Robert Lawrence Albert Simpson, known as Ronny Jordan (29 November 1962 – 13 January 2014) was a British guitarist at the forefront of the acid jazz movement at the end of the twentieth century. Jordan described his music as “urban jazz,” a blend of jazz, hip-hop, and R&B.
He came to prominence after being featured on Guru’s Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1, which saw release in 1993. He was also one of the artists whose recordings are featured on Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool—a compilation album released in 1994 to benefit the Red Hot Organization.
Following the release of 1992’s The Antidote, recordings from Jordan have been a mainstay on a variety of Billboard charts. He was also the recipient of many awards, including The MOBO Best Jazz Act Award as well as Gibson Guitar Best Jazz Guitarist Award. His 2000 release, A Brighter Day, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
Jordan’s song “The Jackal” (from his 1993 album The Quiet Revolution) gained prominence when actress Allison Janney in the role of C. J. Cregg lip-synched it in the episode “Six Meetings Before Lunch” of The West Wing. She also did so on Arsenio Hall’s show in September, 2013.
Jordan died on January 13, 2014.
Discography:
Solo albums
- The Antidote (1992)
- The Quiet Revolution (1993)
- Light to Dark (1996)
- A Brighter Day (2000)
- Off the Record (2001)
- At Last (2003)
- After 8 (2004)
- The Rough and the Smooth (2009)
- Straight-Up Street (2012)
Contributor
Guru’s Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (1993)
Bad Brothers Remix EP with DJ Krush (1994)
Ronny Jordan Collection (2002)
Huge in Japan / “The Sound of my people” / Dario Boente & Huge in Japan Feat. Ronny Jordan (2006)
Also here is an older recording made of the song After Hours by Ronny Jordan, his gear was an Henri Oiseau ES176 jazz guitar and Fender Deville 212 amp.
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