Russell Ferrante

Russell Ferrante ( born January 18, 1952 in San Jose, California) is an American keyboardist of the fusion jazz, which has become particularly well known as a leader of the Yellow Jackets.

Life and work

Russell Ferrante had from the age of nine and began piano lessons as a singer and pianist in the church choir his father. Then he played in R & B bands and was then a member of the group of Robben Ford, who was the companion of Jimmy Witherspoon 1973-1975. He was then for three years in San Francisco, and then in 1978 to play with Robben Ford together with bassist Jimmy Haslip again. 1980 went out this band the Yellowjackets, first with drummer Ricky Lawson, and laid out a year later before a first album. In 1982, the band broke up and Ferrante worked for Joni Mitchell. After a Grammy nomination, the Yellow Jackets were formed in 1984 around him again. Ferrante also worked on recordings by Sadao Watanabe, Bob Malach, Bobby McFerrin, Eric Marienthal, Lee Ritenour, Marilyn Scott, Take 6, Leni Stern, Chuck Loeb, Dave Samuels, the GRP Big Band, Carl Anderson and Peter O'Mara with; He also worked with Ernie Watts.

Ferrante belongs to the faculty of the University of Southern California and also runs workshops elsewhere.

Lexigraphic entries

• Martin Kunzler, Jazz Encyclopedia Vol 1 Reinbek 2002; ISBN 3-499-16512-0