Mose Allison

[jostber]

His first new album in 12 years is coming out in a month:

http://radiobrandonblog.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/the-way-of-the-world/

[GA Russell]

I'm a huge fan of Mose's, but I didn't think his last two (Mose Chronicles vol. 1 and 2) were very good.

I hope this new one is up to par.

[ghost of miles]

There's an article about him in the new Mojo (the one w/Syd Barrett on the cover), but I haven't read it yet.

[jostber]

Some more info on the album here:

http://www.anti.com/news/index/682

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=35512

[jeffcrom]

I'm not sure that there is a "main" Mose Allison thread, so I'll post this here.

I'm spinning the wonderful 1965 album Mose Alive! right now. I hadn't checked Mose's website for a while, so I checked it out and found this statement:

After 65 years of touring Mose Allison has retired from live performance. He thanks all his devoted fans for the love and support they have given him over the years.

Mose is 85 - born four days after my father, which I had never realized before. His retirement certainly makes sense. But it's the end of an era. I'm glad I got to hear him in person at least once, in Seattle in 2008.

Long live Mose Allison.

[StarThrower]

I caught Mr. Allison in 2004 performing with bassist Rich Syracuse. I couldn't believe how much energy he had at age 77. A Certified Senior Citizen!

I spent a lot of time listening to the Atlantic compilation, Allison In Wonderland.

Long live the Sage Of Tippo.

[BillF]

Saw him in the sixties at Ronnie Scott's when he looked like this; i.e. pre-Sage:

[brownie]

Saw him at the Blue Note club in Paris back in 1959. He was traveling around in a vintage Rolls-Royce which was parked outside the club.

Was a fan then, still am!

[imeanyou]

For me it has always been a case of right town, wrong time. I discovered Mose at about the same time I got seriously interested in jazz, about 25 years ago. I recall how funky and knowing Young Man's Blues sounded. Not seeing him live is a definite regret. Stay healthy Mose and thanks for the words and music.

[king ubu]

long live Mose indeed!

[kh1958]

I"ve seen him four times over the years, the first time at a small folk music club in Austin (but which had a very nice piano as I recall) in 1983, at which time I became a fan, then at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, and at Snug Harbor in New Orleans. The fourth time was at another folk club in Dallas, Poor David's Pub, which didn't have a piano, so he played electric keyboards.

Edited September 26, 2013 by kh1958

[JSngry]

Mose used to hit Poor David's regularly for years...and I never found an opening to go...figured I'd get to it the next time. Well, that one's on me. Too late now.

[Hot Ptah]

I saw Mose at the 1978 Ann Arbor Jazz Festival. The Sunday sets began about 1 in the afternoon and lasted until after midnight:

Marcus Belgrave and the II V I Orchestra (with a teenage Kenny Garrett in the sax section)

Chico Freeman

Hubert Laws

Ellington Orchestra (including the introduction of a new piece by Charles Mingus, commissioned for this festival appearance)

Mose Allison

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

I remember Mose as a highlight of the four day festival. The festival was dedicated to Duke Ellington, and illustrations of Duke were on all of the festival programs and posters. Mose began with Duke's "I Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues", which Mose had previously recorded. As most of the other festival artists did their nod to Duke with a version of "In a Sentimental Mood", this was welcome. (Another exception was Sun Ra, who presented a rousing, uptempo version of Ellington's "Lightnin'" during the Arkestra's set). Mose was excellent that night on both piano and vocals. He featured many of his songs with wise, world-weary lyrics, which seemed perfect for the near exhaustion I was feeling after four days of many great artists.

[Justin V]

I never got to see him perform. I had reservations to catch him in a club about 5 years ago. When we showed up, they had apparently overbooked and offered to let us sit with a table of strangers instead. I declined and was unable to make it the next time he came around. Now I wish that I had sat with strangers or thought to ask about sitting in a side area behind the piano that's usually empty. Here's wishing him a happy retirement.

[GA Russell]

I saw him twice around 1970 and '71 at a club in Washington called Mr. B's. I loved it!

[T.D.]

Pretty big fan, I enjoyed his music (mainly because of witty lyrics) long before I became a "jazz fan".

I saw him at a club in NYC in the late '90s (thought for a minute at Bradley's, but the dates don't match up; it was in that neighborhood). Too bad that was the only time...

[medjuck]

Saw him in the sixties at Ronnie Scott's when he looked like this; i.e. pre-Sage:

I saw him there too. IIRC he did a Jazz 625 show summer of '64.

[Rabshakeh]

I'm a long term Mode Allison sceptic, but I am prepared to change my ways. What LPs (not comps) would forum members most recommend of his?

[JSngry]

Try Hello There Universe on Atlantic. Horns and darkness aplenty. 

What are you skeptical about? If it's his Southern Ironic Hipster thing... that's just him. It never goes away, nor could it.

But he's also one helluva piano player. 

[jlhoots]

42 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

I'm a long term Mode Allison sceptic, but I am prepared to change my ways. What LPs (not comps) would forum members most recommend of his?

Back Country Suite

[JSngry]

It's not a compilation but a collection, on 32 Jazz, his first four Atlantic albums. Very substantial, imo. 

[JSngry]

Here ya' go. TV show. Plenty piano.

 

[Rabshakeh]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

What are you skeptical about? If it's his Southern Ironic Hipster thing... that's just him. It never goes away, nor could it.

That's basically it. That and the diction. I had Seven Son stuck in my head though today, so maybe it's percolating through 

Thanks, and I'll give these a try

[medjuck]

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

Try Hello There Universe on Atlantic. Horns and darkness aplenty. 

What are you skeptical about? If it's his Southern Ironic Hipster thing... that's just him. It never goes away, nor could it.

But he's also one helluva piano player. 

IIRC his first appearance on record is as a piano player with Zoot Sims/Al Cohen.  Just remembered that as well as seeing him at Ronnie Scott's in 1964 I saw him open for Van Morrison.  (Been dipping into Jann Wenner's rather self-contgratulatory autobiography and I think the only thing that  impressed me was that he and his prep school friends skipped their graduation to see Mose at the Troubadour in 1963.)

[mhatta]

The Way Of The World, his last recording, was made when he was 82 years old (and 10 years blank), but it was quite good.