Born on June 12, 1957 in Pontiac, Michigan, Geri Allen was a jazz pianist,
composer and educator. Growing up in Detroit, she began playing the piano at the
age of 7. In her early teens, she turned her attention to jazz piano. She
studied jazz at Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating in 1979. After
spending time in New York studying with pianist Kenny Barron, she completed her
master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh in 1982. Returning to New York,
she became involved with the M-Base collective, which was a group of young
African-American musicians expressing th...