Music, Memorabilia Of Late Mose Allison, Former LI Resident, To Be Featured At Jazz Loft

STONY BROOK, NY — The Jazz Loft will pay tribute to jazz great Mose Allison in September.

The Jazz Loft, a museum in Stony Brook, acquired an extensive collection of memorabilia and music from Allison’s estate, which will be on display next month.

Allison, a local jazz legend, lived in Smithtown for more than 30 years.

"The Jazz Loft is honored and thrilled to be the custodian of this collection from the Allison family, which includes music, concert posters, artwork, writings and personal items belonging to Jazz great Mose Allison," said Jazz Loft founder Tom Manuel in a news release.

A concert by Anything Mose, a Mose Allison Tribute Band, and a screening of the BBC documentary "Ever Since I Stole the Blues," are scheduled for Sept. 8. The film includes commentary from Pete Townshend, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello and others.

Anything Mose features Richard Julian (vox/guitar,) Stacy Dillard (saxophones,) Dan Rieser (drums,) Matt Pavolka (bass,) and John Chin (piano). The film is set to begin at 6 p.m. and the concert at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8.

Tickets for the Mose Allison event can be purchased here.

Mose John Allison was born in 1927 in the Mississippi Delta. He grew up listening to jazz and the blues greats such as Louis Armstrong Memphis Minnie, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, and the Nat Cole King Trio.

He learned to play piano and trumpet as a boy. After a stint in the army and then several years playing in clubs around the south, he moved to New York City to make a career as a pianist, songwriter, and performer fronting his own trio. He eventually moved out to Smithtown.

Allison died on Nov. 15, 2016, days after his 89th birthday.

"After meeting with Tom Manuel from The Jazz Loft, I knew my dad’s memorabilia would be with the right people in the right place," said John Allison, Mose's son. "What really confirmed this was when Tom was turning the pages of my dad’s black book. All the names and numbers of the players in this address book Tom seemed to know personally. I hope this will help others with learning more about Mose and keeping his legacy alive and swinging."

Allison performed with Jazz greats such as Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Gerry Mulligan and developed a distinctive style of playing that fused the blues and jazz with succinct and timeless lyrics. Allison became a favorite among his peers and his songs have been covered by other great artists such as Van Morrison, The Who, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, The Clash and many others.

The Jazz Loft is at 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook.