Mount Allen III ’11G Builds Bridges Through Jazz
Apr. 23, 2024
By Dave Block
Growing up in Detroit with a pianist as a father, Mount Allen III ’11G was encouraged to explore music. But while his sister, Geri Allen, became a renowned jazz pianist, composer, and educator, Mount Allen’s musical efforts fell short of his melodious ambition.
Allen would make landmark contributions to music in different ways.
Starting a Career in Music
The journey to a career in music began in an unlikely way: Allen was traveling around to present no-money-down real estate seminars.
“It was the low point of my life,” he says. “As a result of working for a company that failed to pay my wages, I experienced homelessness in association with that period. But it did show me the possibility of working in a venue as opposed to bringing things there of questionable quality.”
Allen landed a position opening and working for Modesto Centre Plaza, a multipurpose convention center in California. Seeking to transition from the convention center segment to concert venues, he volunteered with the hosting of arts activities in the area over the next seven years and learned more through professional development, funding much of it himself.
“Thankfully, I had a very supportive supervisor who allowed me to count my participation at conferences and meetings as time worked,” says Allen. “As a result, I embedded myself in the cultural arts professional community. When the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) was being built, I was recognized as both a venue opener and a member of the performing arts community. NJPAC approached me and asked if I would like to join their opening team.”
His experience at NJPAC paved the way to join Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, which he helped open in 2004 as the first performing arts center in the United States designed specifically for jazz.
As director of scheduling, Allen coordinated facility rentals in between the jazz program’s events. Witnessing performances by jazz greats such as McCoy Tyner, Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, Abbey Lincoln, Branford Marsalis, Vijay Iyer, resident artistic director Wynton Marsalis, as well as his sister, Geri, was an invaluable perk of the job.
