Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, 29 year old Luther Allison started playing drums at 5 years old and began attending local arts schools, later being exposed to jazz in high school. Eventually he began playing piano. In 2018 he recorded as a pianist with Michael Dease, trombonist. Luther’s playing honors the piano masters Bud Powell and Bill Evans but also puts his original stamp on his music. I caught up with him at the Jazz Museum in Harlem. These are edited excerpts from our conversation.
Roger: A lot of your generation are into rap. Talk about how you started being interested in playing jazz.
Luther: I was interested in rap as well. When Jazz came into the picture I think it was early on. My father is from Brooklyn. So often times we would take long car trips from North Carolina to Massachusetts where we have family and my father would play George Duke, Grover Washington, Joe Sample. So I was getting used to, you know, smooth jazz and even gospel. Kirk Whalum. So just by the music of his long road trips I started to get that sound in my ear.
Roger: You began playing drums before you played piano. You were 5 years old. What made you make the transition?
Luther: My drum teacher used to tell my parents it would be good for me to learn as many instruments as possible and I think he mentioned piano specifically because most drummers don’t know how to read music. My parents put me into piano lessons and the rest is history.
Roger: I heard you accompany a vocalist and then leading a sextet. Do you have a preference?
Luther: Yeah. I love every context really. I feel every context I’m in is a learning opportunity for me. You know when I’m playing with a vocalist there is so much going into it from vocalist to vocalist. Everybody has many influences. Actually I like playing with my sextet because I get to write all of that music and arrangements.
Roger: It seems that when playing with vocalists you have to be more aware of dynamics. Is that true?
Luther: Oh yeah. With horn players it’s easier to just blow and get sound but with vocalists the range of dynamics is generally speaking much wider. I feel I’ve learned so much playing with vocalists. Sometimes you have to support and other times lead the band.
Roger: Back in the day the bandstand was the classroom for musicians to learn and grow. Talk about how learning from music programs in colleges compares with playing live gigs.
Luther: I don’t want to say that the academic side of jazz education is wrong but there are a lot of things I disagree with. I don’t think academic education prioritizes the most important aspects of music. I think that three things that most institutions don’t focus on, the song itself, playing melody convincingly or being familiar with a lot of different versions on the listening side of it. There are so many books and so much reading and solo analysis. On the bandstand you get diversity and the energy of the crowd.
Roger: When was the first time you felt you could be a professional musician?
Luther: Soon as I first touched an instrument at 5 years old I always believed it. My parents always supported it. My parents or no one around me ever convinced me I had to have a back up plan.
Roger: How has your style evolved as a pianist from when you began and now?
Luther: Yeah. I don’t think I evolved that much. I feel that I’ve gotten better. I feel there’s so much more I have to improve upon which is always going to be the case. The more I’m learning is kind of causing me to evolve.
Roger: At the Jazz Museum in Harlem when I saw you with your sextet you played some original compositions. When did you begin writing original material?
Luther: I started writing about 2010, I think it was. I guess I was 15. I remember it exactly. I was at this summer camp at University of Miami, their jazz camp. Think it was my first music camp. I was surrounded by hundreds of musicians who were much better than me. First time I was in an environment like that.
Roger: Who’s on your wish list of musicians you would like to play with?
Luther: Want to play with everybody (laughs).
Roger: Any new projects coming up?
Luther: Yes, I plan on recording my next album sometime next year. Probably next fall, hopefully. I am going on a long tour from January 21 to April 7th 2025 sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Roger: I’m going to throw some names of a few pianists out to you. Give me your thoughts and feelings about them: Geri Allen.
Luther: Oh wow! Geri Allen. Just a lot of beauty. She had so much soul. She had a lot of grit too you know but was also very elegant.
Roger: Bill Evans.
Luther: Very warm and rich. Beautiful sense of melody and accompaniment. I love his touch. A nice light touch.
Roger: Mulgrew Miller.
Luther: Oh! One of my favorites. Mulgrew is from Memphis. Had the delta blues in his playing. Also had so much intelligence. Beautiful touch.
Roger: Thelonious Monk.
Luther: I was just talking about him fairly recently. How he was influenced by Duke Ellington. Monk had one of the most identifiable sounds playing-wise and compositionally. Monk and Coltrane played at Carnegie Hall. Two black men back then playing at Carnegie Hall in the sixties. Unbelievable.
Roger: Luther Allison.
Luther: (laughs) I think that he is a very honest person. Very meaningful. A soulful person and seeks to improve every aspect of life. I’m grateful to have grown up in a family where I’m the only artist. I want to make sure when I play it can be healing for the listener. G&S
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