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Alphonse
Mouzon - Biography
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 Garner and played
drums in the various bands of saxophonist Lonnie
Hamilton. 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 Strausberg 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 member along with keyboardist Joe Zawinul
and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, 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.
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,
Russ Freeman, George Howard, Kirk Whalum, Jeff
Lorber, Kenny G., Joanne Brackeen, Horace Parlan,
Robin Kenyatta, Ross Carnegie Orchestra,
ex-girlfriend Roberta Flack, Sheila E., Celia Cruz,
Gloria Lynn, Gloria Coleman, Denise Williams,
Freda Payne, Shirley Scott, Anita O'Day, (ex-girlfriend/ex-wife
of Miles Davis) 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 It",
"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 & BALLADS" were
NUMBER ONE, TOP TEN, or TOP TWENTY CDs. "LIVE
IN HOLLYWOOD " is the latest CD from ALPHONSE.
http://www.tenaciousrecords.com/liveinhollywood.html
New CDs ("Smooth As Silk", "High
Noon" - Smooth Jazz, "Jazz In Bel-Air",
"Angel Face" - Straighhead Jazz, and
"Jazz Cinema" - "Music >From
Beglieter" - Film Scores) from ALPHONSE
MOUZON are scheduled to be released by the
fall of 2007 and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of
2008.
At present, MOUZON performs
in Europe and in the U.S. with his trio, quartet,
or quintet and as a featured guest artist with
other groups. Please check your local listings.
Alphonse Mouzon is also an experienced Massage
Therapist known as MR. MAGIC HANDS THERAPEUTIC
MASSAGE. He specializes in therapeutic massages
for women 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 and Fax:
818-368-3748.
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. will be producing
CDs for his son Rapper/Singer/Keyboardist and
Actor Alphonse Philippe Mouzon (Lethal Weapon)
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 11 year-old academically &
musically gifted daughter - Painter/Actress,/Singer/Violinist/Pianist/Guitarist/Drummer
Emma Alexandra Mouzon, and hip-hop/rap CDs for his
youngest son - Beat Master/Drummer/Keyboardist/Rapper
and U.S. Coast Guardsman/Photographer Jean-Pierre
Mouzon aka GRIZZLY on Tenacious Records. Please
check out Jean-Pierre's breathtaking photography
at http://myspace.com/mouzonphotography
or at http://www.mouzonphotography.com
ALPHONSE MOUZON is single and available!! He is a
Christian and has always been a believer in Christ
and the Almighty, Omnipotent God!
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