Geri Allen
Geri Allen was born in Pontiac, Michigan, United States on June 12th, 1957 and is the Composer. At the age of 60, Geri Allen biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 60 years old, Geri Allen physical status not available right now. We will update Geri Allen's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.
Geri Antoinette Allen (June 12, 1957 – June 27, 2017) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and recording artist.
Allen, in addition to her work as a singer and bandleader, was a professor of music and the head of the University of Pittsburgh's Jazz Studies Program.
Early life and education
Allen was born in Pontiac, Michigan, on June 12, 1957, and grew up in Detroit. "Her father, Mount Allen Jr., was a school principal, and her mother, Barbara, was a government administrator in the defense industry." Allen was educated in Detroit Public Schools. She started playing piano at the age of seven and decided on becoming a jazz pianist in her early teens.
Allen graduated from Howard University's jazz studies program in 1979. She continued her studies with pianist Kenny Barron in New York; and University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a master's degree in ethnomusicology in 1982. She then returned to New York.
Later life and career
Allen joined M-Base in New York. In 1984, she made her first appearance as a leader, resulting in The Printmakers. Some of Allen's compositions were also included on this trio album, with bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Andrew Cyrille.
In 1995, Allen married trumpeter Wallace Roney. They had a daughter and a boy; the marriage ended in divorce. Allen was rewarded the Jazzpar Prize in 1996. Ornette Coleman, Hidden Man and Sound Museum: Three Women, two years ago.
Allen wrote "For the Healing of the Nations," a suite written in honor of the victims and survivors of the September 11 attacks in 2006. In 2008, she was given a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Allen was a long-time resident of Montclair, New Jersey. In 2013, she became the University of Pittsburgh's jazz studies program's director.
Allen died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two weeks after she 60th birthday, after suffering from cancer.
Awards
- Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee, 2014
- Guggenheim Fellowship, 2008
- African American Classical Music Award from Spelman College, 2007
- The Benny Golson Jazz Master Award, 2005
- Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard, 1996
- Danish Jazzpar Prize (first woman recipient), 1996
- Soul Train's Lady of Soul Award (first recipient) for jazz album of the year for Twenty-One, 1995