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Bob Allison -
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 Thirty-five years ago Newburyport’s Bob Allison was studying economics at Yale. Sort of. Even then he knew his heart wasn’t in it. What he really liked was music: singing with the Yale Alley Cats and Yale Glee Club, playing tenor sax with R & B group "Prince La-La and the Soul Toads," and spending hours working out tunes at pianos scattered across the campus. After a career that included 15+ years with the National Bureau of Economic Research and several United Nations’ assignments in Africa, the student-musician has resurfaced as Newburyport’s Piano Man.About a year and a half ago Bob decided to devote more time to developing his keyboard techniques and building his piano repertoire. His favorite material comes from the heart of the American songbook: Gershwin, Porter, Ellington, and Rodgers & Hart feature heavily in his song selections. A turning point came early last year when the Nigerian government (then a military dictatorship) refused to issue him a visa to observe that country’s presidential election as part of a team from the Carter Center in Atlanta. "I decided to quit swimming against the stream and go with the flow for a change…and that flow was obviously playing the piano." Last June he took the plunge by quitting his "day job" as a development office staffer at Judge Baker Children’s Center in Boston to pursue piano playing as a full-time career. He says put "career" in quotes since the earning power of a relatively new solo piano player is rather limited. "Without my wife’s enthusiastic personal and financial support this level of concentration on music just wouldn’t be possible," Bob admits. Just like in college days Bob is always eager for a chance to play. Any place there’s a piano with an empty chair in front of it he’s ready to sit in. After joining Newburyport’s Dalton Club in 1991 he was encouraged to play for club parties and holiday events. Over the past year he has performed at a number of local establishments such as Rossi’s, State Street Grill, Caffe di Siena, Scandia, and the Hungry Traveler. He recently got the call to fill in at Joseph’s Winter Street Café when one of their regular pianists was out with the flu. Bob has taken his skills (and often his keyboard as well) to venues in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex, Ipswich, and Marblehead. In Boston he has played regularly at Lily’s Café in the Faneuil Hall Market, Atlantic 101 Restaurant (near the Aquarium), the Marriott Custom House Resort, and the Encore Lounge at Tremont House Hotel. Last summer he entertained passengers aboard the Majestic Princess charter yacht in Boston Harbor. More locally, Bob has donated his services to the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce, the Brown School PTO, the Opportunity Workshop, and Brigham Manor Nursing Home. Besides working on his own and "playing out" as much as possible, Bob has been helped by a number of local musicians. "I’m particularly grateful to several local players who have inspired, encouraged and tutored me along the way: Lou Silvestri of Amesbury, Alex Adrian of West Boxford, Rick Ives of Rockport, and Malcolm Carnwath of Newburyport have all contributed to my growth as a musician – albeit a late-blooming one. I feel like I’ve grown more as a player in the past two years than over the past two decades and I’m really getting a kick out of it," just proof that when it comes to music you can teach an old dog new "licks." Bob expects to release his first CD next month, selections from his live performance at the "Millennium Celebration" New Year’s Eve at Scandia. You can currently catch him in Newburyport with vocalist Sue Creed at the jazz brunch on Sundays at the State Street Grill/Bella Cenas…and eventually at lots of other places where there is a piano waiting to be played. Back to Top |
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