Geri Antoinette Allen (June 12, 1957 – June 27, 2017) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist, composer, and educator. In addition to her career as a performer and bandleader, Allen was also an associate professor of music at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

and the director of the university's Jazz Studies program.

Early life and education

Allen was born in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Found ...

, on June 12, 1957, and grew up in Detroit. "Her father, Mount Allen Jr, was a school principal, her mother, Barbara, a government administrator in the defence industry." Allen was educated in Detroit Public Schools. She started playing the piano at the age of seven, and settled on becoming a jazz pianist in her early teens. Allen graduated from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

's jazz studies program in 1979. She then continued her studies: with pianist

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philade ...

in New York; and at the

, where she completed a master's degree in ethnomusicology in 1982. After this, she returned to New York.

Later life and career

Allen became involved in the

M-Base The term "M-Base" is used in several ways. In the 1980s, a loose collective of young African American musicians including Steve Coleman, Graham Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Robin Eubanks, and Greg Osby emerged in Brooklyn with a new sou ...

collective in New York. Her recording debut as a leader was in 1984, resulting in '' The Printmakers''. This trio album, with bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Andrew Cyrille, also featured some of Allen's compositions. Allen married trumpeter

Wallace Roney Wallace Roney (May 25, 1960 – March 31, 2020) was an American jazz ( hard bop and post-bop) trumpeter. He has won 1 Grammy award and has two nominations. Roney took lessons from Clark Terry and Dizzy Gillespie and studied with Miles Davis fr ...

in 1995. They had a daughter and a son; the marriage ended in divorce. Allen was awarded the Jazzpar Prize in 1996. In the same year, she recorded two albums with

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Coll ...

: '' Sound Museum: Hidden Man'' and '' Sound Museum: Three Women''. In 2006, Allen composed "For the Healing of the Nations", a suite written in tribute to the victims and survivors of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

. She was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...

in 2008. Allen was a longtime resident of Montclair, New Jersey. She became director of the jazz studies program at the University of Pittsburgh in 2013. Allen died on June 27, 2017, two weeks after her 60th birthday, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, after suffering from cancer.

Awards

* Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee, 2014 *

, 2008 * African American Classical Music Award from Spelman College, 2007 * The

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/ hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before laun ...

Jazz Master Award, 2005 * Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard, 1996 * Danish Jazzpar Prize (first woman recipient), 1996 * ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...

''s Lady of Soul Award (first recipient) for jazz album of the year for ''Twenty-One'', 1995''

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Main sources:

As sidewoman

Main source:Jazzlists: Geri Allen sidewoman: main albums and selected single artist collections
Retrieved November 22, 2017. With Franco Ambrosetti *''

Movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

'' (Enja, 1987) *''

Movies Too ''Movies Too'' is an album by the flugelhornist Franco Ambrosetti which was recorded in 1988 and released on the Enja label.Cecil Brooks III *'' The Collective'' (Muse, 1989) With Roy Brooks *''

Duet in Detroit ''Duet in Detroit'' is a live album by the drummer Roy Brooks, recorded between 1983 and 1989 and released by Enja Records, Enja in 1993. Reception AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars, with a review by Scott Yanow stating: "The music is full of su ...

'' (Enja, 1989 993 With

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inte ...

*'' Droppin' Things'' (Verve, 1993) *'' Feed the Fire'' (Verve, 1993) With

*'' Sound Museum: Hidden Man'' (Harmolodic/Verve, 1996) *'' Sound Museum: Three Women'' (Harmolodic/Verve, 1996) With

Steve Coleman Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. Early life Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing ...

*'' Motherland Pulse'' ( JMT, 1985) *And Five Elements: '' On the Edge of Tomorrow'' (JMT, 1986) *And Five Elements: '' World Expansion'' (JMT, 1986) *And Five Elements: ''Sine Die'' (Pangaea, 1986) on one track only With Buddy Collette *'' Flute Talk'' (Soul Note, 1988) with James Newton With Charlie Haden *'' Etudes'' (Soul Note, 1987) *'' The Montreal Tapes: with Geri Allen and Paul Motian'' (Verve, 1989

997 Year 997 ( CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the ...

*'' The Montreal Tapes: Liberation Music Orchestra'' (Verve, 1989 999 With

Craig Handy Craig Mitchell Handy (born September 25, 1962) is an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Oakland, California, he attended North Texas State University from 1981 to 1984, and following this played with Art Blakey, Wynton Marsalis, Roy Haynes, Ab ...

*'' Reflections in Change'' (Sirocco Music, 1999) With

Oliver Lake Oliver Lake (born September 14, 1942) is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist. He is known mainly for alto saxophone, but he also performs on soprano and flute. During the 1960s, Lake worked with the Black ...

*'' Expandable Language'' (Black Saint, 1984) *'' Otherside'' (Gramavision, 1988) *'' Talkin' Stick'' (Passin' Thru, 2000) With Charles Lloyd *'' Lift Every Voice'' (ECM, 2002) *'' Jumping the Creek'' (ECM, 2004) With Frank Lowe *'' Decision in Paradise'' (Soul Note, 1984) With Paul Motian *'' Monk in Motian'' (JMT, 1988) With

Greg Osby Greg Osby (born August 3, 1960) is an American saxophonist and composer. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, then at the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City in 1982, where he played with J ...

*'' Mindgames'' (JMT, 1988) With Dewey Redman *'' Living on the Edge'' (Black Saint, 1989) With

*''

Munchin' ''Munchin is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney which was recorded in 1993 and released on the Muse label.Crunchin' ''Crunchin is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney which was recorded in 1993 and released on the Muse label.Mistérios ''Mistérios'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney, recorded in 1994 and released on the Warner Bros. label. Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "Trumpeter Wallace Roney avoids the standard repertoire altogeth ...

'' (Warner Bros., 1994) *''

Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

'' (Warner Bros, 1997) *''

No Room for Argument ''No Room for Argument'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney, recorded in 2000 and released on the Stretch label. Reception The AllMusic review by Paula Edelstein stated, "This CD is packed with excellent straight-ahead, avan ...

'' (Stretch, 2000) *''

Prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...

'' (HighNote, 2004) *''

Mystikal Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper. Early life and education Tyler grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana's 12th Ward. His father, who ran a small neighborhood store, d ...

'' (HighNote, 2005) *''

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

'' (Highnote, 2007) With

Gregory Charles Royal Gregory Charles Royal, also known as Chuck Royal, is an American musician, trombonist, composer, writer, co-founder of '' The BeBop Channel''. founder of the New York Jazz Film Festival, a judge on '' America's Hot Musician''. and the artistic d ...

*''Dream Come True'' (GCR 1979 reissued Celeste Japan 2008) With

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...

*''

Bemsha Swing This is a list of compositions by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. 0-9 52nd Street Theme A contrafact based loosely on rhythm changes in C, and was copyrighted by Monk under the title "Nameless" in April 1944. The tune was also called "Bip Bop" b ...

'' (Blue Note, 1986

With

John Stubblefield John Stubblefield (February 4, 1945 – July 4, 2005) was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and oboist. Early life Stubblefield was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied music at the Association for the Advancement of Cre ...

*''Bushman Song'' (Enja, 1986) With Gary Thomas *''

By Any Means Necessary By any means necessary is a translation of a phrase used by Martinican intellectual Frantz Fanon in his 1960 Address to the Accra Positive Action Conference, "Why we use violence". The phrase had also been used by French intellectual Jean-Paul S ...

'' (JMT, 1989) With Trio 3 (

Reggie Workman Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey. Career Early in his career, Workman wo ...

& Andrew Cyrille) *'' At This Time'' (Intakt, 2009) *''

Celebrating Mary Lou Williams–Live at Birdland New York ''Celebrating Mary Lou Williams–Live at Birdland New York'' is a live album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded at Birdland in New York City in August ...

'' (Intakt, 2011) With

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa ...

*''Unity'' (JVC, 1995) With the Mary Lou Williams Collective *''Zodiac Suite: Revisited'' (Mary, 2006) With

*'' Cerebral Caverns'' ( Postcards Records, 1995) With "Various" *''

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

(A Robert Altman Film, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (Verve, 1996)

Filmography

Geri Allen portrays jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams and performs with the jazz band in the

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New ...

film ''

''.