Geri AllenGeri Allen is an internationally known composer and pianist. Since 1982, she has recorded, performed or collaborated with artists as diverse as Ravi Coltrane, Donald Walden, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Bill Cosby, Sir Simon Rattle, Vernon Reid, JoAnne Akalaitis, Clark Terry, Carrie Mae Weems, Ron Carter and Tony Williams, Carmen Lundy, Lester Bowie's From the Root To The Source, Mino Cinelu, Dr. Billy Taylor, Joan Rivers, and Mary Wilson and the Supremes. [geriallen.com]
She has released a number of major recordings under her own name - Twenty One, Eyes in the Back Of Your Head, Maroons, The Gathering, Timeless Portraits and Dreams, et al. Her discography is near the bottom of this blog post.
Ms. Allen has also been the recipient of numerous recent honors, including but not limited to the Keys to the City of Detroit and the City of Cleveland, the Benny Golson Award from Howard University, and the African American Classical Music Award from Spelman College. Ms. Allen also distinguished herself as the first woman and youngest person to win the Danish Jazzpar Prize. [allaboutjazz.com]
In the following video, Geri Allen accompanies vocalist Betty Carter on "Giant Steps".
Geri Allen Tour Schedule
Sept 18 Friends of Santa Fe Jazz with Don Byron, Oliver Lake, Jeff Watts [Sante Fe, NM]
Sept 19 Albuquerque Performance Hall with Don Byron, Oliver Lake, Jeff Watts [Albuquerque, NM]
Sept 21 Jazz Alley with Don Byron, Oliver Lake, Jeff Watts [Seattle, WA]
Sept 22 Jazz Alley with Don Byron, Oliver Lake, Jeff Watts [Seattle, WA]
Sept 24 Yoshi's with Don Byron, Oliver Lake, Jeff Watts [Oakland, CA]
Sept 25 Yoshi's with Don Byron, Oliver Lake, Jeff Watts [Oakland, CA]
Sept 26 Yoshi's with Don Byron, Oliver Lake, Jeff Watts [Oakland, CA]
Sept 30 Mary Lou Williams Centennial Celebration [Madison, WI]
Oct 1 Mary Lou Williams Centennial Celebration [Madison, WI]
Oct 2 Mary Lou Williams Centennial Celebration [Madison, WI]
Oct 3 Mary Lou Williams Centennial Celebration [Madison, WI]
Oct 23 The Kennedy Center with Patrice Rushen & special guest Terri Lyne Carrington [Washington, DC]
Nov 11 Torino, Italy
Nov 12 C-Mine Jazz Festival [Genk, Belgium]
Nov 13 Museo Picasso Malaga [Malaga, Spain]
Nov 14 Culty Art [Madrid, Spain]
Nov 15 Centre Culturel Opderschmelz CCRD [Dudelange, Luxemburg]
Nov 16 London, UK
Nov 17 Zurich, Switzerland
Nov 18 London Jazz Festival [London, UK]
Nov 19 Geneva, Switzerland
Nov 20 Associazione Culturalr Centro Jazz Torino [Torino, Italy]
Dec 4 Kimmel Center with the Geri Allen Timeline Band [Philadelphia, PA]
Discography
Okay!! Who has seen her perform live? Which one of her albums is your favorite and why? Do tell... 