June 2003 Feature Story

Mose Allison and Olu Dara

6/10 thru 6/15 (Olu Dara opens) @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle, see
calendar for times

by Marisa Bell

Mose Allison was born in the Mississippi Delta. At age 5, he discovered that he could play the piano “by ear” and began “picking’ out” blues and boogie tunes that he heard on the jukebox. In high school, he listened to the music of Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, and his prime inspiration, Nat “King” Cole. He played trumpet in the marching and dance bands and started writing his own songs.

Working in nightclubs throughout the Southeast and West, Allison blended the raw blues of his childhood with the more modern influences of John Lewis and Thelonius Monk. His vocal style was influenced by blues singers Percy Mayfield and Charles Brown. In 1957, Mose secured his first recording contract with Prestige Records, recording Back Country Suite, a collection of pieces that evoke the Mississippi Delta, which was released to much critical acclaim. Mose went on to play and record with jazz greats Stan Getz, Al Cohn, and Gerry Mulligan, as well as with his own Mose Allison Trio.

Mose continued to work with his own trio, writing and singing his own songs. His songs are a fusion of rustic blues and jazz, embellished with insightful and often humorous lyrics. While Mose admires jazz piano masters, he was also greatly inspired by composers such as Bartok and Ives. The fusion of these diverse musical genres is the foundation of Allison’s performances today. Recently, Mose’s unique style was praised in London’s Time Out magazine: “His piano style is notable for its strange mixture of classical-influenced sophistication and blues-based intimacy, and there’s still none like him with a lyric.” Mose still writes and performs all over the world. His songs have been covered by artists such as Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, The Who, John Mayall, The Yardbirds, Elvis Costello, and Bonnie Raitt to name just a few. Artists like Pete Townsend, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Davies, and Bill Wyman frequently cite Mose Allison as a major influence. Olu Dara opens, solo--an intriguing pair for the week.

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