Blue Note, 1994
The brilliant pianist and composer Geri Allen came out of Detroit’s fertile jazz scene, eventually moving to New York where she became part of the emerging M-Base collective that was forging new creative ideas and approaches to jazz in the 1980s. Allen began recording for Blue Note in 1990 with The Nurturer followed by Maroons in 1992. For her 3rd Blue Note album Twenty One, recorded in 1994, Allen joined forces with two masters—bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams—for a dynamic trio date. Allen’s stunning lyricism, as well as her boundless harmonic and rhythmic creativity, shines on this remarkable 12-song set that presents her own compelling originals like “Feed The Fire,” “RTG,” and “In The Morning” alongside choice standards (“If I Should Lose You,” “Tea For Two, “Lullaby Of The Leaves,” “Old Folks”) and pieces by Thelonious Monk (“Introspection/Thelonious”).
