Jazz Articles about Mose Allison

Mose Allison: Mose Allison Sings

by Victor Verney
September 16, 2006

At first glance, Mose Allison Sings might seem to be just another reissued jazz recording from the 1950s. Like most CDs of this ilk, it has been digitally remastered and has additional “bonus" tracks now possible without the space limitations of vinyl records.

A cynic might use the term “old wine in new bottles" to characterize many of these reissues. There are exceptions, of course, and this album is one. The most compelling reason to reexamine an old album stems ...

Mose Allison: Ramblin' with Mose

by Joel Roberts
March 17, 2006

Through a career spanning a half-century, Mose Allison has been known mostly for his bluesy hipster vocals and comical compositions like “Your Mind is on Vacation, But Your Mouth is Working Overtime. But he's also a fine bebop-flavored pianist who even spent time back in the '50s in the rhythm sections of such jazz titans as Stan Getz, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. The recently reissued Ramblin' with Mose, originally released in 1958, puts Allison's piano front ...

Mose Allison at Yoshi's

by Forrest Dylan Bryant
February 11, 2005

Is there any living jazz artist so utterly, comprehensively American as Mose Allison? His melting-pot piano style, which seamlessly combines the sounds of back country and big city; his carefree, everyman way of singing; his sly cynicism -- these are all reflections of the national character, and the basis of his five decades of popularity.Allison put both charm and chops on display for a midweek stint at Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland February 8-10, working in a trio setting. ...

Mose Allison: Substance and Style

by R.J. DeLuke
March 13, 2004

The music of Mose Allison, the slick hipster from the Mississippi delta, never fails to get at least a wry, knowing smile from listeners, if not outright laughter--on CD or live in a nightclub. Those that know his work--and that audience is growing, he says--are attracted to his simple, bluesy style as well as his witty, observational way with a lyric. He has a warm, deep tone that doesn't have a lot of range, but don't worry about ...

Mose Allison: Greatest Hits: The Prestige Collection

by AAJ Staff
January 17, 2003

From Tippo, Mississippi to the tip of jazz’s pantheon, Mose Allison has had one of the genre’s most enduring and beloved careers. Now well into his golden years, the honey and chickoree-voiced storyteller continues to reminisce about his beloved South. Among the prevalent themes on this gently sparkling collection are the infamous 12-foot cotton sack and other elements of life on the plantation (including life on the penal farm for spousal homicide). It was a different place and a different ...

Mose Allison: The Mose Chronicles: Live In London, Volume 2

by Jim Santella
February 1, 2002

“Tell me something that I don’t know,” sings Mose Allison on one of his tongue-in-cheek originals. Twelve more of his songs and several familiar standards comprise Volume 2 from his recent London appearance. Recorded just over two years ago at the Pizza Express, Allison added guitar for this set. Quirky and original, the singer/pianist carries on the tradition. Blues humor and jazz syncopation make fine companions. Who else do you know that sings about one’s molecular structure, one’s mouth that ...

Mose Allison: The Mose Chronicles - Live In London, Vol. 1

by Mark Corroto
April 1, 2001

With fifty-plus years of performance behind him, the 73 year-old Mose Allison continues to perform 125 shows per year. The Mississippi-born pianist traveled to New York in 1951, but his music has never left the Delta. His brand of blues-inflected jazz was first inspired by Louis Jordan and his piano trio has been heavily influenced by Nat Cole. Like Cole, he began as an instrumentalist but his unique vocals and lyrics created a demand for his vocal appearances. Modern pop ...