Meet the Instructor
Luther Allison
Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina Luther S. Allison is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in both piano and drum set. In 2017 Allison earned his BM in Studio Music & Jazz from The University of Tennessee and his MM in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University in 2019. Early on in his collegiate studies Allison was recruited by trombonist Michael Dease to record on his 2016 release Father Figure with Posi-Tone Records, becoming Allison’s professional recording debut at 19 years old. Soon after Allison went on to record as a sideman on several more albums with Posi-Tone Records including Diego Rivera’s Connections (piano) Michael Dease’s Reaching Out (piano), Dease’s Give It All You Got (drums), Dease’s Never More Here (piano), and Markus Howell’s Get Right (drums). Allison is a Grammy Award Winning Pianist with Samara Joy on her 2023 release “Tight”, and performed on the Grammy Stage alongside Samara Joy the year prior.
Upon graduation, Allison moved to New York City where he quickly became a regular on the bandstand at some of the city’s premiere jazz clubs including Dizzy’s, Smalls Jazz Club, The Jazz Standard, Mezzrow, Smoke Jazz Club, and Minton’s. Allison has performed nationally and internationally alongside the likes of Rodney Whitaker, Jazzmeia Horn, The Baylor Project, Samara Joy, Gregory Tardy, Ulysses Owens Jr. and many more. In 2024 Allison won his first Grammy Award as accompanist for Samara Joy in the category for Best Jazz Performance. In addition to teaching on faculty every year at the Brevard Jazz Institute summer camp in North Carolina, Allison has worked as a clinician in Mexico, China, Japan, Switzerland, St. Lucia, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Outside of his work as a sideman, Allison band-leads his trio, sextet, and octet featuring original compositions and arrangements rooted in his influences from all forms of black american music.
Educational background:
University of Tennessee (B.M.)
Michigan State University (M.M.)
Professional career: Musician, Composer, Arranger, Educator
Meet the Instructor
Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina Luther S. Allison is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in both piano and drum set. In 2017 Allison earned his BM in Studio Music & Jazz from The University of Tennessee and his MM in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University in 2019. Early on in his collegiate studies Allison was recruited by trombonist Michael Dease to record on his 2016 release Father Figure with Posi-Tone Records, becoming Allison’s professional recording debut at 19 years old. Soon after Allison went on to record as a sideman on several more albums with Posi-Tone Records including Diego Rivera’s Connections (piano) Michael Dease’s Reaching Out (piano), Dease’s Give It All You Got (drums), Dease’s Never More Here (piano), and Markus Howell’s Get Right (drums). Allison is a Grammy Award Winning Pianist with Samara Joy on her 2023 release “Tight”, and performed on the Grammy Stage alongside Samara Joy the year prior.
Upon graduation, Allison moved to New York City where he quickly became a regular on the bandstand at some of the city’s premiere jazz clubs including Dizzy’s, Smalls Jazz Club, The Jazz Standard, Mezzrow, Smoke Jazz Club, and Minton’s. Allison has performed nationally and internationally alongside the likes of Rodney Whitaker, Jazzmeia Horn, The Baylor Project, Samara Joy, Gregory Tardy, Ulysses Owens Jr. and many more. In 2024 Allison won his first Grammy Award as accompanist for Samara Joy in the category for Best Jazz Performance. In addition to teaching on faculty every year at the Brevard Jazz Institute summer camp in North Carolina, Allison has worked as a clinician in Mexico, China, Japan, Switzerland, St. Lucia, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Outside of his work as a sideman, Allison band-leads his trio, sextet, and octet featuring original compositions and arrangements rooted in his influences from all forms of black american music.
Educational background:
University of Tennessee (B.M.)
Michigan State University (M.M.)
Professional career: Musician, Composer, Arranger, Educator
