Mikayla's Totally Jazzed Profiles Drummer/Composer Alphonse Mouzon at AAJ

A fleeting glance at the cover of Alphonse Mouzon's CD Jazz in Bel-Air (Tenacious, 2008) gives one the impression that Mouzon was born into wealth, “with a silver spoon in his mouth." Listening to Mouzon's compositions and performance on the CD does nothing to dispel that impression. He delivers a live performance so polished and enjoyable that it would seem almost out-of-place in anything less than a top-notch venue. The use of earlier Mouzon compositions on television shows such as Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Runaway with the Rich and Famous also seems to support a perception of affluence. And the list of legendary musicians with whom Mouzon has played and recorded reads like a “Who's Who in Music."

For the latest installment of her column, Mikayla's Totally Jazzed--aimed at bringing a younger demographic to jazz--teenage saxophonist Mikayla Gilbreath profiles legendary drummer Alphonse Mouzon. Mouzon speaks with Mikayla about his early days playing with McCoy Tyner, turning down Miles Davis. He reveals how he has fashioned a diverse career, meeting the challenge of a changing business landscape for music delivery head-on and establishing/maintaining control over his music at a time when conventional ways of thinking about how to retain ownership no longer apply.

Check out Mikayla's Totally Jazzed and Alphonse Mouzon: From Charleston Heights to Bel Air at AAJ today!