Russell Malone was born in Albany, Georgia, in 1963. His early influences were bluesman B.B. King and the world of gospel music. He loved the Dixie Hummingbirds, but it was church where young Malone saw his first guitar in person.
“I see this object perched up against one of the pews... So this gentleman starts to play it – and immediately I got this feeling… and I knew that whatever feelings that I had inside musically, that would be the tool that I would be using to express myself,” Malone said in a 2022 interview with jazz bassist and composer Luke Sellick.
After graduation, Malone moved to New York City and played with legendary organist Jimmy Smith for two years before making his recording debut in 1990 with Harry Connick Jr.
After three years with Connick, Malone joined singer Diana Krall’s trio with whom he’d record eight albums in 25 years, earning three Grammys.
He was a talented improviser, and like the great Joe Pass, Malone was unmatched as an accompanist. Like other guitar greats he loved, such as Pat Martino and Wes Montgomery, Malone’s sound was defined by rhythm. Their influence is evident in the relaxed but locked-in swing of “St Louis Blues” from Malone’s self-titled 1992 debut album.
Jazz was Malone’s true love, but he lent his talent to a variety of genres. He played with the Irish group The Chieftains, young blues star Joss Stone, and with soul star Macy Gray.
Aside from singers, Malone had important instrumental collaborators. He worked and recorded with sax stars Houston Person and David Sanborn, and often with his friend, pianist Benny Green.
Malone would record 15 albums as a leader over his career, but it was the communication with his collaborators where he found his greatest joy.
In a recent interview with the American Guitar Academy, Malone said the two greatest lessons he’d learned in jazz were how to listen and how to trust. Then, he said, you don’t have to make anything happen; it will take care of itself.
His final tour was with the great bassist Ron Carter, with whom Malone had played on and off for 30 years. Perhaps inspired by Carter’s role in jazz education, Malone served on the faculty of William Paterson University in New Jersey since 2021. It was the only teaching position the guitarist ever held.
Malone died suddenly from a heart attack while on tour in Tokyo.
With his incredible artistic legacy, on his own albums and with the greatest musicians of the past four decades, Russell Malone will continue to teach anyone willing to listen. His legacy builds on the trust, love, and joy he shared with his fellow musicians and his adoring, and still growing, fan base.
