JAM: April/May 2005 Issue: Folly Jazz News

by Doug Tatum

The final concert of the 2004-2005 Folly Jazz Series will feature the Russell Malone Quartet on Friday, April 15 . About Malone, in 1993 jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote, “Here is an artist who is destined to make a powerful mark in the evolution of jazz guitar.”

Russell Malone was born in 1963 in Albany, Georgia, where he grew up influenced by the deep spirituals of his childhood church environment. When he was five, his mother bought him a toy guitar, “a green plastic four-string,” and he began copying the players he had heard in his church. A major turning point came when he saw B. B. King play “How Blue Can You Get” on the popular ‘70s TV show Sanford and Son . That experience led him to listen to more blues and country music and artists such as Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, and Roy Clark.

Eventually, Malone chose to play jazz. He is a self-taught player, most heavily influenced by guitarists B. B. King, Wes Montgomery, and George Benson. By the age of 25, he had progressed well enough to land a gig with master organist Jimmy Smith. “It made me realize that I wasn't as good as I thought I was,” Malone recalls of his first on-stage jam with Smith. After two years with Smith, Malone went on to back Harry Connick, Jr. from 1989-1994 and then spent the next 4 years working with Diana Krall as she emerged to national prominence. Malone was also featured in Robert Altman's 1996 film, Kansas City .

Along the way, Malone has also worked with a stellar list of jazz and popular artists that includes Kenny Burrell, Mulgrew Miller, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Bucky Pizzarelli, Benny Green, Stephen Scott, Roy Hargrove, Gary Bartz, Jack McDuff, Patti Austin, The Winans, Little Anthony, Regina Belle, Peabo Bryson, and Clarence Carter.

In recent years, Russell Malone has earned high critical acclaim for his live performances and recordings, firmly establishing himself as one of the most important jazz guitarists/leaders working today, bringing to fruition the prediction of the late Mr. Feather.

Single tickets for this concert start at $15.00. For more information, call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444 or visit our website, www.follytheater.com.






	Search our site:		by Doug Tatum The final concert of the 2004-2005 Folly Jazz Series will feature the Russell Malone Quartet on Friday, April 15 . About Malone, in 1993 jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote, “Here is an artist who is destined to make a powerful mark in the evolution of jazz guitar.” Russell Malone was born in 1963 in Albany, Georgia, where he grew up influenced by the deep spirituals of his childhood church environment. When he was five, his mother bought him a toy guitar, “a green plastic four-string,” and he began copying the players he had heard in his church. A major turning point came when he saw B. B. King play “How Blue Can You Get” on the popular ‘70s TV show Sanford and Son . That experience led him to listen to more blues and country music and artists such as Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, and Roy Clark. Eventually, Malone chose to play jazz. He is a self-taught player, most heavily influenced by guitarists B. B. King, Wes Montgomery, and George Benson. By the age of 25, he had progressed well enough to land a gig with master organist Jimmy Smith. “It made me realize that I wasn't as good as I thought I was,” Malone recalls of his first on-stage jam with Smith. After two years with Smith, Malone went on to back Harry Connick, Jr. from 1989-1994 and then spent the next 4 years working with Diana Krall as she emerged to national prominence. Malone was also featured in Robert Altman's 1996 film, Kansas City . Along the way, Malone has also worked with a stellar list of jazz and popular artists that includes Kenny Burrell, Mulgrew Miller, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Bucky Pizzarelli, Benny Green, Stephen Scott, Roy Hargrove, Gary Bartz, Jack McDuff, Patti Austin, The Winans, Little Anthony, Regina Belle, Peabo Bryson, and Clarence Carter. In recent years, Russell Malone has earned high critical acclaim for his live performances and recordings, firmly establishing himself as one of the most important jazz guitarists/leaders working today, bringing to fruition the prediction of the late Mr. Feather. Single tickets for this concert start at $15.00. For more information, call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444 or visit our website, www.follytheater.com. -- Doug Tatum Executive Director, Folly Theater RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 2005 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2005. All rights reserved.