I've been meaning to write about this all week, but haven't had a chance until now.
Last Sunday, I capped of my weekend of amazing blues music and dancing seeing the Mose Allison Trio live at Blues Alley. First off, that place is a fabulous place to see a show. We were close enough to see the facial expressions of each musician, watch Mose's hands on the piano, and hear musical nuances that might get lost in a larger space. The proximity also allowed us to notice that Mose was intermittently drinking a clear liquid from a glass bottle. Liquid courage? I doubt he needs it.
Regardless, Mose was a real treat. His music combines simple, earthy song lyrics with esoteric melodies and harmonies to create a uniquely flavored blues/jazz sound. He is another artist who is hard to classify. Even individual songs use elements of both traditional Mississippi Blues and very modern jazz. The topics of his songs included lost love, world peace, being a senior citizen, and excessive drinking/gambling to name just a few. Whether it brought you to laughter or solemn thoughts, each song was heartfelt. He sang a few carefully-selected covers and brought new life and personal flavor to each of them.
This 79-yr-old artist is definitely not over the hill. He comes to D.C. about once a year, usually in early January to play a longstanding engagement at Blues Alley in Georgetown. I highly recommend seeing one of his shows should you get the chance.
