Geri Allen
in
Grand River Crossings . Motown & Motor City Inspirations
Geri Allen piano
„Music can be a lot of different things. It can be about the celebration of the intellect. It can be about the celebration of the body and movement. It can be about a quest. It can give you inner strenght, create a fertile place for peace to exist. I think that what I´ve come to want from music is to have all those things in it .“ – Geri Allen
Over the last 30 years, it’s hard to think of anyone who embodies the dual challenges of tradition and innovation better than composer and pianist Geri Allen.
As often as she’s been lionized for the freshness of her playing, she’s also been admired for the respect she’s shown for its living history.
Geri Allen’s “Grand River Crossings” is an exquisitely beautiful collection comprised mostly of Motown gems. The majestic tapestry that is Grand River Crossings, connects the rich essences of classic pop songs ranging from Motown to The Beatles, from Gerald Wilson to Roy Brooks, with Geri’s unlimited imagination striking uncharted territories at every turn, each idea seamlessly flowing into the next, embodying the very nature of the project’s title- interestingly revealed through history that it actually was a body of water.
You can feel Geri exploring each piece, as if to set a course across that mighty river, with intense yet thoughtful abandon. Those intricacies, combined with tasteful support from two of Detroit’s finest- Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Dave McMurray on sax- weave the fabric of an aural adventure that will inspire repeated listening.