October 02, 2007
Russell Malone
Tonight at the usual Tu-W-Th gig, my old friend Russell Malone showed up for dinner and some jamming. He introduced me to his 20 year old son, Darius, and Russell reminded me that's about how old he was when we first met. Russell always thanks me and tells folks that I was very helpful when he came to Atlanta as a youngster (he grew up in Albany GA).
Russell's first recollection of playing with me was at a place called "Claude's" on International Blvd (I led the band every Thu-Fri-Sat during July-Oct 1985) and he also used to sit in with me at the Sunday Cafe 290 jam sessions which I hosted for more than 12 years. I believe that Russell met Atlanta drummer Jimmy Jackson at my Sunday night jam sessions and the two of them would often go on the road with Atlanta resident and world-renowned jazz organist, Jimmy Smith. In fact it was a fateful evening when Russell showed up on a Sunday night to sit in with me and I told him he should instead go down to "E J's" in Buckhead that night because Harry Connick Jr. was in town and was rumored to be stopping in over there after his concert. Sure enough, they both met and the rest is history as they say. After a couple of years in Connick's band, Russell got the gig with Diana Krall. Meanwhile his own solo career began to emerge with the aid of bigwigs like Quincy Jones and Tommy LiPuma.
I have always considered Russell to be one of the best jazz guitarist on this planet and possibly among the best that have ever lived. I never like comparisons in music or art because it is not a competition but a form of expression. However an analogy might be like what watercolorist Andrew Wyeth is to the guy who designs the flowers on the Kleenex boxes. One is an artist and the other is merely a craftsman. Russell is an artist.