MUSIC

One of the most iconic musical figures in the world of jazz and blues, Mose Allison, will be making his only concert appearance in Colorado on September 11, 2010, at Armstrong Hall on the Colorado College campus.

Mose John Allison Jr. was born in 1927 in Tippo, Mississippi, a cotton town in the Mississippi delta. By the time Mose was in grade school he was already composing boogie woogie tunes on the piano. His father, a piano stride player himself, encouraged the young Mose in his playing but also taught him the meaning of "work on the farm." Mose plowed cotton with a mule and said once that he is probably one of the few remaining living bluesman who can honestly make that claim. He grew up where "The blues was in the air." While still in his teens Mose was sitting in with R and B bands on Memphis’s famed musical mecca Beale Street. One of those bands was led by another teenage bluesman, Beale Street Boy, better known as B. B. King. It was a full decade before SUN Records discovery of Elvis Presley. In the 1940’s in the deep south it was not yet socially acceptable for races to mix in public places. When it comes to music Mose says, "I just followed my ears." In 1956 Mose migrated to New York where the jazz scene was taking off. He staked out an artistic and musical niche that was both respected and unique.

Today, many in the industry view Mose as a musician’s musician, a singer’s singer and a songwriter’s songwriter. Mose is still playing over 150 dates a year and considers his 40 years on the road performing as "on the job training." In the states Mose has a loyal following but, it was in England during the 1960’s where Mose got the attention of many soon to be British Invaders. The Yardbirds, The Who, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and others would soon be covering his songs.

Someone said to Mose once, "You were a social critic before Dylan; you were satirical long before Newman; you were rude long before Jagger; why aren’t you a big star?" Mose’s answer to that was, "Just lucky, I guess." Mose’s popularity in the states has been on a slow and steady rise. As the man himself wrote, "If you live, your time will come". Perhaps Mose’s time has finally come.

Mose's new album, The Way of the World, was released on March 23, 2010, marking his return to the recording studio after a 12 year absence. Working with maverick producer Joe Henry, Allison has found his most sympathetic setting in years, surrounded by young, vibrant players, who add surprising slide guitar and some sinewy saxophone to the classic Mose sound. The Way of the World also features Mose's first-ever duet with his daughter, singer Amy Allison.

“Mose Allison is definitely a legend” explaines Amy Whitesell of A Music Company Inc., co-promoter of the concert along with KRCC Concerts. “His songs have been recorded by countless artists over the last 60 years and they are true classics. But no one comes close to delivering the songs the way Mose does”. For more information contact A Music Company, Inc. at 719-576-5945 or KRCC at 719-473-4801.

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