Acclaimed jazz guitarist, RUSSELL MALONE, died on Friday 23rd August. At the moment details are sketchy, but it seems that Malone died whilst on tour in Japan with bassist Ron Carter, working as a member of the Golden Striker Trio. The guitarist was aged just 60.
Russell Malone was born in Albany, Georgia in 1963 and he took to guitar playing at a young age, citing George Benson as a major influence. His first major gig came in 1988 when he joined Jimmy Smith’s band. From then he went on to work with Diana Krall, Benny Green, Branford Marsalis, Jack McDuff and many more.
He recorded his first eponymous solo album in 1992 and went on to release almost a dozen more as a leader; he also released a series of collaborative albums with people like Ron Carter and Benny Green.
