Today, when a new player makes a splash on the music scene with a major label debut they are usually just out of school. They may not be familiar with many music styles or working situations, but that is what it takes to become an artist. Eric Allison is a notable exception to this rule. He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in music. However, he is a professional musician for more than 30 years. Allison lives in the music-rich Miami, Florida area and plays all the standard woodwinds-saxophones, clarinet, and flute-with authority and authenticity in such styles as mainstream, bebop, funk jazz, New Orleans Second Line, swing, and Dixieland. Although he may not be able to give versatility a new meaning, he is close. Mean Streets Beat was Allison’s debut album for Contemporary Records (part the Fantasy Records family). It served as a great introduction to his talents. He worked with several top musicians, including Dr. Lonnie Smith, Turk Mauro and Phil Flanigan-Allison, offering ten originals of mainstream jazz that are full of melody, invention and vitality. One reviewer commented that “His main calling seems be making a stomping and effervescent jazz swing” and [a] superb cooking feel. After Hours is Allison’s excellent follow-up. It’s a concept album. The idea of Bob Weinstock, an executive producer, was to include an updated arrangement Avery Parrish’s “After Hours” which was a big hit for the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra back in the 1940s. After Hours featured nine new compositions by Allison, who “wrote like an insane man for a few months.” In 1998, the CD reached #20 on Gavin Report’s national radio airplay chart (jazz format). It remained on the chart for thirteen weeks. Weinstock, who is well-known as the founder and CEO of Prestige Records, stated that he decided to launch Allison because he was “so impressed” with him. This man is a great swinger and has roots in mainstream jazz. Born in South Bend, Indiana on March 7, 1951, Eric Allison was not raised with much respect for the records his father had played. He preferred big band music like Stan Kenton and Count Basie, and traditional jazz such as Louis Armstrong and Bob Crosby. Eric recalls that he contracted the jazz virus while he was in junior high in Sarasota. He was soon listening to jazz recordings of clarinetist Irving Fazola and brassman Armstrong. He says, “I didn’t want to buy the latest music. I wanted to learn where jazz came from.” Allison began playing alto sax at the age of 13 and was mostly self taught. In high school, Allison discovered the music and style of Charlie Parker, a bop giant alto-saxophonist, and he became his idol. Allison was a serious saxophone student until he entered Northwestern University in Chicago. He was then taught by Fred Hemke, the legendary saxophonist. Allison also studied jazz under Joe Daley, a Chicago-based great tenor saxophonist. After receiving a bachelor’s in Music Education from Northwestern, Allison went back to Florida and enrolled in the University of Miami’s jazz studies program. He earned a master’s in Jazz Pedagogy there in 1975. He has been a prominent performer at the top South Florida jazz clubs and concert venues since then. Allison is highly sought after for his abilities as an arranger and performer on other artists’ concerts and recordings. He also leads various bands for corporate events (IBM and General Electric, Pepsi-Cola), institution functions (University of Miami), private parties (Miami Dolphins), as well as private parties. The Wonderland Swing Band is a horn-heavy band that performs the repertoire of big bands as well as the ‘jump tunes’ so popular in the Neo-Swing revival. A Dixieland group plays authentic New Orleans Jazz. Allison is a recognized expert on jazz history and has taught jazz history at University of Miami. Eric was married to Cheryl Fisher, a well-known Canadian jazz singer. They now share their time between Canada and the United States. Eric has made numerous appearances at the Montreal Jazz Festival and Blue Note in New York City. He also performed on the Floating Jazz Festival aboard S/S Norway, S/S Masdam, Jacksonville Jazz Festival and S/S Norway’s S/S Norway. Since 2005, he has been touring Japan and Korea with pianist Eddie Higgins. He has also been the Music Director for the Gold Coast Jazz Society Band since 2007. Eric Allison, a dedicated musician, jazz composer and recording artist, is busy and committed to his craft. He enjoys sharing his talents with the world, which will undoubtedly delight an ever-growing audience. bio from www.jazzconnect.com
