Geri Allen

One of the unique and most creative voices of her generation of musicians, pianist Geri Allen will be on stage at Birdland in Manhattan, backed by the formidable cast of all-star Ravi Coltrane (sax), young Rashean Carter (bass), and the legendary Jimmy Cobb (drums).

A product of the great jazz tradition of Detroit, Geri Allen studied with Marcus Belgrave, earned a degree in jazz studies at Howard University in Washington, DC (where she met husband, trumpeter Wallace Roney), a master’s degree in ethnomusicology at the University of Pittsburgh, and studied jazz piano in New York with the great Kenny Barron. In the 1980s she was a member of the M-Base Collective; in the early 90s she worked with Ornette Coleman. She has since released a series of acclaimed recordings as leader (including 2004’s Life of a Song with Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, Zodiac Suite Revisited with the Mary Lou Williams Collective, and Timeless Portraits and Dreams) while teaching at Howard University. In 1996 she became the first woman to be awarded the Jazzpar Prize in Denmark, the only international jazz award. As a composer she has received numerous awards and commissions, including the recent “For the Healing of Nations,” commissioned by the Walt Whitman Arts Center and Meet The Composer, a sacred jazz work composed in tribute to the victims and survivors of the 9/11 tragedy that premiered on September 10, 2006.

Ravi Coltrane

Geri Allen has a knack for bringing talented young bassists into her ensembles, from Darryl Hall to Kenny Davis and now Rashean Carter.

Drummer Jimmy Cobb’s resume is epic, covering the great bands of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and more. He appeared on Kind of Blue and a long list of Miles’ greatest recordings. His early career included stints with Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Pearl Bailey, Clark Terry, and Dizzy Gillespie. Through the past few decades he has held the drum chair for such artists as Sonny Stitt, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Freddie Hubbard, George Coleman and more; and into the 21^st century, he leads his own Cobb’s Mob as well as continuing to record and tour internationally.

The Geri Allen Quartet takes the stage at Birdland at 315 W. 44^th Street, May 23-27; sets at 9 and 11 pm. Reservations at www.birdlandjazz.com

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