Harold Mabern

 ( American Jazz Pianists ) 

Among other musicians Mabern played with from this period were Milt Jackson in 1977,Ford, Robert (March 26, 1977) "Talent in Action" Billboard. and Billy Harper for a tour of Japan in the same year.Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestly, Brian (1995) Jazz: The Rough Guide. p. 398. The Rough Guides. Four years later, Mabern toured Europe with George Coleman, and played with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson.Wilson, John S. (August 08, 1981) "Jazz 4: Eddie Vinson" The New York Times. p. 28. The following year, Mabern played with James Moody.Stokes, W. Royal (May 15, 1982) "Moody's Sizzling Saxophone & Flute". The Washington Post. There were also performances and recordings with innumerable other musicians, both as leader and sideman. Mabern also worked with two piano-based groups: the Piano Choir, formed and led by Stanley Cowell from the early 1970s and featuring at least six pianists/keyboardists, and the four-player Contemporary Piano Ensemble, the latter being formed in the early 1990s to pay tribute to Phineas Newborn Jr. and touring extensively, including at the Montreal (1991) and Monterey Jazz Festivals (1996). Contemporary Piano Ensemble". AllMusic.

Mabern had a career resurgence after his album Straight Street was a success in Japan in 1989. He visited Japan in 1990 as a member of a ten-pianist group that toured together but played and recorded separately. "100 Gold Fingers: Piano Playhouse 1990". AllMusic. In the mid-1990s, Mabern toured with and led a trio of bassist Erik Applegate and drummer Ed Thigpen. In later years, he recorded extensively with his former William Paterson University student, the tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. All About Jazz: Harold Mabern and Eric Alexander: The Art of Duo (May 4, 2005). In 2010, Mabern received the Don Redman Heritage Award.Arnold, Tiffany (June 24, 2010) "Jazz Giants to Be Recognized at Don Redman Heritage Awards & Concert". herald-mail.com

Mabern's repute in Japan was reflected in his signing by the Japanese label Venus Records, which resulted in six albums from 2002; Mabern stated in 2004 that his 2002 recording for Venus, Kiss of Fire, featuring Alexander as a guest, was his best seller. A longtime faculty member at William Paterson University (from 1981),Ross, Jon (October 2012) "William Paterson University: 40 Years of Trailblazing Jazz Education". Down Beat. p. 134. Mabern was a frequent instructor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Mabern's stated piano preference was "naturally the Steinway D, but if you can't get a D, any Steinway".

In 2015, Mabern released Afro Blue, "the first of Mabern's two dozen leader dates to showcase the context in which he worked frequently during the 1960s: accompanying vocalists".Panken, Ted (July 2015) "A Million Dollars' Worth of Experience". Down Beat. "Mabern played in Britain ... in 2017 and 2018 with a quartet featuring Alexander, and finally for two evenings with his trio at Ronnie Scott's club in May 2019." Mabern, who was a regular at Smoke (jazz club) recorded his final four albums on the club's label Smoke Sessions.

Mabern died of a heart attack in New Jersey on 17 September 2019.