About Allen Blairman

Allen Blairman who has started his career as professional musicians more than 50 years ago (in 1955!) in Pittsburgh, and he recorded his first album for CBS with Charly Bell (father of Marcus Miller's drummer Poogy Bell) in the year 1959 (produced by John Hammond!). He has played with almost all of the jazz greats from Jimmy Smith to George Benson, from Roland Kirk to Dexter Gordon, from Chet Baker to Albert Mangelsdorff and Karl Berger, from Mal Waldron to Albert Ayler whose famous last recordings with him at the "Fondation Maeght" were just re-released. He grew up in Pittsburgh, a town with a strong jazz scene with a lot of jam sessions at clubs and at his parent's house with all the famous jazzmen coming through town. His first group was the Alden Jazz Quartett and he played a lot with bass player John Hurt, with Nelson Harrisson (trombone), George Green (tenorsax), Jerry Byrd (git) and his brother Wendell Byrd (organ), Jimmy Rogers (trumpet), Richard Gaither (piano), Santi Powell (organ), Sonny Stenton (tenor sax), Mickey Bass (bs). Other famous players from that strong Pittsburgh scene were George Benson, Larry Smith (alto), the Turrentine brothers, organ player Gene Ludwig.

Allen Blairman was born in Pittsburgh, PA on August 13th, 1940.
He moved to Washington in 1964 and lived from 1968-71 in New York.
With Karl Berger he came 1971 to Heidelberg. In the following years he toured with bands all over Europe as well as South America and Japan. He lived in Berlin, Zürich, Munich and finally returned to Heidelberg where he is still performing with his "Trio Variety" and several other groups.


Discography

Just visit: Amazon-Link to Edgar Loesel's list


Played with...

Albert Ayler
Chet Baker
George Benson
Karl Berger
Ron Carter
George Coleman
Kenny Dorham
Kenny Drew
Dexter Gordon
Charlie Haden
Joe Haider
Slide Hampton
Johnny Hartmann
Joe Henderson
Carmel Jones
Lee Konitz
Peter Kowald
Dodo Mamoroso
Charlie Mariano
Wayne Marsh
Charles Mingus
Horace Parlan
King Pleasure
Pony Poindexter
Lou Rawls
Dizzy Reese
Manfred Schoof
Woody Shaw
Archie Shepp
Lennie Tristano
Stanley Turrentine
Mal Waldron
Jimmy Woode
Leo Wright
And many others!