Mose Allison
Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to New York in 1956, he worked primarily in jazz settings, playing with jazz musicians like Stan Getz, Al Cohn, and Zoot Sims, along with producing numerous recordings. He is described as having been "one of the finest songwriters in 20th-century blues." His songs were strongly dependent on evoking moods, with his individualistic, "quirky", and subtle ironic humor. His writing influence on R&B had well-known fans recording his songs, among them Pete Townshend, who recorded his "Young Man Blues" for the Who's Live at Leeds album in 1970. John Mayall was one of dozens who recorded his classic, "Parchman Farm", and Georgie Fame used many of Allison's songs. Others who recorded his songs included Leon Russell ("I'm Smashed") and Bonnie Raitt ("Everybody's Cryin' Mercy"). The 1980s saw an increase in his popularity with new fans drawn to his unique blend of modern jazz. In the 1990s he began recording more consistently. Van Morrison, Georgie Fame and Ben Sidran collaborated with him on a tribute album, Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison. The Pixies wrote the song "Allison" as a tribute. Allison's music had an important influence on other artists, such as Jimi Hendrix, J. J. Cale, the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones, Tom Waits, and Pete Townshend. He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. |
Birth and Death Data: Born November 11, 1927 (Tippo), Died November 15, 2016 (Hilton Head Island)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1956 - 1957
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 101060 | 12/3/1956 | S-H-I-N-E | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101061 | 12/3/1956 | The lady is a tramp | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101062 | 12/3/1956 | So far, so good | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101063 | 12/3/1956 | A blues serenade | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101064 | 12/3/1956 | Chlo-e | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101065 | 12/4/1956 | Good spirits | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101066 | 12/4/1956 | Winter | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101067 | 12/4/1956 | Lazy man stomp | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101068 | 12/4/1956 | I should care | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101069 | 12/4/1956 | Bunny hunch | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101070 | 12/4/1956 | Ill wind | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 101071 | 12/4/1956 | Back to back | Al Cohn-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102100 | 3/26/1957 | You're a lucky guy | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102101 | 3/26/1957 | Halley's comet | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102102 | 3/26/1957 | Chasin' the blues | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102103 | 3/26/1957 | Two funky people-1 | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102104 | 3/26/1957 | The wailing boat | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102105 | 3/26/1957 | Brandy and beer | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102106 | 3/27/1957 | Gone with the wind | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102107 | 3/27/1957 | Just you, just me | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 102108 | 3/27/1957 | It's a wonderful world | Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Allison, Mose," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/301030.
Allison, Mose. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/301030.
"Allison, Mose." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Mose Allison
Discogs: Mose Allison
Allmusic: Mose Allison
Grove: Mose Allison
IMDb: Mose Allison
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Allison, Mose - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81010519
Wikidata: Mose Allison - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1382570
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/34602711
MusicBrainz: Mose Allison - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/18b76828-4b12-44c1-b8d9-ae82b22557a0
ISNI: 0000 0000 5772 9207 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000057729207
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