For the better part of three decades, the pianist has been widely recognized as one of the fiercest and most inventive pianists in improvised music. Here, she rides the rhythmic boost of a particularly kinetic quartet, featuring tap dancer Maurice Chestnut.

Geri Allen backstage with host Josh Jackson.

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

Kassa Overall.

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

Outside 92Y Tribeca.

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

Geri Allen's Timeline is the trio of Allen, bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Kassa Overall with tap dancer Maurice Chestnut (not pictured).

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

Kenny Davis.

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

Geri Allen.

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

Maurice Chestnut.

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

Maurice Chestnut.

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

Geri Allen.

John Rogers for NPR / johnrogersnyc.com

For the better part of three decades, pianist Geri Allen has been widely recognized as one of the fiercest and most inventive pianists in improvised music. Her projects have a way of being historically informed and on the leading edge at once, and her current touring quartet, Timeline, is no exception. With longtime bassist Kenny Davis and the inventive young drummer Kassa Overall, Allen adds the percussive wildcard of tap dancer Maurice Chestnut. The band harkens back to jazz traditions past; at the same time, it belongs in the swimming-in-rhythm present.

In a twin bill with The Cookers, Geri Allen and Timeline performed at the 92Y Tribeca in downtown New York City as part of the WBGO concert series The Checkout: Live. WBGO and NPR Music present a live radio broadcast and online video webcast, heard here. For the full concert archive of this series, visit npr.org/checkoutlive.

Set List

• "Drummer's Song" (Allen)
• "Another Hairdo" (Parker)
• "Unconditional Love" (Carrington)
• "Philly Joe" (Allen) [video highlight]
• "Christmas Medley: Silent Night/A Child Is Born/Angels We Have Heard On High" (Gruber/Jones/Traditional)

Personnel

• Geri Allen, piano
• Kenny Davis, bass
• Kassa Overall, drums
• Maurice Chestnut, tap dance

Credits

Producer and Host: Josh Jackson; Audio Engineer: David Tallacksen; Production Assistant: Michael Downes; Video Director: Stew Nachmias. Recorded Dec. 12, 2012 at 92Y Tribeca in New York, N.Y. Photo by John Rogers for NPR.

Copyright 2013 WBGO-FM. To see more, visit http://www.wbgo.org.

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