Mose Allison Sings Mose Allison

• 1 The Seventh Son 02:40
• 2 Eyesight To The Blind 01:44
• 3 Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me 03:14
• 4 Lost Mind 03:34
• 5 I've Got A Right To Cry 02:51
• 6 Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand 03:18
• 7 Parchman Farm 03:20
• 8 If You Live 02:31
• 9 Don't Get Around Much Anymore 02:49
• 10 One Room Country Shack 03:04
• 11 I Hadn't Anyone Till You 02:35
• 12 Young Man's Blues 01:27
• 13 That's All Right 02:29
• 14 Blueberry Hill 02:58
• 15 Trouble In Mind 03:16
• 16 Creek Bank 04:35
• Total Runtime 46:25

Info for Mose Allison Sings

When he arrived in New York, Mississippi native Mose Allison presented himself as a piano player who occasionally sang and played trumpet. This was the balance Allison struck on six memorable Prestige albums recorded between 1957 and ’59; but what really caught the public’s attention and made him one of the music’s most influential crossover artists were Allison’s sly down-home vocals on blues classics and the clever lyrics of his originals. All of the Prestige vocals were originally collected on the LP Mose Allison Sings, which quickly became the definitive Allison collection. When that album was reissued on compact disc, it was enhanced with two piano trio instrumentals, a rare sampling of the Allison trumpet, and the new title Greatest Hits, and became an even more comprehensive view of a jazz sage who is still going strong nearly 50 years later.

Featuring Addison Farmer, Ronnie Free, Nick Stabulas, Taylor La Fargue, Frank Isola

“I was the engineer on the recording sessions and I also made the masters for the original LP issues of these albums. Since the advent of the CD, other people have been making the masters. Mastering is the final step in the process of creating the sound of the finished product. Now, thanks to the folks at the Concord Music Group who have given me the opportunity to remaster these albums, I can present my versions of the music on CD using modern technology. I remember the sessions well, I remember how the musicians wanted to sound, and I remember their reactions to the playbacks. Today, I feel strongly that I am their messenger.” (Rudy Van Gelder)

Mose Allison, piano, vocals, trumpet
Addison Farmer, bass (on tracks 1-9, 11, 13, 15, 16)
Ronnie Free, drums (on tracks 1-3, 5, 8, 13, 16)
Nick Stabulas, drums (on tracks 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 15)
Taylor La Fargue, bass (on tracks 10, 12, 14)
Frank Isola, drums (on tracks 10, 12, 14)


Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ; between March 7,1957 and February 13,1959
Engineered by Rudy VanGelder
Produced by Bob Weinstock and Esmond Edwards

Digitally remastered by Rudy VanGelder

Mose Allison
was born in the Mississippi Delta on his grandfather’s farm near the village of Tippo. At five he discovered he could play the piano by ear and began “picking out” blues and boogie tunes he heard on the local jukebox. In high school he listened to the music of Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, and his prime inspiration, Nat Cole of the King Cole Trio. He played trumpet in the marching and dance bands and started writing his own songs.

After a year at the University of Mississippi, he went to the Army in l946, playing in the Army Band in Colorado Springs and performing with accomplished musicians from around the country in small groups at NCO and Officer’s clubs. Returning to Ole Miss he joined the dance band as arranger, piano and trumpet player, but shortly left to form his own trio, playing piano and singing in a style influenced by Nat Cole, Louis Jordan and Erroll Garner. After a year on the road, Mose married, returned to college at Louisiana State University and graduated in 1952 with a BA in English and Philosophy.

He worked in nightclubs throughout the Southeast and West, blending the raw blues of his childhood with modern pianistic influences of John Lewis, Thelonius Monk and Al Haig. His vocal style was influenced by blues singers Percy Mayfield and Charles Brown. Arriving in New York in 1956, Mose received encouragement, work and a record date from Al Cohn. In 1957 he secured his own first recording contract with Prestige Records, recording Back Country Suite, a collection of pieces evoking the Mississippi Delta, released to unanimous critical acclaim. Mose went on to play and record with jazz greats Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan as well as with his own Mose Allison Trio.

Mose continued working with his own trio, writing and singing his own songs. His songs are a fusion of rustic blues and jazz, with profound and often humorous lyrics. As a pianist, while admiring jazz masters Bud Powell and Lenny Tristano, he also learned from composers such as Bartok, Ives, Hindemith and Ruggles. The fusing of these diverse elements into a cohesive performance continues today. A biography, One Man’s Blues: The Life and Music of Mose Allison, written by Patti Jones, was published in 1995 by Quartet Books Ltd. Of London.

Mose continues to write and perform all over the world. His songs have been covered by Van Morrison, John Mayall, The Who, The Clash, Eric Clapton, the Yardbirds, Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt to name a few. Van Morrison recorded a tribute album, Tell Me Something, The Songs of Mose Allison, on Verve Records, and rockers like Pete Townshend, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Davies and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones have frequently cited Mose Allison as a major influence.

His most recent Grammy nomination was for one of his two newest recordings, Mose Chronicles, Live in London, Vol. I on Blue Note Records. Mose Chronicles, Vol II was released a year later. British born director Paul Bernays produced a one hour documentary on Mose entitled, Mose Allison: Ever Since I Stole the Blues, for the BBC. Among recent releases are a dozen reissues on CD including Allison Wonderland, a double CD retrospective on Rhino, and High Jinks, a three CD package on Legacy. Blue Note has also re-released a collection of past recordings, Mose Allison, Jazz Profiles. His music has often been featured in films, and he can be seen performing in the movie, The Score, starring Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando.

Mose resides on Long Island with his wife Audre where they raised four children: Alissa, an attorney, John, a telecommunications specialist, Janine. a psychiatrist, and Amy, a singer/songwriter based in New York.

As one writer recently said: “Mose is now at the peak of his performing career. Although maybe this last statement is not quite true as he seems to continue to improve on perfection.”

Booklet for Mose Allison Sings