Geri Allen and Kurt Rosenwinkel featured together on newly unveiled duo recording A Lovesome Thing
By Adam Feibel2023/10/24
Geri Allen and Kurt Rosenwinkel
Credit:Michael Jackson
The late pianist Geri Allen and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel are featured on a new album called A Lovesome Thing, the first time the pair are to be heard together on record.
A joint release by Motéma Music and Rosenwinkel’s own record label Heartcore Records, the recording had been hidden in the vaults of Cité de la Musique in Paris since 2012, when the pair had performed a duo set as part of the Jazz á la Villette festival that September.
The pair’s collaboration began when Rosenwinkel invited Allen to sit in with his band at the Jazz Standard in July of 2012. “Geri was so impressed with the flow and the freedom of the music she experienced during that one night that she urged me to arrange another performance with Kurt as soon as possible,” explained Ora Harris, Allen’s long-time manager.
Allen and Rosenwinkel flew in to Paris that night from separate cities. There was no rehearsal. Yet their musical harmony was instantly palpable as they re-imagined songs by Billy Strayhorn, George Gershwin, and Thelonious Monk and revealed two never-before-recorded original compositions.
Listen to “Openhanded Reach” below:
“There was a strong bond between Geri and myself — a beautiful, internal smile, a deep respect,” Rosenwinkel said. “I am so grateful we had the opportunity to work together. We talked through the years about projects we wanted to do, songs we wanted to play, but alas, we only had the chance to play a few times. This concert was the first and only time we played duo together.”
The two artists were so caught up in their musical collaboration that night that they promised to head into the studio together soon. However, Allen died of complications related to cancer in 2017. She was 60.
“This is an important album in the rich legacy of Geri Allen recordings, and I believe the fans of Kurt Rosenwinkel will be quite delighted as well,” said Terri Lyne Carrington, one of Allen’s closest collaborators.
