Home » Jazz Musicians » Geri Allen

Geri Allen

Pianist, composer, Guggenheim Fellow, and educator Geri Allen died on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 from complications of cancer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She had recently celebrated her 60th birthday.

Hailed as one of the most accomplished pianists and educators of her time, Allen's most recent position was as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. She was especially proud of performing with renowned pianist McCoy Tyner for the last two years, and was also part of two recent groundbreaking trios: ACS (Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Esperanza Spalding) and the MAC Power Trio with David Murray and Carrington — their debut recording Perfection was released on Motéma Music in 2016 to critical acclaim.

"The jazz community will never be the same with the loss of one of our geniuses, Geri Allen. Her virtuosity and musicality are unparalleled," expressed Carrington upon learning of her passing. "I will miss my sister and friend, but I am thankful for all of the music she made and all of the incredible experiences we had together for over 35 years. She is a true original — a one of kind — never to be forgotten. My heart mourns, but my spirit is filled with the gift of having known and learned from Geri Allen."

She was the first woman and youngest person to receive the Danish Jazz Par Prize, and was the first recipient of the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Jazz. In 2011, she was nominated for an NAACP Award for Timeline, her Tap Quartet project. Over the last few years, Allen served as the program director of NJPAC's All-Female Jazz Residency, which offered a weeklong one-of-a-kind opportunity for young women, ages 14-25, to study jazz.

Allen was also recently honored to be one of the producers of the expanded and re- mastered recording of Erroll Garner's The Complete Concert by the Sea, which garnered her an Essence Image Award nomination as well as a GRAMMY® Award- nomination in 2016. She felt strongly that students should have access to this material, and went on to organize a 60th anniversary performance of the material at the 2015 Monterey Jazz Festival with Jason Moran and Christian Sands.

Having grown up in Detroit, a region known for its rich musical history, Allen's affinity for jazz stemmed from her father's passion for the music. She began taking lessons at 7-years-old, and started her early music education under the mentorship of trumpeter Marcus Belgrave at the Cass Technical High School. In 1979, she was one of the first to graduate from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in jazz studies. It was there that she began to embrace music from all cultures that would ultimately influence her work. During that time, she studied with the great Kenny Barron in New York City.

Read more

Tags

1
Radio & Podcasts

Geri Allen, Kronos Quartet, and Ahmad Jamal.

Read "Geri Allen, Kronos Quartet, and Ahmad Jamal." reviewed by Jerome Wilson


This episode features a wide array of duets, tributes, and curiosities from jazz's past and present. Musicians heard include Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel, the Kronos Quartet, Nate Wooley, and Ahmad Jamal. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Iro Haarla “Doxa" from Vespers (ECM) 00:51 Santi Debriano & Arkestra Bembe “Ashanti" from Ashanti (Jojo) 5:19 Host Speaks 13:41 Stephan ...

5
Radio & Podcasts

New releases from Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel, Isle of Klezbos With Holiday Recordings By George Gee, Liam Forde, Laila Biali, Julie Benko & More

Read "New releases from Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel, Isle of Klezbos With Holiday Recordings By George Gee, Liam Forde, Laila Biali, Julie Benko & More" reviewed by Mary Foster Conklin


This broadcast includes new releases by Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tom Ricci, Isle Of Klezbos and Jelena Jovovic, with holiday recordings from the George Gee Swing Orchestra, Liam Forde, Laila Biali and Julie Benko, plus birthday shoutouts to Dave Brubeck, Cory Weeds, Diane Schuur, Jihee Heo, Cassandra Wilson and Amanda Tosoff, among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by seeing them live and online. Purchase their music so they can continue to distract, comfort, ...

5
Album Review

Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel: A Lovesome Thing

Read "A Lovesome Thing" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


At Philharmonie de Paris on September 5, 2012, pianist Geri Allen and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel delivered the mesmerizing performance preserved on this album. Geri Allen is known for her innovative perspective on the piano. Kurt Rosenwinkel has a distinctive approach to the guitar. They seamlessly blend their craft to approach a thoughtful selection of standards and original compositions. Billy Strayhorn's “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing" opens. With its lush harmonies and soulful melodies, the piece serves ...

15
Album Review

Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel: A Lovesome Thing

Read "A Lovesome Thing" reviewed by Neil Duggan


Geri Allen and Kurt Rosenwinkel had a duo date as part of the Jazz à la Villette festival in Paris in 2012. They flew in on the night from separate cities to play for a packed audience. They had only played together a couple of times and this concert was the first and only time they played in a duo together. There was no rehearsal. Perhaps surprisingly, this was an evening when the stars aligned and the night was a ...

16
Album Review

Geri Allen and Kurt Rosenwinkel: A Lovesome Thing

Read "A Lovesome Thing" reviewed by Dave Linn


This year the jazz gods have bestowed an early Christmas present upon us. A Lovesome Thing (truncated from the Billy Strayhorn composition which opens the album), is a seven-song, fifty-three-minute album which documents a remarkable live duo performance from Geri Allen and Kurt Rosenwinkel. It will likely be found on many Top Ten lists this year. By 2012, Geri Allen was a pianist in demand by the elite of jazz. Artists such as Ornette Coleman, Tony Williams, Charlie ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

Geri's Dance - The Geri Allen Songbook, Part 2

Read "Geri's Dance - The Geri Allen Songbook, Part 2" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


Welcome to the second part of this week's edition of Mondo Jazz dedicated to the one and only Geri Allen (click here for Part 1), the monumental pianist who would have turned 65 this year, and has left a body of work that will continue to play a fundamental influence on generations of musicians. Her unique synthesis of influences comes across through a beautiful songbook which we'll explore through her original interpretations and those of her peers. Happy ...

7
Radio & Podcasts

Geri's Dance - The Geri Allen Songbook, Part 1

Read "Geri's Dance - The Geri Allen Songbook, Part 1" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


This week we celebrate the work of pianist Geri Allen whose contribution to the jazz world was cut short too early. The fruits of her legacy, however, have already been evident for some time. There are so many among today's pianists who are in their late 40s, from Jason Moran to Ethan Iverson, from Vijay Iyer to Aruan Ortiz or David Virelles, in whose piano playing one can feel the influence of the Pontiac native. And when you hear today's ...

Read more articles
2

Education

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center Opens Registration For The Annual Geri Allen Jazz Summer Camp Led By Regina Carter

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center Opens Registration For The Annual Geri Allen Jazz Summer Camp Led By Regina Carter

Source: AMT Public Relations

Four workshops take place July 11 & 14 and August 18 & 22 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. EST. How: Via Zoom (link provided upon registration) Students ages 14-26 who identify as female or non-binary Register: $200 per workshop or $600 for all four workshops. Registration is required and financial aid is available. Registration closes July 11. For more information, visit NJPAC.org or call 973.353.7058. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the state’s anchor cultural institution, today announced that its seventh ...

1

Festival

Pianist will be remembered at Newport

Pianist will be remembered at Newport

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes

Suffice it to say, Geri Allen will be there in spirit. The pianist had been scheduled to perform at this year's Newport Jazz Festival on Saturday, August 5 in the all-star, all-woman trio that has featured her with bassist Esparanza Spalding and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. That changed late last month when Allen succumbed to cancer. Under the new plan, Allen will be honored with a one-set performance being called Flying Towards the Sound: For Geri, With Love. Carrington and ...

1

Obituary

Geri Allen (1957-2017)

Geri Allen (1957-2017)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Geri Allen, a jazz pianist and composer with a deeply personal approach to standards and original works who explored a lyrical and tender side of the avant-garde, died on June 27 of cancer. She was 60. Early in her career in the 1980s, Geri recorded extensively with saxophonist Oliver Lake and with bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian. Into the 1990s and beyond, Geri seemed to add more and more earthiness and soul to her explorations than many avant-garde ...

1

Obituary

Geri Allen Gone At 60

Geri Allen Gone At 60

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

Geri Allen died today of cancer. She was 60. Ms. Allen was a pianist of uncommon technical achievement and fluency and inspired a generation of younger pianists. Recently a resident of Pittsburgh, Ms. Allen grew up in jny: Detroit, where she began piano lessons at age seven. While at Cass Technical High School she studied with the trumpeter and Detroit jazz mentor Marcus Belgrave. One of her early trios included bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Andrew Cyrille. In the course ...

1

Education

NJPAC and Montclair State University Launch New All-Female Jazz Education Residency for Summer 2014

NJPAC and Montclair State University Launch New All-Female Jazz Education Residency for Summer 2014

Source: Christine Saunders

Grammy-Nominated New Jersey Pianist Geri Allen to Serve as Artistic Director New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in collaboration with Montclair State University will offer a new, All-Female Jazz Residency as part of NJPAC’s arts education offerings. The residency will be led by Grammy-nominated New Jersey pianist Geri Allen, who will serve as the program’s artistic director. Held on the campus of Montclair State University, the residency is a weeklong, program for students ages 14-22 from around the country. The ...

28

Performance / Tour

Jammin' at the Gem Concert Series features Double Bill - Geri Allen Trio and Tierney Sutton Band on Saturday, March 24, 2012

Jammin' at the Gem Concert Series features Double Bill - Geri Allen Trio and Tierney Sutton Band on Saturday, March 24, 2012

Source: Artists Recording Collective, LLC

The next installment in the prestigious Jammin' at the Gem concert series bring emphasis to Women's History Month by celebrating “Women In Jazz" with a double bill of master musicians, Geri Allen and Tierney Sutton. Geri Allen is an internationally known composer and pianist. Since 1982, she has recorded, performed or collaborated with artists as diverse as Ravi Coltrane, Dianne Reeves, Liz Wright, and Simone, in a celebration of the life and music of Nina Simone, Donald Walden, Farah Jasmine ...

45

Interview

Interview: Geri Allen (Part 3)

Interview: Geri Allen (Part 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

If you were to guess what pianist Geri Allen is like to talk to on the phone based solely on her music, you might say, “stormy," “short on patience" and “booming." Actually, the opposite is true on all counts. Geri is gentle, patient and embracing. In conversation, you hear the lyrical voice of a kind, caring person—which may seem in stark contrast with the powerful, energetic and domineering artist you hear on disc. [Photo by Alan Jackman] Geri will be ...

37

Interview

Interview: Geri Allen (Part 2)

Interview: Geri Allen (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Pianist Geri Allen loves drama. Whenever she opens a song, she sets the mood with dynamic intrigue. Whether the song is an original ballad like Flying Toward the Sound or the churning Soul Heir, Geri splashes the ear with sparkling beauty—instinctively knowing that to win audiences' hearts, you have to engage their ears fast with colorful surprises. Even on Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life, you sense the curtain going up on both the familiar and the new, which she follows with ...

35

Interview

Interview: Geri Allen (Part 1)

Interview: Geri Allen (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Too many jazz fans are unfamiliar with pianist Geri Allen. Though not yet a household name, Geri will be soon. Her recordings and live performances make her one of jazz's most vibrant and dynamic musicians. Geri has been categorized as avant-garde, but that term seems ironically passe. Geri's free approach and warmth transcends “avant-garde," placing her at the front of a group of musicians today who are forging a new jazz style. I call it the jazz-feelings movement. Last week Geri ...

77

Recording

Geri Allen - A Child is Born (2011)

Geri Allen - A Child is Born (2011)

Source: Something Else!

Whereas Geri Allen's solo piano debut for Motema, 2010's Flying Toward the Sound, focused on musical inspirations Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and Cecil Taylor, the follow up travels in more personal circles. A Child Is Born, featuring both traditional and original Christmas music, focuses on the intimacies of family, of faith and of caring. Allen, who serves as an associate professor of jazz and contemporary improvisation at the University of Michigan when she's not touring, dedicates this new project to ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

A Lovesome Thing

Motéma Music
2023

buy

Cerebral Caverns

Postcards
2021

buy

Grand River Crossings

Motéma Music
2013

buy

A Child Is Born

Motéma Music
2011

buy

Live

Motéma Music
2010

buy

Flying Toward The...

Motéma Music
2010

buy

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.