A Hip Trip Of A Mose Allison Anthology
From the archives: Steve Guttenberg reviews Rhino's 2CD 'Allison Wonderland: The Mose Allison Anthology'
(This review, written by Steve Guttenberg, originally appeared in Issue 5/6, Winter 1995/96.)
Is Mose Allison the coolest man alive? Do “cool” people still use that word? Whatever the jargon, Mose Allison defined the whole concept. This groovy 2CD set covers a great deal of ground: the years 1957-1990; 47 tracks from six different labels. This music doesn’t fit easily into any one category—a lot of jazz, plenty of blues, definitely rock, a bit of country—so its appeal goes way beyond the hipsters who just dig jazz singers. He’s written his fair share of classics, so I’ll reel off a few: “Young Man Blues” (famously and fantastically covered by The Who), “Your Mind Is On Vacation,” “Stop This World,” and my personal favorite, “Your Molecular Structure.” We usually find Mose commenting on the world around him; an observer of the scene. In fact, they’re mostly about Mose; he’s just turning himself inside out.
HIs cool stance might be confused with a certain distance or detachment, but Mose pulls no punches. His piano style is as direct as his wordplay; understated but not oblique. On his earliest recordings he rarely sang, but over time he would become primarily known as a singer/songwriter.
Never considered a musician of great technique, Mose thought of himself as a bop player in the mold of Horace Silver. While listening to these CDs it’s damn near impossible not to physically react—when Mose swings, if you’re not at least tapping your foot, have somebody check your pulse!
Allison writes thinking man’s blues; wry observations about the human condition. He can offer some terrific insights, but they always feel as comfortable as a pair of old shoes. You can tell that these tunes have been simmering on the stove for quite awhile.
Though Mose favors the trio format (piano, bass, drums), over the years he has experimented with larger groups. I also prefer the trio settings, but some of the larger groups do add a new dimension to the music. On “Ever Since the World Ended” (“...I don’t go out as much”), the horns’ blues lament is the perfect accompaniment; it wouldn't work as well without them.
“Big Brother” is the hottest track of this 2CD set, burning with some spirited sax work from Tony Dagradi while Mose just floats above it all.
In the hands of Bob Weinstock, Rudy Van Gelder, Teo Macero, Nesuhi Ertegun and Mose himself serving as producers, the music always emerged as pure Allison; he never jumped on any trends. From the 50s through the 90s, it’s just Mose doin’ his thing.
This anthology, and many other Rhino/Atlantic jazz reissues, was remastered at Gene Paul's dB Plus remastering studio in NYC. Gene’s approach is “hands off;” he’s not interested in “improving” or “cleaning up” the master tape. The original 1/4" Mose masters were played on his early 70s MCI deck straight to 1630 digital tape.
The CDs preserve the natural warmth of my original Prestige and Atlantic LPs, though there is some loss of air and detail. Unlike many pro audio engineers, Gene really believes cables make a sonic difference; dB Plus uses Monster Cable extensively. Gene’s a guy who really cares, so he lets the music speak for itself. Allison Wonderland is a hip trip.
