Jazz Piano Icon Mose Allison brings one-of-a-kind sound to ECC Arts Center Saturday, November 3

ELGIN, IL – The ECC Arts Center presents jazz piano icon Mose Allison Saturday, Nov.3 at 7:30 p.m. on the campus of Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive. In this one night showcase, taking place just one week shy of his 85th birthday, Allison will share his singular musical style and profound lyric wit that have made him a legend among musicians and fans alike. Allison will be honored as a “Jazz Master” this coming January at Lincoln Center by the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

Mose Allison‘s fan club includes a diverse range of well-known musicians including The Who’s Peter Townshend, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, The Clash and Bonnie Raitt who has been quoted as saying, “I don’t know any musicians who don’t love Mose Allison…, his appeal cuts across all musical boundaries. In the over twenty years I’ve been going to see him live, he’s blown me away every time.”

 

Mose Allison‘s songs are a fusion of rustic blues and jazz, with profound and often humorous lyrics. As a pianist, his influences have been jazz masters Bud Powell and Lenny Tristano, as well as composers including Hungarian composer Bela Bartok, American composer, German-American composer and violinist Paul Hindemith and American composers Charles Ives and Carl Ruggles. These diverse elements fuse in both his performances and songs.

 

Mose Allison, born Nov.11, 1927, in Tippo, Miss., discovered his gift of playing piano by ear at age 5 and began “picking out” tunes he heard on the local jukebox. In high school he played trumpet in the marching and dance bands and started writing his own songs.

 

He went into the Army in 1946, playing in the Army Band in Colorado Springs and performing with accomplished musicians from around the country in small groups at NCO and Officer’s clubs. After the service he joined a dance band as arranger, piano and trumpet player, but left to form his own trio, playing piano and singing in a style influenced by Nat Cole, Louis Jordan and Erroll Garner. After a year on the road, Allison married, returned to college at Louisiana State University where he graduated in 1952 with a BA in English and Philosophy.

 

In 1957 Allison secured his own first recording contract with Prestige Records, and released “Back Country Suite,” a collection of pieces evoking the Mississippi Delta, to unanimous critical acclaim. Allison went on to play and record with jazz greats Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan as well as with his own Mose Allison Trio.

 

Allison’s most recent Grammy nomination was for “Mose Chronicles Live in London, Vol. I” on Blue Note Records. Allison returned to the recording studio after a 12 year absence to record 2010’s “The Way of the World” on ANTI-Records which, upon its release, garnered the #1 position on the CMJ jazz chart for two weeks running, entered the Amazon.com Jazz chart at #1, and received critical acclaim from Billboard Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Pop Matters, among others. Other releases include “Allison Wonderland,” a double CD retrospective on Rhino, and “High Jinks,” a three CD package on Legacy. Blue Note has also re-released a collection of past recordings, “Mose Allison, Jazz Profiles.”

 

There will be a three-course meal before the concert, starting at 6 p.m. The meal will be served at Spartan Terrace Restaurant, conveniently located at the west end of ECC Arts Center’s lobby. The Nov. 3 menu is Mississippi Delta-inspired in honor of Allison’s birthplace and will start with Seafood Cakes with remoulade sauce, followed by Cajun Sausage stuffed pork accompanied by Creamy Cheese Grits and Fresh Seasonal Vegetables, and a dessert of Cocoa-Pecan roll with Sweet Potato Ice Cream. Dinner reservations may be made through the box office. Price is $35 per person (includes wine). Deadline for dinner reservations is Monday, Oct. 29.

 

The ECC Arts Center presents Jazz icon Mose Allison Saturday, Nov.3 at 7:30 p.m. on the campus of Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive. Tickets are $33 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at ht tp://tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC box office located in the Arts Center. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call 847-622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.

 

For more information about the ECC Arts Center, visit elgin.edu/arts. Video clips of upcoming artists and events can be found at youtube.com/ECCArtsCenter. Connect and talk to the arts center on Standing Room Only, a blog at eccartscenter.com. The arts center also can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/ECCArtsCenter. Become a fan of the arts center on facebook at facebook.com/ECCArtsCenter.