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 Mose AllisonŠAndrea Canter
“I been getting good crowds. It only took 50 years. But I got an audience that knows what I do. They usually show up, so I usually do pretty good.” --Mose Allison (All About Jazz) Known as "The William Faulkner of Jazz," multi-Grammy winner Mose Allison has enjoyed a long career as pianist, singer and songwriter. Beyond his reputation as an engaging and “hip” entertainer, there are few living musicians who have had such a strong influence on the development of other artists. When many other jazzers were taking the music down a more intellectual path, Allison, like Art Blakey and Horace Silver, put great emphasis on his Southern Blues and folk traditions. Still touring about 40 weeks per year at age 80, Allison has attained icon status among the blues and pop communities. As he does nearly every year, Mose Allison returns to St. Paul for a weekend at the Artists Quarter, October 3-5.
Born on his grandfather’s farm near the Mississippi Delta village of Tippo, Mose Allison taught himself to play piano by ear and at five was playing blues and boogie tunes he heard on the jukebox at the nearby gas station. He remembers writing his first song at age 12. Later he would listen to the music of the jazz greats of they day—Ellington, Armstrong, Waller, and his main source of inspiration, Nat King Cole. By high school he was also playing trumpet in dance and marching bands, as well as writing his own songs.  Mose AllisonŠAndrea Canter Over time his songwriting skills have perhaps eclipsed his reputation as a world-class pianist. A wide range of artists have covered Mose’s songs, including Van Morrison, John Mayall, The Who, The Clash, Eric Clapton, the Yardbirds, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and Curtis Stigers. Van Morrison’s tribute, Tell Me Something, The Songs of Mose Allison, was released on Verve Records, and Pete Townshend, Bonnie Raitt and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones have cited Mose as a major influence on their music. And what distinguishes Mose Allison is his talent as a lyricist, his songs full of the witty observations of a master storyteller. “There's a few tunes of mine that don't have jokes,” says Allison, “but most of them have a joke and they have a humorous point of view somewhere. You got to laugh. What else can you do?” Everyday life is his source of inspiration for lyrics. “I never sit down and write. I just sorta let things form in my brain. I'm always storing away phrases and ideas and things that I think might turn into songs.” Mose Allison’s discography is extensive. Many of his classics from the 50s and 60s have been re-released, and a new two-volume set is due from Concord/Prestige on September 25th. And the BBC has recently completed the documentary film, Mose Allison: Ever Since I Stole The Blues. "With his unorthodox, urgent sound and personalized harmonic voicings, he may remind you of Thelonious Monk, but only in the sense that he is the eternal maverick, eschewing more rules than he observes." --Washington Post Don’t miss the annual party at the Artists Quarter when the “eternal maverick” returns to give us the warmth to last through another Minnesota winter. Two shows each night on October 3-6 (8:30 and 10:30 pm on Friday and Saturday; 7:30 and 9:30 pm on Sunday), cover $20. The Artists Quarter is located at 408 St. Peter Street in downtown St. Paul, lower level of the Hamm Building. Reservations(recommended) at 651-292-1359.
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Thursday, 08 January 2009
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