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Geri Allen


jazzbo

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Okay, I've been listening to a lot of pianists lately (I was thinking it has something to do with the possibility of having a Stienway grand in my home that is impending, but no, it precedes that). . . . And one of them is Geri Allen, who was another amazing player I had not paid enough attention to for years now.

Geri has such imagination and such "ears"! And she has created an impressive body of work.

I've been playing over and over lately (something I don't normally do) the Jazzpar 98 "Some Aspects of Water" cd on Storyville, a wonderful cd that has great trio, quartet and nonet performances in killer sound! And I keep coming back to "Twenty One" with Ron Carter and Tony Williams. . .a work that had to grow on me, but now needs to be surgically removed!

Like Renee Rosnes, another beautiful player with a tremendous touch and control, great writing and arranging skills, and great leadership abilities. Don't make my mistake and overlook her works.

geri2.JPG

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I really liked Allen's early 90s recordings but was very disappointed with 'The Gathering' which seemed muddy and confused (both in concept and sonically).

I've got the new Andy Bey winging its way across to me at present on which she plays. I'm looking forward to hearing her again. She seems to have taken a low profile of late.

The one time I saw her live was with Betty Carter at the concert that made the 'Feed the Fire' album. Excellent with Holland and De Johnette. Apparently she wasn''t well but you'd not have known it.

Edited by Bev Stapleton
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Twenty One has to be one of the grandest debut albums ever released. And the fact that she more than holds her own against such imposing figures as Carter and Williams belies her tender age! Yes, I do need to check out some of her other work!

It was not her debut. She recorded five or six recordings as a leader before this one, not to mention the great stuff in the trio with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian.

Allen is a favorite of mine. She is overdue for a new document as a leader.

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It was not her debut. She recorded five or six recordings as a leader before this one, not to mention the great stuff in the trio with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian.

Allen is a favorite of mine. She is overdue for a new document as a leader.

Oh wow, I didn't know that! But it's still a great album nonetheless! :tup

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I'm a big Allen fan, too - to me the Haden and Motian trio date from the Vanguard is one of the finest piano trio recordings in jazz history. That good - simply unbelievable, right up there with the best of Bill Evans' trios, but with its own sound and vibe.

I like the playing on TWENTY ONE fine, but feel it's one of those "I'm Tony Williams, Godlike drummer, so crank me up in the mix" dates where it just throws off the whole balance for me...just because you're a genius doesn't mean you should drown everyone else out! :D

Edited by DrJ
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No argument here. But I first saw her in a segment of the Altman film about Kansas City. That segment is available as a video tape and probably now as a DVD. Whatever its maybe the best piece of video on jazz I've ever seen save for the one Whitney Balliett did early on with Billie Holiday and some of the best players of the day.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Another great trio recording by Geri Allen is *Segments*, with Haden & Motian.

During the 80's they collaborated frequently and this reissue is one of the results of their collaboration. A very impressive performance of *La Pasionaria* that you all know from the LMO recordings (The Ballad of the Fallen). If you consider yourself as Geri's fans you must listen to it.

Edited by B. Goren.
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One more thumb up for Geri Allen. As seems to happen from time to time, I'll get high centered on a particular artist for several weeks and try to accumulate as much of their recorded output as I can over the course of my "infatuation". In Allen's case, I was able to obtain all her Blue Note recordings which I find in a word, "enlightening". Highly recommeded.

Up over and out.

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