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- Alphonse Mouzon's Biography
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Consultant for beverage company Naturell Champagne Cocktails and Chairman/CEO of Tenacious Records, composer, arranger, producer, multi-instrumentalist and actor ALPHONSE MOUZON has been composing and producing beautiful music that has captivated and enthralled audiences throughout the world for over two decades.
ALPHONSE MOUZON (who is an African American mixed with French and Blackfoot Indian) was born on November 21st in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended Bonds-Wilson High School where he received his early musical training from 9th grade through the 12th grade. While in high school, ALPHONSE took some drum lessons from Charles Garner and played drums in the various bands of saxophonist Lonnie Hamilton. Following graduation from high school, he moved to New York to study music and drama at New York City College and medicine at Manhattan Medical School. MOUZON took drum lessons from jazz pianist Billy Taylor's drummer Bobby Thomas. While attending college, Alphonse played in the pit band of the broadway show "PROMISES, PROMISES" after being recommended by Bobby Thomas. MOUZON also worked as a medical technologist at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital after graduating from Manhattan Medical School. However his medical career was short lived.
By 1969 his reputation as a player had spread to such an extent that a medical career was no longer attractive. By the early seventies, he had embarked upon a musical journey that would take him to almost every corner of the world and would establish his reputation as one the most creative musician of the era. In 1975 MOUZON studied acting at The Lee Strausberg Institute for Actors in Hollywood, California. In 1997 he studied acting with Susan Ricketts and in 1998 MOUZON studied advance voice-overs with Don Pitts at California State University of Northridge.
ALPHONSE MOUZON musical associations read like a veritable Who's Who of Modern Jazz and Pop Music. His talents cover a broad range of musical disciplines and philosophies. He was the rhythmic foundation for the far reaching musical explorations of pianist McCoy Tyner. He was a charter member along with keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, of the group Weather Report. Along with guitarist Larry Coryell, MOUZON was co-founder of The Eleventh House, the seminal fusion band of the seventies. The Larry Coryell's Eleventh House reunited after 25 years in July 1998 and toured all over the world featuring Alphonse Mouzon until December 12, 1999.
ALPHONSE MOUZON has also played and/or recorded with Gil Evans, Roy Ayers, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola, Les McCann, Ronnie Laws, Klaus Doldinger's Passport, Jaco Pastorius, Ron Carter, Nathan East, Cecil McBee, Albert Mangelsdorff, Joachim Kuhn, Jasper van't Hof, Michel Legrand, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, Donald Bird, Chet Baker, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Ernie Watts, Sonny Rollins, Wallace Roney, Arturo Sandoval, Christian McBride, Kenny Barron, Cedar Walton, George Coleman, John Klemmer, Billy Harper, Dave Grusin, Russ Freeman, George Howard, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Lorber, Kenny G., Joanne Brackeen, Horace Parlan, Robin Kenyatta, Ross Carnegie Orchestra, ex-girlfriend Roberta Flack, Sheila E., Celia Cruz, Gloria Lynn, Gloria Coleman, Denise Williams, Freda Payne, Shirley Scott, Anita O'Day, (ex-girlfriend/ex-wife of Miles Davis) Betty Davis, and in 1991, he performed with Miles Davis on the movie soundtrack album entitled "Dingo". MILES DAVIS even spoke highly of MOUZON in his book entitled "Miles - The Autobiography".
ALPHONSE MOUZON also led a successful life as a top ten Disco/Dance producer. He sold millions of records as the Founder/Leader/Producer of the the Internationally famous European flavored dance group POUSSEZ. MOUZON dance productions were big hits all over the world doing the late 70s, before disco came to a sudden death in the 80s.. MOUZON is planning to bring back the European flavored disco/dance hits that he made so famous ( "Come On And Do It", "You're All I Have", "Never Gonna Say Goodbye", "BOOGIE WITH ME", "EVERYBODY GET DOWN", etc.).
MOUZON has also played with and helped the early careers of Lee Ritenour, David Beniot, Gerald Albright, Sam Riney, Brandon Fields, Greg Karukas, Dave Koz, and Richard Elliot.
MOUZON's rock/pop credentials include gigs with no less respectable a crew than Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Patrick Moraz, Tommy Bolin and Chubby Checker. ROBERT PLANT, lead singer for the legendary rock group LED ZEPPELIN, named ALPHONSE MOUZON, during his acceptance speech for induction into the 1995 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, one of the band's major influences .
Besides radio, MOUZON's music has been aired on CBS, NBC and ABC's Daytime Television Soap Operas - "ALL MY CHILDREN", "ANOTHER WORLD", "AS THE WORLD TURNS", "DAYS OF OUR LIVES", "ONE LIFE TO LIVE", "LOVING", "GENERAL HOSPITAL", "GENERATIONS", "SANTA BARBARA", "THE GUIDING LIGHT", "SUNSET BEACH", "PASSIONS", and CBS SPORTS, "LIFE STYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS", "RUNAWAY WITH THE RICH AND FAMOUS", "LEEZA", "HARD COPY", "ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT", and many more!
ALPHONSE MOUZON'S name can be found in just about every Jazz Encyclopedia/ Dictionary, and is listed the 2nd edition of Marquis Who's Who In Entertainment and Who's Who In The World. MOUZON was voted the #2 BEST MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST in the 1995 Jazziz Magazine Annual Readers Poll.
In 1992, ALPHONSE MOUZON formed TENACIOUS RECORDS and 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 & BALLADS" were NUMBER ONE, TOP TEN, or TOP TWENTY CDs. "LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD " is the latest CD from ALPHONSE. http://www.tenaciousrecords.com/liveinhollywood.html Mouzon's "JAZZ IN BEL-AIR" CD is et for June 2008 release. New CDs ("Smooth As Silk", "High Noon" = Smooth Jazz,, "Angel Face" = Straighhead Jazz, and "Jazz Cinema" , "Music From Beglieter" = Film Scores) from ALPHONSE MOUZON are schdeluled to be released by the fall of 2008 and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of 2009.
At present, MOUZON performs in Europe and in the U.S. with his trio, quartet, or quintet and as a featured guest artist with other groups. Please check your local listings. Alphonse Mouzon is also an experienced Massage Therapist known as MR. MAGIC HANDS THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE. He specializes in therapeutic massages for women and is reputed to be the best in the world! ALPHONSE MOUZON also teaches drums at THE ALPHONSE MOUZON INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE DRUM SCHOOL in Northridge, CA. Tel: 818-368-6479 and Fax: 818-368-3748.
See ALPHONSE MOUZON along with actor TOM HANKS in the 1996 film "THAT THING YOU DO". ALPHONSE is acting and playing drums. He also composed the music score for the Blue Spot jazz club scene, in which he plays a smoking drums solo. The acoustic piano melody and solo on "Blue Spot" were also performed (off camera) by Alphonse Mouzon. MOUZON's music can be heard on the soundtrack for the 1997 film by actress Tisha Campbell caled SPRUNG. ALPHONSE MOUZON can also be seen in a 2004 movie with Michael Keaton, Margaret Collins, and Katie Holmes called "FIRST DAUGHTER". ALPHONSE MOUZON composed the original music score for the brilliant short film by former jazz critic and now writer/director Dan Margules called BEGLEITER. MOUZON acted in and licensed two smooth jazz songs for the comedy/drama 2007 feature film THE DUKES starring actor/director Robert Davi (DIE HARD, THE PROFILER, PREDATOR 2, ILLICIT BEHAVIOR, LICENSE TO KILL, THE GOONIES, IN THE MIX) and Chazz Palminteri (A BRONX TALE, PUSH, SCAR CITY, KOJAK, ANALYZE THIS, RUNNING SCARED). Besides scoring films and producing his own jazz and smooth jazz CDs, Alphonse, Sr. will be producing CDs for his son Rapper/Singer/Keyboardist and Actor Alphonse Philippe Mouzon (Lethal Weapon) featuring Alphonse, Sr. on drums, trumpet, keyboards, along with pop singer Emma Alexandra Mouzon and Filppino pop/dance singer Sharon T. Alphonse, Sr. will also be producing Pop /Dance CDs for his 12 year-old academically & musically gifted daughter - Painter/Actress,/Singer/Violinist/Pianist/Guitarist/Drummer Emma Alexandra Mouzon, and hip-hop/rap CDs for his youngest son - Beat Master/Drummer/Keyboardist/Rapper and U.S. Coast Guardsman/Photographer Jean-Pierre Mouzon aka GRIZZLY on Tenacious Records. Please check out Jean-Pierre's breathtaking photography at http://myspace.com/mouzonphotography or at http://www.mouzonphotography.com ALPHONSE MOUZON is single and available!! He is a Christian and has always been a believer in Christ and the Almighty, Omnipotent God! Mouzon is a Prostate Cancer survivor who reccommends that every man over 35 years old have a PSA blood test done to make sure cancer is not present. Early detection is a life saver! Please visit MOUZON''s music & fan site at
ttp://www.myspace.com/alphonsemouzon ALPHONSE MOUZON's motto is "Veracity and Integrity are Virtues". Keep the faith!
LEGENDARY DRUMMER MAKES A RARE CULB APPREARANCE IN LOS ANGELES!
Legendary Super Star Jazz Drummer Alphonse Mouzon will make a rare jazz club appearance with the Charlie Owens Quartet on Sunday, March 16, 2008 from 8PM to 12AM at a jazz club/restaurant called Charlie O's. Located in Van Nuys, CA. Great Music & Great Food!
Charlie O's Jazz Bar and Grill
13725 Victory Blvd.
Van Nuys, CA 91401
Tel: 818.994.3058
Charlie O's Jazz Bar and Grill
13725 Victory Blvd.
Van Nuys, CA 91401
Tel: 818.994.3058
Alphonse Mouzon's Photos
Alphonse Mouzon's Videos
Alphonse Mouzon's Blog
LEGENDARY JAZZ DRUMMER CONCERT APPEARANCES!!
See Legendary Super Star Jazz Drummer Alphonse Mouzon with his Funky Organ Trio and with The Larry Coryell Trio on tour,, or with The Luckman Jazz Orchestra in 2009 at Calif. State Univ. of Los Angeles. Here's wishing everyone a Blessed, Healthy, Happy and Opulent New Year! http://www.tenaciousrecords.com
Posted on March 14, 2008 at 5:30am —
About
The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music. It's changing the music, and for the better.~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Billy Taylor
Dear Tamm E:
Just a note to tell you that it is nice to read about you!!!
You share so much great info about others and about the music, but nice to know that you are WAILIN' yourself and getting appreciation!!
Global Jazz Network is a really important way for all of us to keep hooked up and informed and to SLOWLY BUT SURELY SPREAD THE MESSAGE AND THE PHILOSOPHY of what Jazz is in its many different forms and what the styles are/is all about.
Just played for Paquito's honoring and received gold medal
John Faddis, save Brubeck, James moody and a bunch of KILLER YOUNG players and we all played and spoke about Paquito and jazz and all fine music
and Roberta Gamborini, who was excellent.
wish you had been there!
Through you, Donald Harrison hooked me up with Pittsburgh Jazz info and I feel like i am living there just reading about all the great happenings.
As Fall is here, I am back to my normal insane schedule, but wanted to write you back BEFORE The STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS goes into effect. I am my own secretary, so I am dedicated but SLOW!
And I can't fire myself as my own secretary or I might get hit with an Age Discrimination Lawsuit (in case I decided to sue myself for clerical incompetence).
As of this moment, a new documentary film is being made about me, to be released a few months after my 80th birthday, which is coming up next year Nov. 17, 2010. (12 months from now).
The film will end with the videoing of the big 80th birthday bash at Symphony Space in NYC and then have snippets of films from the past, with all kinds of fun stuff from the 50's thru today.
It will be called "David Amram: The First 80 Years"
Fortunately, I don't have to edit the hundreds of hours of footage or do new music the score, since the film maker, Larry Kraman is also the founder of Newport Classics recordings and knows all my symphonic as well as operatic, theater, film and jazz and world music work, so I am in good hands!!
The same people at Newport Classics Recordings are also making a Spoken Word series for I-Tunes, with me reading from my three books Vibrations, Offbeat: Collaborating with Kerouac and Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat.
And they are also recording some of my chamber music compositions and a new jazz record,
Next Spring my opera "12th Night", with libretto by Joe Papp (all words of Shakespeare), is having its eighth production and being FILMED!! Even most dead composers aren't that lucky!!!
This last five weeks I have appeared all over the country at concerts of my music, conducting and playing, doing spoken word with music, jazz, folk and world music festivals, film festivals and readings from my books.
Just the first week of October, I played Lowell Celebrates Kerouac festival in Lowell Mass, then the at midnight , following my last concert there , drove all night to Lagaurda Airport to catch the early Sunday mornng flight for the annual Farm Aid Concert in St Louis, where i played with Willie Nelson's band. The next morning (Monday the 5th , I flew bck to NYC in tme for my monthly concert at Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village.
The next night (Tuesday the 6th) the memorial at Symphony Space for Frank Mccourt, and the next day Wednesday the 7th) the celebration of the new authorized biography of Thelonious Monk with members of his family and musicians I have known since I first arrived in NYC in 1955!!
The 11th i flew off to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates,( i got at least get a few hours sleep) and tried to catch up on over 200 e-mails during the 13 hour flight, before arriving there and performing a concert of global music in conjunction with the score I composed for Teri McLuhan's new documentary feature film The Frontier Ghandi.
Then back in the USA in time to do programs centered around a performance of my Saxophone concerto Ode to Lord Buckley, in Loudoun Virginia ..
Then I went off to Toronto Nov 1st for a concert and appearance at the Diaspora Film Festival .
Now i am back at home hiding out composing and writing!
I am starting my fourth book "David Amram: The First 80 Years", (the same name as the new doc film being made about me), which will be finished at the end of next year and will end, like the film, with the monstro birthday bash concert for my Big 80... 12 months from now....(Nov 17 2010) in New York.
And every day, still finding time to continue composing a new orchestral work, having been doing it while on the run, and now every minute when I can hide out at the Farm in between travels.
And performing whenever possible with my three kids, each of whom have their own bands.
So as the BIG 80 approaches twelve months from now, (2010) while I may be still shy, I am not yet the retiring type.
Most of my ever-changing my schedule info. when i can get my elderly secretary (unfortunately myself) to type it up, is posted on my web page www.davidamram.com under Upcoming Events.
And my e-mail amramdavid@aol.com is always the best way to reach me as I carry my laptop with me everywhere, and Facebook, MySpace, etc., is hard to deal with and not always reliable!
You might find it fun to access an old performance of my 1971 Rondo a la Turca on the Internet for FREE!!!
The person who is conducting the Chicago Symphony and playing the middle eastern flute (who looks like my grandson) is actually a much younger looking me in 1977, recording for a PBS network TV show about my music. Pepper Adams and Jerry Dodgion are also playing.
In 1977, most of members of the Chicago Symphony who appear on the recording of this performance had never heard, much less ever played, very much music from the Middle East, and since I write everything out on paper accurately to indicate the way it should be played, that's what they were playing, and they actually began to sound like the Radio Beirut Orchestra, and suddenly as the piece went on, they started feeling something different than they had ever felt before, as they played.
It is really fun to watch their faces as they started getting ingo the old time magical groove that Middle eastern music creates and takes you into.
During the first few minutes of the piece, you can see the musicians all playing up a storm but looking as if they were thinking that I was an alien from another planet in outer space, and had brought some extra terrestrial music with me for them to play.
And then as the piece progresses, you can see, as well as hear, that by the end of the piece, the idiom of this music got them excited enough to be actually enjoying playing it!!
And playing it really well!
That's what music, like film, novels, poetry, painting, dance, language and good HOME COOKING does for all of us.
It takes you to that place from where it comes, and makes you feel that you now have a new home in a new part of the world.
I send cheers from that endless road and wish you joy and energy for all you do
David
I was just saying that you knocked this out of the park with TGJN. We have needed something like this for so long and I am telling my friends about this. I said that it is sort of like a myspace for jazz but it is actually so much more. This is real. The people here truly love jazz and we know people like that are not your average people.
I have felt for a long time that straight-ahead jazz has been slipping away from us. I have hope now that there will be a resurgence (or shall I say an insurgency:-) to bring this baby back full force!
You just knocked it out of the park. Thanks again.
xoxo,
Janie
Music
Events
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Mel Brown Quartet
March 25, 2009 at 8pm to March 27, 2013 at 11pm – Jimmy Mak's
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New CD release
December 14, 2009 at 1pm to January 1, 2010 at 1pm – My Website
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Lezlie Harrison and Saul Rubin Two-gether
December 28, 2009 from 12pm to 9pm – The Zinc Bar
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THE LADIES SOCIAL CLUB-New Year's Eve Party!
December 31, 2009 at 7:30pm to January 1, 2010 at 1:30am – Clarion Hotel
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BACK ALLEY PLAYERS@NUYORICAN POETS CAFE
January 2, 2010 from 9pm to 11pm – NUYORICAN POETS CAFE
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BACK ALLEY PLAYERS@NUYORICAN POETS CAFE
January 2, 2010 from 9pm to 11pm – NUYORICAN POETS CAFE
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Tish Oney - The Peggy Lee Project
January 8, 2010 from 9:45pm to 11pm – The Metropolitan Room
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Tish Oney
January 9, 2010 from 7:15pm to 7:30pm – Hilton Hotel - New York Suite
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Tish Oney - The Peggy Lee Project
January 9, 2010 from 10pm to 10:15pm – Hilton Hotel - Beekman Suite
Birthdays
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Thanks
Tamm E
Eternal Respect - Kaspar Galli
I was at the show tonight in Columbia, Maryland. You guys were terrific. I hope that you, and 11th House do some more shows with Return To Forever. It's too good of a combination to only be for one night.
Best,
Tom Reyes
Thanks for being my Friend!!
I appreciate It..
All the best...C.S.
Don't worry about the last episode (sic)! We are here and we have all place in the world to meet and be real friends, with sincere affection and true relation to we be ourselves, to encourage each other and to be happy being friends!
Kisses and kisses!
May
Peace/Tunde
You work has provided untold hours of pleasure and inspiration.
Thank you
Best,
Elli
www.ellifordyce.net
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