“Jazz Monthly Feature Interview” Russell Malone

Smitty: I must say it is a sheer pleasure to welcome to Jazz Monthly for the first time a guitarist with a supersonic groove! He recently released a magnificent live project called Live at the Jazz Standard Volume One.  You must check out this record because it represents the true flava of this great cat. Please welcome the incomparable and dynamic Mr. Russell Malone.  Russell, how ya doin’?

Russell Malone (RM):  All right, Smitty.  How you doin’, man?

Smitty:  All right.  Man, you must have had the time of your life with this latest project.

RM:  Well, you know something?  I’ve always wanted to make a live recording.  I’ve been with a couple of other labels and the last one particularly that I was with, I had spoken to them about doing a live record because fans who’ve heard us play around the world, they’ve always suggested to me that I do a live record because they felt that….and I agree with them….they felt that we generate an energy that is not so apparent on records that we’ve done in the past.  So I went to the other label and I said “Hey, I would really like to make a live record,” but they came up with every excuse as to why it couldn’t be done. Richard McDonald, who is the President of MaxJazz, he told me that, because he’s seen me play, he said “Man, how do you feel about doing a live record?”  I said “Hey, man, I would love to do it.  It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.”  Because he saw me as Russell Malone and he said “You have your own thing and this should be documented.”  One of the things that I like about this label is that they weren’t trying to make me out to be the next so-and-so.  They accepted me for who I am.

Smitty:  Yes, that’s very important.

RM:  So many times, a lot of these people, they’re always looking for the next this or the next that.…instead of just accepting an artist for who they are.  And this is what he did and I’m very happy with the outcome. Yes, I had a lot of fun making this record.

Smitty:  Yes, I could tell, man.  This is just a fantastic project.  And to do it live, like you just mentioned, it gives you the true and real Russell Malone, and that’s what we love.

RM:  Oh, thank you.

Smitty:  Yes. Well, now, let’s back up a little bit. You started out making music in clubs, you were doing some gigs in clubs, and you were in Houston when I was in Houston.

RM:  I used to live in Houston, Texas.  I actually started out making music in the church.  That’s where I got my first introduction to music, and as time progressed I started to play clubs. Actually I lived in Houston for about six months back in 1984. Were you there then?

Smitty: Absolutely.

RM:  Yeah, I used to play at a couple of places. There was one called The Gallant Knight.

Smitty:  Yeah.

RM:  And there was another one called McColby’s over on Fondren Road.

Smitty:  Yes, absolutely.

RM: And there was another one….it’s no longer there anymore….but it’s over on Gessner Road, a place called Jason’s.

Smitty:  That one I don’t remember.

RM:  Yeah.

Smitty:  How ‘bout that, man? Wow. Well, we’ve got something else in common. Talk about how you got your first record deal? 

RM:  The very first record deal I got through none other than Harry Connick, Jr., because I worked with him from late 1989 to early ’94, a little bit over five years.  So what happened was the CEO of Columbia Records at the time was Tommy Mottola.

Smitty:  Yeah.

RM:  And he heard me play and he expressed interest in signing me, so Harry Connick, we went into the studio and he organized a demo session, so I went in there and I did a demo….just recorded some tunes, and then we presented it to Mr. Mottola, and then he felt that it would be necessary for me to go and make a recording, so that’s how I got my first deal, through Harry Connick.

Smitty:  Wow, what an endorsement, man. And that’s cool. So, now, going to the record, I just want to talk a little bit about this record because, man, this is fantastic music and I have to tell you I love “Mean Streak,” man.  Oh!

RM:  You like that? (laughs)

Smitty:  Oh my goodness, man.  You know, with “Mean Streak,” with that song, I don’t need Starbucks, I don’t need an alarm clock.  Man, that track will kick you out of bed at 5:00 a.m. any time!

RM:  Oh, thanks, man.  We had a really good time playing that tune and those guys in the band….Jonathan Blake, Tassili Bond, and Martin Bejerano….they kept that tempo and they kept that time together on that tune.

Smitty:  Yes they did, man.  I said “These cats know how to keep up.”  It’s incredible stuff.  I’m impressed. I only wish I had been there for that show.

RM:  It was a lot of fun.

Smitty:  Yeah, but I’ve seen your performance live and when I heard you were doing a live record, man, I got totally excited because I knew what was coming.

RM:  Thank you.

Smitty:  Absolutely great. Talk a little bit about these cats, the band. You mentioned that this is your working band and to do this live recording with them had to be just a treat for you and for them as well.

RM: I think that it’s very important to record with people that you’ve been on the road with, and this is something that I’ve always fought for no matter what label I was on.  I always fought for playing with guys that I like to play with.  A lot of times the people at record companies, they want to put these all-star configurations together and sometimes it can work but most of the time it doesn’t work because there’s nothing like having chemistry between musicians.

Smitty:  Yes.

RM:  And these gentlemen, I’ve known them for quite some time and they respect me and I respect them. I respect them because they bring a lot of beautiful things to the table.  I don’t have to tell them what to play. I mean, I am the bandleader and there are certain things that I will suggest, but I don’t always have to constantly be on them about what to play and how to play because the level of musicianship is so high, I can just trust them.

Smitty:  Yes, and it makes a huge difference.

RM:  That’s one of the things that I learned from working with Ron Carter is knowing how to just trust the band.  And he told me a very interesting story about that band that he played in with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Tony Williams.  He said that one of the things that made that group of musicians so special was the level of trust. At a high level of musicianship but they trusted each other and you could play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and if it’s done on a high level, it’s fine.

Smitty:  (Laughs.) Right.

RM:  Because you’ve got these great musicians who can take it anywhere.

Smitty:  Right, you can’t put a price on that, man.

RM:  Oh yeah, so I’m very happy to be playing with these gentlemen.

Smitty:  Yes indeed, man, I really love their musicianship.  I mean, you can feel that high level of musicianship throughout this record, no doubt.  And “Heartstrings”…man, what a great Milt Jackson tune.

RM:  Yeah, well, I recorded that on another recording, Heartstrings, about three or four years ago.

Smitty: Right, right.

RM:  But this one…I’m really proud of this one.  And I just saw Milt Jackson’s wife.  In fact, she was in the audience when we recorded that piece.

Smitty:  How sweet was that?

RM:  Yeah, and I saw her about two weeks ago and she had a copy of the record and she listened to “Heartstrings” and she gave me the nicest compliment.  She said “Hey, you really nailed my husband’s tune.”

Smitty:  (Laughs.)

RM:  That made me feel so good.

Smitty:  Oh, absolutely, man, and she’s right on because you cats really gave that tune a lot of justice.

RM:  Oh, thank you, Smitty.

Smitty:  Yes indeed.  And “Malone Blues”…man, you are one of a few musicians that can just rock from the jazz standards right into the blues.

RM:  Well, I love the blues.  I mean, coming from Georgia, that part of the country, I heard a lot of that.  A lot of blues and I heard a lot of gospel.  So I just figured on this record, you know, I wasn’t thinking about any kind of formula.  I just decided that I’m just gonna do what I do.

Smitty:  And that opens it up to be yourself and to let it all really shine. I like that, man.

RM:  Yeah, because a lot of people haven’t heard me really stretch out or play like that on a record. I mean, we do it when we do our concerts, but I think this record needed to be made.

Smitty:  Yes indeed. It’s been a long time coming and it was worth the wait and I know that I can speak for thousands of your fans. We’re loving this project, man.

RM:  Oh, thank you.  I really appreciate that.

Smitty:  Right on, man.  Now, you had a special relationship with Milt Jackson. We were just talking about that great tune, “Heartstrings.”

RM:  I got to hang out with him. We got to be really good friends and I even got to play with him a couple of times.  He was just such a beautiful human being and such a great musician. Every time he played he told the truth. There was no B.S. in anything that he did.

Smitty:  Oh, man, absolutely.  And what an influence to have and someone to hang out with than someone like Milt Jackson because I remember listening to Milt Jackson growing up and sometimes when I mention that to people they’ll say “How old are you?”  They think I’m older than what I’m talking about, but that kind of music, you don’t forget that, even as a young man.

RM:  Yeah. But I’ve been fortunate.  I’ve hung out with a lot of those older musicians like Benny Carter, Ron Carter, Ray Brown, and DR. Billy Taylor, Frank Wess, so I know what time it is.

Smitty:  Yeah, man.

RM:  So no one can come to me with any kind of….in other words, I can’t be B.S.’d.

Smitty:  Absolutely.

RM:  Because I know what the deal is and I know these guys have given so much to the world and they’ve given their lives to this music, so it’s up to young musicians like myself to keep the standard high.

Smitty:  Yes. It means a lot to hear you say that and to back it up the way you have with your career, including this latest project.

RM:  I’m not saying that I’m supposed to try to rehash anything that they did, because you can never do that.

Smitty:  No, not at all.

RM:  But I should be allowed to come to my own conclusions as to how the music should be played and to play it on a high level.  Do not forget the values that they established.

Smitty:  Yes, absolutely. Very well put, my friend. How many guitars did you use for this project?

RM:  Just that one. Just the one.

Smitty:  Just that one. Wow.

RM:  And that’s all I used.

Smitty:  Well, that was some monster playing to do that live, and I tell ya, that audience got a real treat to hear that live, that’s for sure.

RM:  Yeah, well, it’s very nice to be on the bandstand giving the music to the people and then getting something back from them.

Smitty:  True.

RM:  Because they really gave us a lot of love.

Smitty:  Yes. And speaking of love, the folks at the Jazz Standard, what a great group of people there, man. The entire staff.

RM:  And you’ve been there, I assume.

Smitty: A beautiful place, a lot of great people.

RM:  And good food.

Smitty: Oh yes. What a treat to record there. You couldn’t have selected a better place.

RM:  I love that place.

Smitty:  Yeah. So, now, are you touring with this record now?

RM:  We’ve been on the road. We were in Europe a couple of months ago.

Smitty: Very cool.

RM:  And we’re going back over to Europe in January.

Smitty:  How was the reaction of the Europeans with this record?

RM:  Listen, man, we’ve gotten good feedback from everyone.

Smitty:  I truly believe that, my friend.

RM:  So Europe, here in the States, I’m glad that people like it. 

Smitty:  Absolutely. Russell, this is an international project and right for any occasion.

RM:  Thank you. I strongly feel that, you want to have the respect of your peers and you want the aficionados to like you, the so-called experts to like you, but every now and then you gotta play some melody.

Smitty:  Yes.

RM:  And every now and then, if you want to be working, you gotta play pretty for the ladies every now and then.

Smitty:  That’s right, man. (Laughs.)  Absolutely, man.  Well, I will pass along a compliment I heard, from a very nice young lady….not in particular about this record, but about your working with her on her latest project…and that was, Ms. Gladys Knight.

RM:  Oh yeah.  Yeah, yeah.

Smitty:  Oh man, she had some beautiful words to say about your musicianship and working with her on her latest project that was just fantastic, you know, the tribute she did to the great legendary ladies of jazz.

RM:  Yeah, that record Before Me.

Smitty:  Yeah, Before Me. What a magnificent project. And she had some very nice comments about your contributing to that record.

RM:  Well, that makes me feel very good. See, these are the things; these are the people who matter to me.

Smitty:  Yes.

RM:  You know, people that I grew up listening to. I mean, when they come back and say nice things about you, that’s more precious than platinum or gold.

Smitty:  Yes indeed, my friend.

RM:  Yeah.

Smitty:  Just looking at your record here, I love the album cover too and the great photographs throughout the album.  It’s very nice, it’s very well put together, and my compliments to everybody involved with that, and all the folks at MaxJazz.  They did a magnificent job with this.

RM:  Well, thank you so much, man.

Smitty:  It’s beautiful.  Well, I look forward to catching you out on the road when you come back, and hopefully we’ll get a chance to chat a little bit, and in the meantime I am totally digging the record, man.

RM:  Well, thank you.  Thank you.  I really appreciate it.  Well, there’s a Volume Two coming out too.

Smitty:  Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that. 

RM:  There will be a Volume Two.

Smitty:  Oh man, that’s fantastic. That’s great for the fans to hear. I know everyone’s excited about that. Right now we are digging this one and we certainly look forward to Volume Two, my friend.  If it’s anything like this, we know it’ll be fantastic.

RM:  Thank you.

Smitty:  Yeah, and please pass along my congratulations to the band as well because they did a monster job with this as well.

RM:  All right, then.

Smitty:  All right.  We’ve been talking with the incredible guitarist, Russell Malone.  He has a great new “Live” project out.  It’s called Live at the Jazz Standard Volume One. And it has a plethora of magnificent grooves and melodies. You will love this great Russell Malone project. Russell, thanks again, my friend, all the very best with this great record and we look forward to seeing you on the road.

RM:  Thanks, Smitty.  Take care of yourself.

Baldwin “Smitty” Smith

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