Remembering Russell Malone (11/18/1963 – 8/23/2024)
by Gary G. Vercelli
The jazz community was shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of guitarist Russell Malone last week. Russell was on tour in Japan with bassist Ron Carter and pianist Donald Vega and succumbed to a heart attack at age 60. Since his passing, there has been a great outpouring of remembrances on social media from Russell’s fellow musicians. Russell was kind, thoughtful and he had a great sense of humor.
Known for his brilliant technique and lyrical phrasing, Malone extended the tradition set by Wes Montgomery, George Benson, and Kenny Burrell.
In the early ‘90’s, Malone and vocalist Nnenna Freelon performed an in-studio concert here at CapRadio. In my interview with Russell, he discussed the influence of his guitar heroes and talked about meeting organ giant Jimmy Smith, then joining Smith’s band. He also talked about working in Harry Connick, Jr.’s Big Band. He then performed duets with bassist Paul Keller and was joined on one song by Nnenna Freelon.
The interview will air tonight at 9 p.m.
