Jazzpianistin Geri Allen ist gestorben

Die US-amerikanische Geri Allen Jazz-Pianistin, Komponistin, Musikethnologin und Hochschullehrerin ist am 27. Juni 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania gestorben. Kurz nach ihrem 60. Geburtstag verlor sie den Kampf gegen den Krebs, eine Erkrankung, die sie nicht öffentlich machte. Ein Mitglied unserer Netzwerkes, die deutsche Jazzpianistin und Komponistin Monika Herzig, die seit vielen Jahren in den USA lebt, erinnert sich an sie auf ihrer Homepage: „She was our SHero [Heldin, Anm. der Red] in so many regards – an outstanding musician, a historian, a nurturer, rather than a female version of someone else (…) She was also (…) in so many regards an inspiration for me beyond the musical genius of Herbie Hancock. I got to chat with her several times – always soft-spoken and friendly and humble and encouraging. My sense is that beyond the jazz lovers, her name was not as well-known as it deserves, certainly not as well as Herbie Hancock’s name. Here she talks about her career just a year ago. That was not due to musical abilities – being humble, nurturing, eclectic in interests and activities, female, and taking care of three children are not traits that get rewarded with popularity but make the deepest impact on all of us. Thank you for being a role model to many of us, we will honor your memory!“