The Music of Geri Allen

Over the past few months, Yoko Suzuki has curated concerts showcasing the music of female jazz composers—Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane among them. Yoko closes out her series with a concert featuring the music of pianist and composer Geri Allen.

Hailed as one of the most accomplished pianists and educators of her time, Geri was the director of Pitt’s Jazz Studies program and a Guggenheim Fellow. Noted for her musicianship and innovative harmonic language, Geri’s compositions were one-of-a-kind creations and important contributions to the music of the African diaspora.

The program includes a pre-recorded presentation by Serubiri Moses, a scholar of contemporary African and Black art, followed by a concert featuring new arrangements of Geri’s music.

Featured Musicians:

Theron Brown: piano

James Johnson III: drums

Yoko Suzuki: alto saxophone

Anton DeFade: bass

Ashley Freeburn: violin

Stephen Weiss: viola

Jacob Nathanson: cello

Featured Presenter:

Serubiri Moses is currently on faculty at Hunter College and Bard College’s Center for Curatorial Studies. He has delivered lectures at Williams, Yale, Pitt, and The New School. As a curator, Serubiri has organized exhibitions at MoMA PS1 (Long Island City), Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art (Berlin), the Hessel Museum (Bard College, NY), and more. He previously held a research fellowship at the University of Bayreuth and received his master’s in curatorial studies from Bard College.

About your visit:

The in-house restaurant 40 North  will be closed but a cash bar will be available.