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Alphonse Mouzon
JAZZ-FUNK-FUSION DRUMMER/COMPOSER/MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST ALPHONSE MOUZON
About Me
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 (T.J.) Garner and played drums in the various bands of saxophonist Lonnie Hamilton with organist Jesse
Williams and guitarist Joe Wilson. 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
Strasbourg 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 membe/co-founding member along with the late great Austrian
keyboardist Joe Zawinul, Czechoslovakian bassist Miroslav Vitous,
Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira, and legendary saxophonist WayneShorter, 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. Plans are in the works to re-unite again for another worldwide tour.
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, George Howard, Jeff Lorber, Kenny G., Joanne Brackeen, Horace Parlan, Robin Kenyatta, Ross Carnegie Orchestra, ex-girlfriend Roberta Flack, Sheila E., Fania All-Stars with Celia Cruz; Gloria Lynn, Gloria Coleman, Denise Williams, Freda Payne, Shirley Scott, Anita O'Day, (ex-
girlfriend/ex-wife of Miles Davis) rock-funk singer 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 ITt, 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 BARABARA, 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 &
BALLADSand LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD, were NUMBER ONE, TOP
TEN, or TOP TWENTY
CDs. JAZZ IN BEL-AIR, is the latest CD from ALPHONSE. Two new
al-star CDs ANGEL
FACE (Straighhead) Jazz, and SMOOTh AS SILK ( Smooth Jazz) will
be released in 2011.
At present, MOUZON performs in Europe and in the U.S. with his
various jazz trios,
quartets, or quintets and as a featured guest artist with other groups.
MOUZON spent
two season playing drums for the Cal. State Univ. of Los Angeles 20
peice big band called The
Luckman Jazz Orchestra. Alphonse Mouzon is also an experienced
Massage Therapist
known as MR. MAGIC HANDS THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE. He
specializes in therapeutic
massages for women only 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 Skype:
alphonse_mouzon
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. released a
jazz-funk hip-hop/rap CD entitled THE MAIN ATTRACTION by his son
Rapper/Singer/Keyboardist and Actor Alphonse Philippe Mouzon (aka
MOUZON) 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 14 year-old academically & musically
gifted daughter -
Painter/Actress/Singer/Violinist/Pianist/Guitarist/Drummer Emma
Alexandra Mouzon. Emma
Alexandra and her dad Alphonse Mouzon are currently writing jazz &
pop songs for her CD
IT'S MY PARTY for a 2011 or 2012 release date on Tenacious
Records. Please visit the
links below to purchase all music released on Alphonse
Mouzon'sTenaciosu Records.
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/AlphonseMouzon
http://www.tenaciousrecords.com/Purchase_Music.html
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/alphonse-mouzon/id16496217
http://twitter.com/alphonsemouzon
http://www.facebook.com/alphonse.mouzon
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111876103365&ref=mf
http://www.youtube.com/alphonsemouzon
http://thejazznetwork.ning.com/profile/AlphonseMouzon
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alphonse-mouzon/26/31b/b9b
http://www.numubu.com/142195-profile-alphonse-mouzon.html
My Jazz Story
I love jazz because it makes me play at the highest level and gives me great pleasure! I was first exposed to jazz in Charleston, SC from listening to my late brother Simon Mouzon's jazz albums he bought while stationed overseas in the U.S. Army. I met Julian Cannonball Adderley while I was a senior in high school. He convinced me to move to New York when I graduated.