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Ronny Jordan

Ronny Jordan

British guitarist who fused jazz and hip-hop, turning a Miles Davis cover into an acid jazz anthem.

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British guitarist who fused jazz and hip-hop, turning a Miles Davis cover into an acid jazz anthem.

MOODS · smooth · soulful · jazzy · groovy · mellow · sophisticated · late-night · nostalgic · funky · reflective · warm · cool

BIOGRAPHY

Ronny Jordan (born Robert Laurence Albert Simpson, 1962, London) was a self-taught guitarist raised on gospel as the son of a preacher, who began playing at four and performing live by fifteen. Drawing on Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green, he adopted the name Jordan in tribute to Michael Jordan and became a central figure in the acid jazz movement, fusing jazz guitar with hip-hop rhythms. His 1992 debut Antidote and a widely noted cover of Miles Davis's 'So What' established him, and his guitar work featured prominently on Guru's 1993 Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1. He followed with Quiet Revolution, Light to Dark and A Brighter Day, the latter earning a Grammy nomination, while his track 'The Jackal' was used in an episode of The West Wing. He won the MOBO Best Jazz Act Award and the Gibson Guitar Best Jazz Guitarist Award before his death in 2014.

WHY THEY'RE COOL

Ronny Jordan helped define acid jazz by bridging jazz guitar tradition with hip-hop, turning Miles Davis's 'So What' into a crossover hit and anchoring Guru's genre-defining Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1. His playing drew on Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green, and earned him the MOBO Best Jazz Act Award and a Gibson Guitar Best Jazz Guitarist Award, plus a Grammy nomination for A Brighter Day.

GEORGE'S PLAYS

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