Alphonse Mouzon

Alphonse Mouzon (born November 21, 1948) is a well-known jazz-fusion drummer and percussionist, and the Chairman/CEO of Tenacious Records. He also composes, arranges and produces, as well as acts. Alphonse Mouzon's popularity as a performing artist first became realized in the late 1960s and early 1970s.^[1]

Biography

Early life

Mouzon, of African-American, French and Blackfoot Indian descent, was born on November 21, 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina.

He received his first musical training at Bonds-Wilson High School and moved to New York City upon graduation. He studied drama and music at the City College of New York as well as medicine at Manhattan Medical School. He continued receiving drum lessons from Bobby Thomas, the drummer for jazz pianist Billy Taylor. He played percussion in the Broadway show "Promises, Promises", he then worked with pianist McCoy Tyner, then he was a member of Weather Report with Joe Zawinul on keyboard and Wayne Shorter on saxophone. After that Mouzon signed as a solo artist to the Blue Note label in 1972.

Career

Perhaps Mouzon's main claim to fame was his tenure with guitarist Larry Coryell's Eleventh House fusion band from 1973 to 1975. His explosive power, style and speed helped propel this exceptional band to notoriety. Albums from this period include Introducing the Eleventh House, Level One, Mind Transplant (a solo album), and in 1977, a reconciliation recording with Coryell entitled Back Together Again.

Mouzon recorded Mind Transplant in 1974 with Tommy Bolin, who had previously played in Billy Cobham's Spectrum, which is often regarded as one of the most important and essential albums within the fields of jazz fusion drumming.

He recorded four albums of an R & B / dance style, including The Essence Of Mystery (Blue Note 1972), Funky Snakefoot (Blue Note 1973) and The Man Incognito (Blue Note 1976), including 'Take Your Troubles Away' and in the 1980s By All Means featured Herbie Hancock, Lee Ritenour, Seawind Horns and Freddie Hubbard.

Alphonse Mouzon has also played and/or recorded with most of the active musicians of the jazz-fusion genre throughout his career. In 1991, he performed with Miles Davis on the movie soundtrack album entitled "Dingo". Mouzon composed the song "The Blue Spot" for the jazz club scene and appeared as an actor and drummer in the Tom Hanks-directed film, That Thing You Do in 1996. Alphonse Mouzon played the lead role as "Miles" in the film The High Life. He also can be seen with Michael Keaton and Katie Holmes in the film First Daughter, and as 'Ray" in the movie The Dukes, along with Robert Davi, Chazz Palminteri and Peter Bogdanovich.

Mouzon has also played with Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Patrick Moraz, Betty Davis and Chubby Checker. Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, during his acceptance speech for induction into the 1995 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, named Alphonse Mouzon one of the band's major influences.

In 1992 Alphonse Mouzon formed Tenacious Records and, also in 1992, released his Top ten CD entitled The Survivor. Subsequent releases on Tenacious Records On Top of the World, Early Spring, By All Means, Love Fantasy, Back to Jazz, As You Wish, The Night is Still Young, The Sky is the Limit, Distant Lover, Morning Sun, and Absolute Greatest Love Songs and Ballads were all at least top twenty albums. Live In Hollywood is the latest album.

Mouzon also played on a recording with Albert Mangelsdorff (Trombone), and Jaco Pastorius (Bass), named Trilogue. Originally recorded in 1976 and re-released in 2005, this performance was from November 6, 1976 at the Berlin Jazz Days.

He currently resides in Northridge, California with his daughter Emma Alexandra and their Shih Tzu named Princess.

Discography

As leader

• The Essence of Mystery (Blue Note, 1972)
• Funky Snakefoot (Blue Note, 1973)
• Mind Transplant (Blue Note, 1974)
• The Man Incognito (Blue Note, 1975)
• Virtue, 1976
• Back Together Again, 1977
• In Search of a Dream, 1978
• Baby Come Back, 1979
• By All Means, 1980 and 1993+
• I'm Glad That You're Here - 12" single on London Recordings (Pausa Records inc / Mouzon Music Co) 1981
• Morning Sun, 1981 and 1996+
• Step Into the Funk, 1982 and as "Distant Lover" 1996+
• The Sky is the Limit, 1985 and 1996+
• Back to Jazz, 1985 and 1993+
• Eleventh House, 1985
• Love Fantasy, 1987 +
• Early Spring, 1988 and 1996+
• As You Wish, 1989 and 1995+
• The Survivor, 1992 +
• On Top of the World, 1994 +
• The Night is Still Young, 1996 +
• Absolute Greatest Love Songs & Ballads, 1998 +
• Live in Hollywood, 2001 +
• Jazz in Bel-Air, 2008 +
• Angel Face, 2011 +

+ = Tenacious Records

As sideman

With Arild Andersen

• A Molde Concert (ECM, 1981)

With Donald Byrd

• Caricatures (1976)

With Herbie Hancock

• Mr. Hands (1980)
• Monster (1980)
• Magic Windows (1981)
• Direct Step (1978)

With Bobbi Humphrey

• Dig This! (1972)

With John Klemmer

• Magic and Movement (Impulse!, 1974)

With Joachim Kühn

• Hip Elegy (1975)

With McCoy Tyner

• Sahara (1972)
• Song for My Lady (1972)
• Song of the New World (1973)
• Enlightenment (1973)

With Wayne Shorter

• Odyssey of Iska (1971)

With Weather Report

• Weather Report (1971)

With Eugene McDaniels

• Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse (1971)

With Betty Davis

• Hangin' Out In Hollywood / Crashin' from Passion (1976/1995/1996)

With MOUZON (rapper aka Alphonse Philippe Mouzon)

• The Main Attraction (CD)" (2010)

With Infinity

• Now (1990)

With Doug Carn

• Spirit of the New Land (1972)

With Norman Conners

• Dance of Magic (1973)

With Willie Colon

• El Baquine de Angelitos Negros (1977)

With Larry Coryell

• Introducing The Eleventh House (1973)
• Live In Montreux (1974)
• Level One (1974)
• Planet End (1975)
• The Coryells (1999)

'With Al Di Meola'

• Land of the Midnight Sun (1976)

With Torsten de Winkel and #REDIRECT Hellmut Hattler

• Mastertouch (1992)

With Miles Davis

• Dingo (1990)

With Gil Evans

• Blues in Orbit (1969)

With Roberta Flack

• Feel Like Makin' Love (1974)

With Fania All-Stars

• Fania All-Stars - Live (1978)

With Carlos Garnett

• The New Love (1976)

With George Gruntz

• Palais Anthology (1975)

With Tim Harden

• Bird on a Wire' (1971)

With Miki Howard

• Three Wishes (2001)

With Paul Jackson

• Black Octopus (1978)

With Paul Jackson Jr.

• Never Alone (1996)

With Alphonso Johnson

• Moonshadows (1976)

Awards

• listed in the 2nd edition of Marquis Who's Who in Entertainment and Who's Who In The World.
• voted the #2 best multi-instrumentalist in the 1995 JAZZIZ Magazine Annual Readers Poll.

References