Alphonse Mouzon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alphonse Mouzon
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Mouzon in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alphonse Lee Mouzon |
| Born | November 21, 1948 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | 25 December 2016 (aged 68) Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, jazz-funk, disco |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record label owner |
| Instruments | Drums, keyboards |
| Years active | 1970–2016 |
| Labels | Blue Note, Tenacious |
| Associated acts | Weather Report, Eleventh House, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner |
Alphonse Lee Mouzon (born November 21, 1948 – died December 25, 2016) was an American musician. He was famous for playing jazz fusion drums. He also owned a record company called Tenacious Records, which mostly released his own music. Alphonse Mouzon was a talented composer, arranger, producer, and even an actor. He became very well-known in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
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About Alphonse Mouzon
His Early Life and Training
Alphonse Mouzon was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He had a mix of African, French, and Blackfoot heritage. He started learning music at Bonds-Wilson High School. After finishing school, he moved to New York City.
In New York, he studied drama and music at the City College of New York. He also took drum lessons from Bobby Thomas, who was a drummer for the jazz pianist Billy Taylor. In 1968, he played percussion in a Broadway show called Promises, Promises. After that, he worked with pianist McCoy Tyner. He also spent a year playing with the jazz fusion band, Weather Report. In 1972, Mouzon signed a deal with Blue Note to release his own music.
His Music Career
Alphonse Mouzon became even more famous when he joined guitarist Larry Coryell's band, Eleventh House. He played with them from 1973 to 1975. During this time, they released albums like Introducing the Eleventh House and Level One. Mouzon also released his own album called Mind Transplant in 1974. On this album, he worked with guitarist Tommy Bolin.
He recorded several R&B albums too. These included The Essence of Mystery (1972), Funky Snakefoot (1973), and The Man Incognito (1976). In the 1980s, he released By All Means, which featured other famous musicians like Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard.
Mouzon played with many important jazz fusion artists. In 1991, he worked with the legendary Miles Davis on the soundtrack for the movie Dingo. Mouzon wrote a song called The Blue Spot for a jazz club scene in that movie. He also appeared as an actor and drummer in the 1996 film That Thing You Do, directed by Tom Hanks. He played the role of Miles in the movie The Highlife in 2003. You might also spot him in the film First Daughter with Michael Keaton and Katie Holmes, and as Ray in The Dukes.
Alphonse Mouzon also played with rock and pop stars like Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, and Chubby Checker. Even Robert Plant, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, mentioned Alphonse Mouzon as an influence when Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
In 1992, Mouzon started his own record company, Tenacious Records. He released his album The Survivor on this label. Over the years, he released many more albums through Tenacious Records, including On Top of the World and Morning Sun. His 1981 album Morning Sun was very popular in Southeast Asia, especially in the Philippines. Many songs from that album are still used in commercials and on the radio there today.
Mouzon also recorded with Albert Mangelsdorff and Jaco Pastorius on an album called Trilogue. This performance was from the Berlin Jazz Days in 1976.
His Health and Passing
On September 7, 2016, Alphonse Mouzon was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called neuroendocrine carcinoma. He passed away from a heart attack at his home in Granada Hills, Los Angeles on December 25, 2016. He was 68 years old.
Awards and Honors
- Listed in the second edition of Marquis Who's Who in Entertainment and Who's Who in the World
- Voted the No. 2 best multi-instrumentalist in the 1995 Jazziz Magazine Annual Readers' Poll
See also
In Spanish: Alphonse Mouzon para niños
