Pianist/Vocalist Mose Allison Dies at 89

By DownBeat I Nov. 17, 2016

Mose Allison (1927–2016)
(Photo: © Michael Wilson)

Mose Allison, a pianist and vocalist whose wry humor and compositional acumen made him a hero to fans of both jazz and blues, died at his home in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on Nov. 15. He was 89.

Among his many accolades was being named an NEA Jazz Master in 2013.

Often leading a piano trio, Allison was revered for compositions such as “Your Mind Is On Vacation,” “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy,” “Parchman Farm,” “I Don’t Worry About A Thing,” “Molecular Structure” and “Ever Since I Stole The Blues.” He was also well regarded for his clever renditions of jazz and blues standards.

In a feature that was published in the Oct. 17, 1968, issue of DownBeat, journalist Jim Delehant asked Allison if he ever gets tired of playing the blues.

“Blues is a very limited thing to play,” Allison replied. “I have to keep adding things to it to keep it interesting. I keep striving for higher levels of performance. That’s the only way I can maintain the pace of going out and playing. …

“I don’t go out and consciously look for something to stick in my playing, either. You’ve got to absorb it. When I run across something I’ve never heard before, like this Hungarian folk music, I listen a lot and absorb something from it. Somehow it blends in with what I’m doing. But blues is the basic thing. Good country blues is the basis of my thing, and it always will be.”

In the same interview, Allison said he felt that his 1960 album Transfiguration Of Hiram Brown was the finest work he had done so far: “It didn’t get much attention, but I think it’s the best I’ve ever done, as far as sustained performance and the tunes themselves are concerned.”

Allison was born in Tippo, Mississippi, on Nov. 11, 1927. As a youngster, he played piano and trumpet. He joined the U.S. Army in 1946. After leaving the service, Allison earned a degree in English and philosophy from Louisiana State University in 1952.

Early in his career, he found work as an accompanist, playing with Al Cohn, Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan.

Allison’s debut as a leader, Back Country Suite, was released by Prestige in 1957. Over the course of his career, he also recorded for Columbia, Atlantic, Blue Note, Koch and other labels.

His final album, Mose Allison: American Legend Live In California, was recorded in 2006 and released in 2015.

Among the diverse range of artists who recorded his compositions are Karrin Allyson, Paul Butterfield, Elvis Costello, the Kinks, Diana Krall, Georgie Fame, John Mayall, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Leon Rusell, Johnny Winter and The Who.

The Rhino two-disc retrospective Allison Wonderland chronicles 40 years of his recordings.

Author Patti Jones wrote the biography One Man’s Blues: The Life and Music of Mose Allison, and he was the subject of a 2006 BBC documentary, Mose Allison: Ever Since I Stole the Blues.

The February issue of DownBeat will include a tribute to Allison.