Eric Allison

Although he has been a professional since he was 15, Eric Allison did not make his recording debut as a leader until he was 45 when he cut the highly enjoyable Mean Streets Beat (Contemporary). Allison became interested in jazz while in junior high school and was originally mostly self-taught on alto. After attending Northwestern University and the University of Miami, he settled in Florida and worked steadily in clubs since the mid-'70s, gigging with pianist Eddie Higgins and the New Gene Krupa Orchestra and gaining a strong local reputation. A versatile player whose gigs have ranged from Dixieland to funk, Allison is at his best on cooking bop-oriented jazz.