Mose Allison: Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
Track
Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
Artist
Mose Allison (piano, vocals)
CD
Autumn Song (Prestige OJCD 6004)
Musicians:
Mose Allison (piano, vocals), Addison Farmer (bass),
Ronnie Free (drums)
.Composed by Duke Ellington & Bob Russell
.Recorded: New York, February 13, 1959
Rating: 90/100 (learn more)
Some folks call Mose Allison the "William Faulkner of jazz." But let's be honest, Absalom, Absalom! isn't half as much fun as a night out with Mose. Like Faulkner, Allison hails from Mississippi. But he espouses a bohemian, big-city, coffeehouse philosophy that has come a long way since his basket arrived in the bulrushes of Tallahatchie County back in the year of the Great Flood.
Allison has a way of imparting wry double meanings to lyrics, and this talent serves him well in interpreting Ellington's standard. These are strange lyrics, in which the singer practically admits to having an affair with another gal (True, I've been seen / With someone new . . .), but insists on a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for infidelities. Honestly, everybody in this tune should go see a relationship counselor. But while we are waiting for that, we can at least enjoy Mose's innuendo-laden delivery of this bit of musical philandering.
Reviewer: Ted Gioia
Tags: do nothin till you hear from me · ellington covers
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