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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist, composer, and educator. She taught at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

Early life and education

Allen was born in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

, 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 is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

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

Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer 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. Early life ...

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 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 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: '' 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, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. She was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

in 2008. Allen was a longtime resident of

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

. For 10 years she taught jazz and improvisational studies at the University of Michigan, and 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 ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, after suffering from cancer.

Awards

* Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee, 2014 *

, 2008 * African American Classical Music Award from

Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...

, 2007 * The Benny Golson Jazz Master Award, 2005 * Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard, 1996 * Danish Jazzpar Prize (first woman recipient), 1996 * '' Soul Train''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: With

Franco Ambrosetti Franco Ambrosetti (born 10 December 1941) is a jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer. He was born in Lugano, Switzerland; his father, Flavio Ambrosetti, Flavio, was a saxophonist who once played opposite Charlie Parker.Movies'' (Enja, 1987) – rec. 1986 * '' Movies Too'' (Enja, 1988) With The Batson Brothers * ''Three Pianos for Jimi'' (Douglas, 1998) With Betty Carter * '' Droppin' Things'' (Verve, 1990) – live * '' Feed the Fire'' (Verve, 1994) – live rec. 1983 * '' The Music Never Stops'' (Blue Engine, 2019) – live With Ornette Coleman * '' Sound Museum: Hidden Man'' (Harmolodic/Verve, 1996) * '' Sound Museum: Three Women'' (Harmolodic/Verve, 1996) With Steve Coleman * '' 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) – 1 track With

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than fifty years. Haden helped to revolutionize the harmonic concept of bass playin ...

* 1987: '' Etudes'' (Soul Note, 1988) * 1989: '' The Montreal Tapes: with Geri Allen and Paul Motian'' (Verve, 1997) * 1989: '' The Montreal Tapes: Liberation Music Orchestra'' (Verve, 1999) With Oliver Lake * '' 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, 2005) – rec. 2004 With Wallace Roney * '' Munchin''' (Muse, 1993) * '' Crunchin''' (Muse, 1993) * '' Mistérios'' (Warner Bros., 1994) * ''

Village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

'' (Warner Bros, 1997) * '' No Room for Argument'' (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 prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

'' (HighNote, 2004) * ''

Mystikal Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper and actor from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is noted for brash, obstreperous vocal delivery, characterized by a Southern rasp. He si ...

'' (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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

'' (Highnote, 2007) With Trio 3 ( Oliver Lake,

Reggie Workman Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey, in addition to Alice Coltrane, Mal Waldron, Max Roach, Archie Shepp, Tri ...

& Andrew Cyrille) * '' At This Time'' (Intakt, 2009) * '' Celebrating Mary Lou Williams–Live at Birdland New York'' (Intakt, 2011) With others * Cecil Brooks III, '' The Collective'' (Muse, 1989) *

Roy Brooks Roy Brooks (March 9, 1938 – November 15, 2005) was an American Jazz drumming, jazz drummer. Biography Early life Brooks was born in Detroit and drummed since childhood, his earliest experiences of music coming through his mother, who sang in c ...

, '' Duet in Detroit'' (Enja, 1993) – rec. 1989 * Buddy Collette, '' Flute Talk'' with James Newton (Soul Note, 1988) * Craig Handy, '' Reflections in Change'' (Sirocco Music, 1999) * Joseph Jarman, ''

Inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

'' (FourStar, 1991) - rec. 1983 * Frank Lowe, '' Decision in Paradise'' (Soul Note, 1984) *

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer of Armenian descent. He played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. Motian first came t ...

, '' Monk in Motian'' (JMT, 1988) * Greg Osby, '' Mindgames'' (JMT, 1988) *

Dewey Redman Walter Dewey Redman (May 17, 1931 – September 2, 2006) was an American saxophonist who performed free jazz as a bandleader with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett. Redman mainly played tenor saxophone, though he occasionally also played alto s ...

, '' Living on the Edge'' (Black Saint, 1989) * Gregory Charles Royal, ''Dream Come True'' (GCR, 1979) – reissued (Celeste (Japan), 2008) *

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 20th century's most important and influentia ...

, '' Bemsha Swing'' (Blue Note, 1997) – rec. 1986 * John Stubblefield, ''Bushman Song'' (Enja, 1986) * Wayne Shorter, '' Joy Ryder'' (Columbia, 1988)Yanow, S
AllMusic Review
accessed April 2, 2012 * Gary Thomas, '' By Any Means Necessary'' (JMT, 1989) * Ernie Watts, ''Unity'' (JVC, 1995) * The Mary Lou Williams Collective, ''Zodiac Suite: Revisited'' (Mary, 2006) * Buster Williams, ''Houdini'' (Sirocco Music, 2001) – rec. 2000 *

, '' Cerebral Caverns'' (

Postcards A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin Card stock, cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. In some places, one can send a ...

, 1995) * V.A., '' Kansas City (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 film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

film '' Kansas City''.