Alphonse Mouzon

Alphonse Mouzon (b 21 Nov, 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.

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 1973-1975. 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".

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, Hubert Laws, Michael Brecker 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". Miles Davis even spoke highly of Mouzon in his autobiography. Fact|date=March 2007 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, Tommy Bolin 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 landmark recording Fact|date=March 2007 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.

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.