68-year-old Mose Allison stepped out of a cab while we (me, Lonnie, and my youngest daughter) were standing nearby, and we did not at first recognize him. He wore a baseball-type cap, and casual clothes, went directly to the counter to order a cup of coffee, and walked around the room with a gentle smile on his face as if he hadn't a care in the world. His performance gave off the very same effect. I made the right decision (inviting my daughter) because she said afterwards that she could relate to both the lyrics' meaning and the style, since she listens to hip-hop and rap, where the lyrics are rather difficult to understand. You have to concentrate to pick up on the subtleties of the Mose Allison lyrics, but it's not what I consider hard work.

Mose was accompanied by local bassist Trey Henry, who was reading the music, and at times got a bit confused. The leadership from Allison, however, was dynamic and forceful; there are a lot of years and a lot of backup players behind those nods, glances, verbal cues, and gestures that get the job done without fuss. How does Mose Allison keep so youthful and energetic? I think his voice sounds better today and on his latest recording than it did on his earlier recordings. And his piano playing is a joy to watch; full of energy and motion. Like Nat King Cole, Mose is able to fill for himself quite well while singing, and manages to extend each vocal phrase through his keyboard work. He seems to favor fast, two-handed piano fills over the standard harmony-and-melody-line approach.

Did you know Mose Allison sings to himself like Keith Jarrett does? If we weren't in the front row face-to-face with him, we probably would have never known. He did several numbers in a quasi-classical vein without voice, and it was quite noticeable there. Once he started singing, though, it was quickly forgotten. Mose pushes that vocal microphone away from him when he is not singing.

In all, Mose did 34 songs for us; some I recognized, some I didn't. On "I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues" he included a piano interlude that expressed an instrumental blues with abandon. His piano work was especially exciting on "I'm The Wild Man," "Your Molecular Structure," "If You're Goin' To The City," and "Your Mind's On Vacation." Several of the songs used different approaches, however, with rocking piano sounds reminiscent of boogie-woogie or rock-and-roll to fit the meaning of the lyrics. "Seventh Son," for example used a piano backdrop similar to the instrumental ensemble backing that made that song a hit years ago. Mose presented a tribute to Nat King Cole with "Meet Me At No Special Place," with its quaint lyrics, to the accompaniment of a rompin' two-handed approach. With the twist of "You Are My Sunshine" in a minor key, you realize that Mose is a creative entertainer, but his piano work demonstrates that he has always been first a pianist and second a singer. No match for the voice of Joe Williams or Mel Torme, Mose Allison is instead a witty lyricist, a thrilling pianist, and a soulful blues belter.