I did not know much about Russell Malone, but read that he died suddenly of a heart attack on August 23 while on tour in Tokyo with Ron Carter and Donald Vega. He was 60 years old.
After doing a little research, I discovered that he was quite the player. He toured with Jimmy Smith, Harry Connick, Jr, Diana Krall, and others.
To get a feeling for what a talent he was, check out this video of him with Diana Krall:
He said he was influenced by B.B. King, Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino. I've put together this show to highlight his solo playing, as well as his collaborations with other artists. The last two songs are the trio that was touring in Japan when he died. The jazz world lost another great one...
Here's the playlist:
