Alphonse Mouzon

Official Biography (courtesy of Alphonse Mouzon)

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 four 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 under the direction of saxophonist high school music teacher Lonnie Hamilton III, and took some drum lessons from Charles Garner before playing gigs with the Lonnie Hamilton Band. 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 (RIP). 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 Strasberg 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 & RANDY BRECKER, MOUZON was co-founder of THE ELEVENTH HOUSE, the seminal fusion band of the seventies. MOUZON and CORYELL still tour together in a trio and with THE ELEVENTH HOUSE. A new Eleventh House CD will be recorded and released in 2016.

ALPHONSE MOUZON has also played and/or recorded with MILES DAVIS, GIL EVANS, ROY AYERS, GEORGE BENSON, HERBIE HANCOCK, DIZZY GILLESPIE, STANLEY CLARKE, AL DIMEOLA, LES McCANN, RONNIE LAWS, JACO PASTORIUS, FREDDIE HUBBARD, DONALD BYRD, DAVE GRUSIN, GEORGE HOWARD, JEFF LORBER, AZAR LAWRENCE, HUBERT LAWS, TOMMY BOLIN, LEE RITENOUR, DAVE KOZ, RICHARD ELLIOT, DAVID BENOIT, GERALD ALBRIGHT, BRANDON FIELDS, GREG KARUKAS, JEFF LORBER, KENNY G., ex-girlfriend ROBERTA FLACK, CELIA CRUZ, GLORIA LYNN, DENISE WILLIAMS, FREDA PAYNE, ANITA O'DAY, ex-girlfriend 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".

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 because their late legendary drummer JOHN “BONZO” BONHAM idolized ALPHONSE. MOUZON also appears on DEEP PURPLE’S FAMILY ALBUM along with guitarist Tommy Bolin who replaced guitarist Richie Blackmore in the band.

Besides radio, MOUZON's music has been aired on European TV, 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 BARBARA", "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", “WICKED CITY” and in the Films “THAT THINGYOU DO, “THE DUKES”, “BEGLIETER, & “THE HIGHLIFE”.

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, and in 2010 he was voted the #4 JAZZ DRUMMER in Modern Drummer Magazine.

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", "LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD" & "JAZZ IN BEL-AIR" were NUMBER ONE, TOP TEN, or TOP TWENTY CDs. “ANGEL FACE” was MOUZON’S 2011 TOP TEN all-star straight-ahead CD featuring ARTURO SANDOVAL, WALLACE RONEY, SHUNZO OHNO, BOB MINTZER, ERNIE WATTS, DON MENZA, ANTOINE RONEY, CHARLES OWENS, CEDAR WALTON, KENNY BARRON, CHRISTIAN McBRIDE, HENRY“ The Skipper” FRANKLIN, DAREK OLESZKIEWICZ, EMMA ALEXANDRA MOUZON and composer/arranger/drummer ALPHONSE MOUZON, who also played piano and trumpet on the 2011 “ANGEL FACE” CD, and to be reissued in 2016 on a Double Album. Also in 2016, MOUZON will release his much-anticipated all-star CDs “SMOOTH AS SILK” and “HIGH NOON”.

“SMOOTH AS SILK” features WARREN HILL, PAUL TAYLOR, NELSON RANGELL, KEVIN TONEY, CHUCK LOEB, LARRY CORYELL, JEFF GOLUB, PAUL JACKSON, JR,. JEFF RICHMAN, JULIAN CORYELL, WELTON GITE, EMMA ALEXANDRA MOUZON (DARTMOUTH 2018), PHILLIP INGRAM, LYNN DAVIS, ALEXANDRA BROWN and ALPHONSE MOUZON.

“HIGH NOON” features the late great guitarist JEFF GOLUB, KEVIN TONEY, LARRY CORYELL, WALLACE RONEY, ERNIE WATTS, BOB MINTZER, DOUG WEBB, DON MENZA, SHUNZO OHNO, WELTON GITE, JULIAN CORYELL, JEFF RICHMAN, DAREK OLESZKIEWICZ, CHARLES OWENS, EMMA ALEXANDRA MOUZON and ALPHONSE MOUZON.

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 like MILES SMILES, MILES AHEAD and Larry Coryells ELEVENTH HOUSE. ALPHONSE MOUZON is also a massage therapist (MR. MAGIC HANDS), and also teaches drums at THE ALPHONSE MOUZON INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE DRUM SCHOOL in Porter Ranch, CA. Tel: 818-368-6479. amouzon@socal.rr.com and SKYPE: alphonse_mouzon.

ALPHONSE MOUZON is also an actor and can seen 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 and played the acoustic piano melody and solo (on "Blue Spot") off camera. MOUZON'S music can be heard on the soundtrack for the 1997 film by actress TRISHA CAMPBELL called “SPRUNG”. ALPHONSE MOUZON also co-starred in the 2003 film called THE HIGHLIFE. He can also be seen in a 2004 movie with MICHAEL KEATON 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. He also acted in the 2007 feature film by actor/director ROBERT DAVI and CHAZZ PALMINTERI called THE DUKES and contributed two of his songs for the film.

ALPHONSE MOUZON produced and played on a Jazz-funk / hip-hop CD call entitled “THE MAIN ATTRACTION” by his oldest son/Rapper ALPHONSE PHILIPPE MOUZON (Lethal Weapon) that features ALPHONSE, Sr. on drums, trumpet, keyboards, bass, guitars along with his Academically gifted/Talented singer sister EMMA ALEXANDRA MOUZON, and Filipino pop singer SHARON TANYAG.

MOUZON is working on a Hip-Hop/Jazz CD in the studio with his youngest son JEAN-PIERRE ALPHONSE MOUZON. JEAN-PIERRE is a talented Producer, Composer, Rapper, and Photographer who also serves his country in the U.S. Coast Guards.

ALPHONSE is a single Christian and always has been a believer in Christ and the Almighty, Omnipotent God! ALPHONSE is a Prostate Cancer survivor who recommends that every man over 35 years old have a PSA blood test done to make sure cancer is not present. Early detection is a lifesaver! Please visit MOUZON's various websites at:

http://tenaciousrecords.com/EMMA_MOUZONS_DARTMOUTH_COLLEGE_%26_MOUZON_MUSIC_REWARDS.html

http://www.tenaciousrecords.com/Autographed-Drumssticks-Drumheads-Photos-Posters-CDs-Personal_Services.html

https://instagram.com/drummer_alphonsemouzon/

http://twitter.com/alphonsemouzon

http://www.tenaciousrecords.com/Purchase_Music.html

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/AlphonseMouzon

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/alphonse-mouzon/id16496217

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Face-Alphonse-Mouzon/dp/B004RQ3EWO/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1305270064&sr=1-2

http://alphonsemouzon.blogspot.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_Mouzon

http://www.facebook.com/alphonse.mouzon

https://www.facebook.com/groups/111876103365