Geri Allen Trio

Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) has left a lasting impact on music history: She was one of the first female musicians who opened up the notoriously male dominated jazz scene to instrumentalists of the opposite gender. Originating from ragtime and the stride piano, she kept developing continuously and took up modern harmony. In 1935 she became frontwoman of the Kansas City swing and later even formed a duo with avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor.

Geri Allen is a custodian of her legacy. Not only did she play Mary Lou Williams in Robert Altman’s movie Kansas City, she also shares a similar musical approach with her forerunner. With her high-calibre trio professor Allen will be celebrating a live-tribute to this exceptional artist.

Geri Allen will be performing another concert with her group Timeline on Thursday Nov 1, 8:00 pm at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.

MaryLou Williams @ Wikipedia
Geri Allen homepage
ReggieWorkman homepage
AndrewCyrille @ Wikipedia