzon has also played and/or recorded with Gil Evans, Roy Ayers, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola, Les McCann, Ronnie Laws, Klaus Doldinger’s Passport, Jaco Pastorius, Ron Carter, Nathan East, Cecil McBee, Albert Mangelsdorff, Joachim Kuhn, Jasper van’t Hof, Michel Legrand, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, Donald Bird, Chet Baker, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Ernie Watts, Sonny Rollins, WallaceRoney, Arturo Sandoval, Christian McBride, Kenny Barron, Cedar Walton, George Coleman, John Klemmer, Billy Harper, Dave Grusin, Russ Freeman, George Howard, Kirk Whalum,  Jeff Lorber, Kenny G., Joanne Brackeen, HoraceParlan, Robin Kenyatta, Ross Carnegie Orchestra, ex-grilfriend Roberta Flack, Sheila E., Celia Cruz, Gloria Lynn, Gloria Coleman, Denise Williams, Freda Payne, Shirley Scott, Anita O’Day, Betty Davis, and in 1991, he performed with Miles Davis on the movie soundtrack album entitled “Dingo”. Miles Davis even spoke highly of Mouzon in his book entitled “Miles – The Autobiography”.

Mouzon has also played with and helped the early careers of Lee Ritenour, DavidBeniot, Gerald Albright, Sam Riney, Brandon Fields, Greg Karukas, Dave Koz, and Richard Elliot.  Mouzon’s rock/pop credentials include gigs with no less respectable a crew than Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Patrick Moraz, Tommy Bolin and Chubby Checker. Robert Plant, lead singer for the legendary rock group Led Zeppelin, named Alphonse Mouzon, during his acceptance speech for induction into the 1995 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, one of the band’s major influences.

Biographical information courtesy of Tenacious Records.  For more readings click on link below.

http://www.tenaciousrecords.com/BIO.html