Results for "Mose Allison"
About Mose Allison
Instrument: Piano and vocals
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Mose Allison
Born:
Mose Allison was born in the Mississippi Delta on his grandfathers farm near the village of Tippo. At five he discovered he could play the piano by ear and began picking out blues and boogie tunes he heard on the local jukebox. In high school he listened to the music of Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, and his prime inspiration, Nat Cole of the King Cole Trio. He played trumpet in the marching and dance bands and started writing his own songs.
After a year at the University of Mississippi, he went to the Army in l946, playing in the Army Band in Colorado Springs and performing with accomplished musicians from around the country in small groups at NCO and Officers clubs. Returning to Ole Miss he joined the dance band as arranger, piano and trumpet player, but shortly left to form his own trio, playing piano and singing in a style heavily influenced by Nat Cole, Louis Jordan and Erroll Garner. After a year on the road, Mose married, returned to college at Louisiana State University and graduated in 1952 with a BA in English and Philosophy.
He worked in nightclubs throughout the Southeast and West, blending the raw blues of his childhood with modern pianistic influences of John Lewis, Thelonius Monk and Al Haig. His vocal style was influenced by blues singers Percy Mayfield and Charles Brown. Arriving in New York in 1956, Mose received encouragement, work and a record date from Al Cohn. In 1957 he secured his own first recording contract with Prestige Records, recording Back Country Suite, a collection of pieces evoking the Mississippi Delta, released to unanimous critical acclaim. Mose went on to play and record with jazz greats Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan as well as with his own Mose Allison Trio.
Mose continued working with his own trio, writing and singing his own songs. His songs are a fusion of rustic blues and jazz, embellished with profound and often humorous lyrics. As a pianist, while admiring jazz masters Bud Powell and Lenny Tristano, he also learned from composers such as Bartok, Ives, Hindemith and Ruggles. The fusing of these diverse elements into a cohesive performance continues today. A biography, One Mans Blues: The Life and Music of Mose Allison, written by Patti Jones, was published in 1995 by Quartet Books Ltd. Of London.
Mose continues to write and perform all over the world. His songs have been covered by Van Morrison, John Mayall, The Who, The Clash, Eric Clapton, the Yardbirds, Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt to name a few. Van Morrison recorded a tribute album, Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison, on Verve Records, and rockers like Pete Townshend, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Davies and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones have frequently cited Mose Allison as a major influence.
His most recent Grammy nomination was for one of his two newest recordings, Mose Chronicles, Live in London, Vol. I on Blue Note Records. Mose Chronicles, Vol II was just released last year. Also, British born Director Paul Barnays has produced a one hour documentary on Mose, entitled Mose Allison; Ever Since I Stole the Blues, for the BBC4 in the UK. Among recent releases are a dozen reissues on CD including Allison Wonderland and a double CD retrospective on Rhino, and High Jinks, a three CD package on Legacy. Blue Note has also re-released a collection of past recordings, Mose Allison, Jazz Profiles. His music has often been used in movies, and he can be seen performing in the recently released movie, The Score, starring Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando.
Mose resides on Long Island with his wife Audre where they raised four children: Alissa, an attorney, John, a telecommunication specialist, Janine, a psychiatrist, and Amy Allison, also a successful and respected singer songwriter in New York with her own group.
As one writer recently said: Mose is now at the peak of his performing career. Although maybe this last statement is not quite true as he seems to continue to improve on perfection.
Pianists and More Pianists
by Jerome Wilson
This episode features pianists from many corners of the jazz world as soloists and bandleaders. The players heard include Vijay Iyer, Jaki Byard, Duke Ellington, Lafayette Gilchrist, and Martin Bejerano. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) ...
A Life In Music
by Wulf Muller
The following is an excerpt from the Chapter “1996," from Wulf Müllers illustrated chronicle A Life In Music (Amazon Direct Publishing, 2022) Dee Dee Bridgewater performed three sold out nights at the glamorous and legendary Paris venue L'Olympia, with new signing to Verve France, singer Jeffery Smith, opening for her. Dee Dee's show ...
Mose Allison: Live 1978
There are plenty of post-war jazz songwriter-pianists who work overtime to be with-it. Some come off as Beat poets and cool daddy-o's while others strain to be clever phrase-turners and honky-tonk players. For me, there are only two truly hip originals—Thelonious Monk and Mose Allison. Monk and Mose each had a distinct sound that was both ...
Live 1978
By Mose Allison
Label: Liberation Hall
Released: 2022
Track listing: Lost Mind; Wildman on the Loose; Your Molecular Structure; It Feels So Good; Swingin' Machine; You Can Count on Me to My Part; I Live the Life I Love; If You're Going Up to the City; Hey Good Lookin'; Meet Me at No Special Place; Seventh Son; Your Mind Is on Vacation; Wildman/Show Closer.
Jazz Documentary 'In The Zone: Rick Kilburn' 12x Award-Winner from Canada to South Korea
Humbled and honoured to finally announce her short film results, first-time short documentary film director Kerilie McDowall was surprised to discover that she had won an award for Best Director from the Seoul Short Film Festival in South Korea for her short film, In the Zone: Rick Kilburn. Later the short’s star, Rick Kilburn, on IMDB ...
Record Store Day Black Friday 2022 - Jazz Releases
by Kyle Simpler
Black Friday is a term that has different meanings depending on the context. For some music lovers, it might bring up the Steely Dan song from the 1975 album Katy Lied (ABC). For other music lovers, however, Black Friday is significant because it means there is another Record Store Day event. Originally established to ...
A World of Piano
by Jerome Wilson
This is two hours of piano played by icons including Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor, overlooked figures Hasaan Ibn Ali and Horace Tapscott, and current stars Brad Mehldau and Fred Hersch. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air ...
Jazz Meets Folk, Folk Meets Jazz
by Jerome Wilson
This show looks at some of the many cross-pollinations between jazz and folk music. There are jazz musicians like Dave Brubeck and Dave Douglas dabbling in folk forms and folk musicians like Pentangle and Dave Van Ronk exercising their jazz chops. There are also pieces based on folk musics outside of the usual Anglo-American axis.
Bill Goodwin: Not Less Than Everything
by Victor L. Schermer
Bill Goodwin is like a breath of fresh air blowing through jazz. From the time around 1954 when he was in jny: Los Angeles and just learning the drums, and inspired by Shelly Manne, to today, around his 80th birthday, he has loved jazz and the musicians unconditionally. He has befriended and worked with so many ...
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