Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Mississippi-born pianist-singer-songwriter Mose Allison (1927-2016) was one of the most influential figures in jazz and modern blues.  The self-described "Middle Class White Boy" inspired such artists as Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Georgie Fame, Elvis Costello, Ben Sidran, Van Morrison, and Al Kooper.  He recorded more than 30 albums as a leader, and now roughly a third of his entire discography has been collected on a splendid new box set from Cherry Red's Strawberry label.

The 6-CD box set The Complete Atlantic/Elektra Albums 1962-1983 brings together a dozen albums from Allison spanning 20+ years showcasing his lyrical wit as well as his musicianship.  (All of the albums are presented in their original sequences only, with no bonus material appended.)  Indeed, Allison began his recording career primarily as a pianist (and also occasionally as trumpeter), drawing attention early on for his blend of jazz and bop with country and blues sounds.  But he would record a handful of vocals on those early albums, too.  He seamlessly blended original songs with deftly reinvented interpretations of blues and pop standards, and frequently thought conceptually when it came to crafting an album.

Allison joined Atlantic in 1962 after tenures at Prestige and Columbia.  1962's I Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing, produced by Nesuhi Ertegun, began his Atlantic years and opens this collection.  The LP was a major breakthrough in his transition from a pianist who sings to a singer who plays piano; in addition to his original tunes, it featured compositions from Burton Lane, Irving Berlin, and Count Basie.  This eclectic spirit would guide Allison as he continued making his mark at Atlantic.  His sophomore set for the label, Swingin' Machine, added trombone and tenor saxophone to the mix, but he was soon back in his familiar trio setting for 1964's The Word from Mose.  The album found him reinventing "Parchman Farm," his 1957 adaptation of Bukka White's 1940 "Parchman Farm Blues," as "New Parchman."  Allison's impact in the U.K. was becoming undeniable.  "Parchman Farm" was surveyed by John Mayall and Georgie Fame.  The Word from Mose's "I'm Not Talking" was covered by The Yardbirds, "Foolkiller" by The Brian Auger Trinity, and much later, "Look Here" by The Clash.  Around 1964, The Who had begun including Allison's "Young Man Blues" in their live setlists, too.

Wild Man on the Loose (1966) didn't inspire the volume of covers as its predecessor, but remains a hidden gem in the Allison catalogue filled with his typically incisive, sardonic lyrical turns. Next up was a live album as Allison bristled at Atlantic's request for more commercial material; he didn't return with a new studio set until 1968's I've Been Doin' Some Thinkin'.  Perhaps as a result of the pressure, he took on a more driving piano style and a somewhat darker worldview.  Though the LP didn't yield any hits, it did introduce "Everybody's Cryin' Mercy," later recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Georgie Fame, Maria Muldaur, Elvis Costello, and other notable names.

Mose took another break from Atlantic before re-emerging in 1970 with producer Joel Dorn (Roberta Flack, Bette Midler) and an ensemble featuring brass and woodwinds for Hello There, Universe.  The reintroduction wasn't well-received at the time but today seems prescient as Mose delved more into the charged political landscape of the time with "Monsters of the Id."  He tipped his hat to the past, as always, with Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's "Blues in the Night" - already a blues classic via Big Joe Turner's rendition.  Dorn and Allison took things a step further with 1971's Western Man, featuring the leader on electric piano supported by electric bassist Chuck Rainey and drummer Billy Cobham (Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra).  This old-new fusion extended to the material which encompassed re-recordings in the new style, diverse covers, and originals alike.

A live album arrived next in 1972, but Mose retreated from the recording studio until 1976's Your Mind Is on Vacation.  Not that he'd been absent from performing; he'd toured with Bonnie Raitt and opened for Joan Armatrading.  Your Mind was overseen by Nesuhi Ertegun and produced by Ilhan Mimaroglu, and featured just four new songs plus more reinterpretations from his back catalogue and the usual, well-chosen covers.  Saxophonists David Sanborn, Joe Farrell, and Al Cohn as well as trumpeter Al Porcino goosed the LP with a burst of energy but it proved to be the pianist's Atlantic farewell.

Allison sat out the rest of the decade and the dawn of the 1980s, but in 1982 he accepted an invitation from Elektra Records' Bruce Lundvall to join the newly-established Elektra Musician jazz offshoot.  The sixth and final disc of Strawberry's collection has Mose's two LPs for the label, both from 1982.  Middle Class White Boy was recorded in the studio with producer Esmond Edwards who enlisted the returning Joe Farrell as well as guitarist Phil Upchurch.  The latter's electric guitar added yet another color to Allison's well-established sound.  He wrote four new songs for the occasion as well as continuing his penchant for revisiting past work and reinventing standards.  Lessons in Living, the final album on the box, was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival with such guests as Jack Bruce, Lou Donaldson, Eric Gale, and Billy Cobham.  The audience clearly enjoyed Allison's trip down Memory Lane with such classics as "Everybody's Cryin' Mercy," "Your Mind Is on Vacation," and "Wild Man on the Loose."

Mose Allison went on to follow Bruce Lundvall to Blue Note.  In 1996, he joined Van Morrison, Georgie Fame, and Ben Sidran to participate in their tribute to him, and in 2009 he released his final album on the hip ANTI- label.  The Way of the World was his first album in 12 years and showed that his creative spark hadn't dimmed at all.

The Complete Atlantic/Elektra Albums 1962-1983 is housed in a clamshell case.  Each disc is in an individual sleeve reprinting cover artwork for the two LPs within.  The 36-page booklet has compilation producer Bob Fisher's detailed liner notes plus credits for each album.  Simon Murphy has remastered.  This collection makes it clear that Allison, who died in 2016 at the age of 89, stayed true to himself and his own style despite the changing sound of music.  Even limited commercial success didn't keep him from inspiring generations of talented musicians.  Thanks to this set, a major chunk of discography is once again available at a reasonable price.  Someone hearing his music for the first time might well feel the way Ray Davies did, as quoted in the booklet: "When I discovered Mose Allison I felt I had discovered the missing link between jazz and blues."  The Complete Atlantic/Elektra Albums 1962-1983 is available now at the links below.

Mose Allison, The Complete Atlantic/Elektra Albums 1962-1983 (Cherry Red/Strawberry QCRJAMBOX003, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1:
I DON'T WORRY ABOUT A THING (ATLANTIC LP SD 1389, 1962)

1. I DON'T WORRY ABOUT A THING
2. IT DIDN'T TURN OUT THAT WAY
3. YOUR MIND IS ON VACATION
4. LET ME SEE
5. EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS
6. STAND BY
7. IDYLL
8. THE WELL
9. MEET ME AT NO SPECIAL PLACE
10. THE SONG IS ENDED

SWINGIN' MACHINE (ATLANTIC LP SD 1398, 1962)

11. SWINGIN' MACHINE
12. DO IT
13. STOP THIS WORLD
14. PROMENADE
15. IF YOU'RE GOIN' TO THE CITY
16. SARITHA
17. I AIN'T GOT NOTHING BUT THE BLUES
18. SO RARE

CD 2:
THE WORD FROM MOSE (ATLANTIC SD 1424, 1964)

1. FOOLKILLER
2. ONE OF THESE DAYS
3. LOOK HERE
4. DAYS LIKE THIS
5. YOUR RED WAGON
6. I'M THE WILD MAN
7. ROLLIN' STONE
8. NEW PARCHMAN
9. DON'T FORGET TO SMILE
10. I'M NOT TALKING
11. LOST MIND

WILD MAN ON THE LOOSE (ATLANTIC SD 1456, 1965)

12. WILD MAN ON THE LOOSE
13. NO TROUBLE LIVIN'
14. NIGHT WATCH
15. WHAT'S WITH YOU
16. POWERHOUSE
17. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO DO MY PART
18. NEVER MORE
19. THAT'S THE STUFF YOU GOTTA WATCH
20. WAR HORSE

CD 3:
MOSE ALIVE! (ATLANTIC SD 1450, 1965)

1. SMASHED
2. SEVENTH SON
3. FOOL'S PARADISE
4. I LOVE THE LIFE I LIVE
5. SINCE I FELL FOR YOU
6. LOVE FOR SALE
7. BABY PLEASE DON'T GO
8. THAT'S ALRIGHT
9. PARCHMAN FARM
10. TELL ME SOMETHIN'
11. THE CHASER

I'VE BEEN DOING SOME THINKIN' (ATLANTIC SD 1511, 1968)

12. JUST LIKE LIVIN'
13. CITY HOME
14. IF YOU'RE GOIN' TO THE CITY
15. NOW YOU SEE IT
16. YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
17. YOUR MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
18. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO
19. IF YOU REALLY LOVED ME
20. EVERYBODY CRYIN' MERCY
21. I FEEL SO GOOD
22. LET IT COME DOWN
23. BACK ON THE CORNER

CD 4:
HELLO THERE, UNIVERSE (ATLANTIC SD 1550, 1970)

1. SOMEBODY GOTTA MOVE
2. MONSTERS OF THE ID
3. I DON'T WANT MUCH
4. HELLO THERE, UNIVERSE
5. NO EXIT
6. WILD MAN ON THE LOOSE
7. BLUES IN THE NIGHT
8. I'M SMASHED
9. HYMN TO EVERYTHING
10. ON THE RUN

WESTERN MAN (ATLANTIC SD 1584, 1971)

11. IF YOU ONLY NEW
12. HOW MUCH TRUTH
13. BENIDICTION
14. NIGHT CLUB
15. DO NOTHING TILL YOU HEAR FROM ME
16. MOUNTAINS
17. WESTERN MAN
18. ASK ME NICE
19. TELL ME SOMETHING
20. IF YOU'VE GOT THE MONEY, I'VE GOT THE TIME
21. MEADOWS

CD 5:
MOSE IN YOUR EAR (ATLANTIC SD 1627, 1972)

1. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO
2. FOOL'S PARADISE
3. I DON'T WORRY ABOUT A THING
4. POWERHOUSE
5. HEY GOOD LOOKIN'
6. I AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES
7. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO DO MY PART
8. YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
9. DON'T FORGET TO SMILE
10. THE SEVENTH SON

YOUR MIND IS ON VACATION (ATLANTIC SD 1691, 1976)

11. YOUR MIND IS ON VACATION
12. FOOLIN' MYSELF
13. NO MATTER
14. ONE OF THESE DAYS
15. I FEEL SO GOOD
16. FIRES OF SPRING
17. IF YOU ONLY KNEW
18. I CAN'T SEE FOR LOOKIN'
19. WHAT DO YOU DO AFTER YOU RUIN YOUR LIFE
20. SWINGIN' MACHINE
21. PERFECT MOMENT
22. YOUR MOLECULAR STRUCTURE

CD 6:
MIDDLE CLASS WHITE BOY (ELEKTRA/MUSICIAN E1-60125, 1982)

1. HOW DOES IT FEEL (TO BE GOOD LOOKING)?
2. ROLLIN' STONE
3. I DON'T WANT MUCH
4. MIDDLE CLASS WHITE BOY
5. WHEN MY DREAMBOAT COMES HOME
6. I'M NOBODY TODAY
7. I'M JUST A LUCKY SO-AND-SO
8. BACK DOWN SOUTH
9. THE TENNESSEE WALTZ
10. HELLO THERE, UNIVERSE
11. KIDDIN' ON THE SQUARE

LESSONS IN LIVING (ELEKTRA/MUSICIAN E1-60237, 1982)

12. LOST MIND
13. WILD MAN ON THE LOOSE
14. YOUR MIND IS ON VACATION
15. YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
16. SEVENTH SON
17. EVERYBODY CRYIN' MERCY
18. MIDDLE CLASS WHITE BOY
19. I DON'T WORRY ABOUT A THING
20. NIGHT CLUB