Luther S. Allison

Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Luther S. Allison is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in both piano and drum set. Allison earned his B.M. in Studio Music & Jazz from The University of Tennessee in 2017 and his M.M. in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University in 2019. After graduation, Allison moved to New York City where he quickly became a regular on the bandstand at jazz clubs, including Dizzy’s, Smalls Jazz Club, The Jazz Standard, Mezzrow, Smoke Jazz Club, and Minton’s Playhouse. He has performed nationally and internationally alongside Rodney Whitaker, Jazzmeia Horn, The Baylor Project, Samara Joy, Gregory Tardy, and Ulysses Owens Jr, among others. In addition to his work as a sideman, Allison leads his trio, sextet, and octet featuring original compositions and arrangements rooted in R&B, country, and gospel, and co-leads a project with dancer John Manzari. He made his professional recording debut at 19 years old after being recruited by trombonist Michael Dease to record on his 2016 release Father Figure with Posi-Tone Records. He also appears as a sideman on several other albums with Posi-Tone Records including Diego Rivera’s Connections (piano); Dease’s Reaching Out (piano), Give It All You Got (drums), and Never More Here (piano); and Markus Howell’s Get Right (drums). In addition to teaching on the faculty at the Brevard Jazz Institute summer camp in North Carolina, Allison has worked as a clinician in Mexico, China, Japan, Switzerland, St. Lucia, Trinidad, and Tobago. He is currently based in New York City where he serves as Director of Percussion and Adjunct Jazz Faculty at The Calhoun School. Allison is a Yamaha Artist.