Remembering Russell Malone
November 8, 1963 – August 23, 2024
A tribute to the beloved jazz guitarist
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Guitarist Russell Malone passed away suddenly on Aug. 23, 2024 at the age of 60.
He was born on Nov. 8, 1963 in Albany, Georgia and was self-taught on the guitar, being inspired early on by B.B. King and George Benson.
Malone mostly worked in the Atlanta area until 1988 when he began two years of working and touring with Jimmy Smith.
He was part of the Harry Connick Jr. big band during 1990-94 and became well known as the guitarist with the Diana Krall Trio during 1995-99.
Malone, who gave one the impression that he knew every standard ever written (he would often quote from obscure movie themes of the 1930s in his solos), was a brilliant and versatile straight ahead jazz guitarist with a clear and soulful tone and a relaxed but often hard-swinging style.
He recorded with such notables as Branford Marsalis, Don Braden, Wynton Marsalis, Terell Stafford, Roy Hargrove, Mose Allison, Ray Brown, Janis Siegel, Houston Person, Etta Jones, Regina Carter, Gary Burton, Cyrus Chestnut, Roger Kellaway, Diane Reeves (in a trio that also included guitarist Romero Lubambo), David Sanborn, Jimmy Cobb, Christian McBride, Steve Turre, and Sonny Rollins (he worked with him in 2010) along with many singers, and his duet and trio recordings with pianist Benny Green are an exciting treasure.
Malone, who appeared in the jam sessions scenes of the 1995 film Kansas City, was a member of the Ron Carter Trio (along with Mulgrew Miller or Donald Vega on piano) since 2002.
The guitarist led 13 of his own albums starting in 1991 and frequently toured with his group which gave him the opportunity to perform his originals along with superior tunes from earlier eras.
Here is Russell Malone, after being introduced by Dianne Reeves, playing solo guitar on a beautiful and quietly emotional ballad in 2010.
-Scott Yanow
