Geri Allen
The Life Of A Song

Here I am, turning over in my hands this brand-new CD that I bought as a birthday gift for a friend and will hand over to him in a few days.

A great gift, no doubt about it. Geri Allen, "The Life Of A Song", from 2004. The return of the great pianist after five years of not recording in her own name, accompanied by a top-notch rhythm section: Dave Holland on double bass, Jack De Johnette on drums. Together with her, they form a "super" jazz trio.

I look at the cover. What a beautiful photo. And how well Mrs. Allen maintains herself, despite not being in her prime anymore. A splendid, elegant lady with a magnetic gaze and a smile that has something of the Leonardesque. Hey... It seems like she is looking right at me...

I'm almost tempted to break the cellophane. I'm curious to see the booklet. But wouldn't it be a bit impolite towards my friend? I've known him forever, I can tell him: "I was curious to see the booklet, so I opened it." And what if I did?

What luxury, folks. A very refined package, and inside there's a photo of Geri that's even better than the one on the cover. Well, now that I've opened it, I might as well play it. It's not like it will get ruined if I listen to it once! Oh, it's also a Super Audio CD... Hear how it sounds... Surely, Telarc knows how to handle recordings...

Upon the first listen, you can perceive a skilled jazz pianist who has fully absorbed the teachings of her masters: Powell, Monk, Hancock. But that's not all. Allen has the peculiarity of hiding and enveloping feats of skill and bursts of genius in enchanting sound spirals, seemingly harmless, but upon closer listening, persistently reaching towards a more abstract and complex world. Like in "Mounts And Mountains", a Jarrett-like exploration of the geography of feelings, simply wonderful.

Of course, the passing years and her maturity have led her to abandon more experimental shores. Geri remains strictly "inside": no oblique intellectual digressions or angry free explosions, but immense class in the service of a personal reinterpretation of the most beautiful pages of jazz of all time. In "Lush Life", she clearly demonstrates an awareness of Ellington the pianist, and then... Oh no, even Bud Powell's "Dance Of The Infidels"... This woman wants me dead...

And yet, there are also dance-like moments, gospel, and echoes of the Motown sound, as in "Holdin' Court". The album closes with a dreamy "Soul Eyes" (by Mal Waldron), softened by a substantial horn section.

But who would be the idiot to part with this CD?

Well... after all, thinking about it, will this music truly align with my friend's tastes? I thought he preferred somewhat rougher and more direct music... Maybe more experimental... Perhaps I should think about it a bit more. Maybe I'll come up with a gift more suited to him... But wouldn't it be a bit cowardly to keep this treasure for myself?

Oh, Geri... Okay, you win. I'll keep you. Now I'm all yours: do with me what you wish!