Eyes in the Back of Your Head

Eyes in the Back of Your Head
Eyes in the Back of Your Head
Studio album by Geri Allen
Released	August 12, 1997
Recorded	December 14 & 15, 1995 and March 1, 1996; Clinton Recording Studios, NYC
Genre	Jazz
Length	54:51
Label	Blue Note CDP 8 38297
Producer	Geri Allen, Herb Jordan & Teo Macero
Geri Allen chronology

Eyes in the Back of Your Head is an album by pianist Geri Allen recorded in late 1995 and early 1996 and released on the Blue Note label.^[1]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]

Allmusic awarded the album 4½ stars, stating, "The music is mostly avant-garde, but purposeful and logical in its own fashion. Well worth several listens".^[2] JazzTimes stated "In conversation she's a thoroughly grounded woman, in music she brings that as well as a sense of storytelling and picture painting that never borders on the precious, and this recording is equal parts-pure Geri Allen, always rewarding".^[3]

Track listing[]

All compositions by Geri Allen except as indicated

"Mother Wit" - 3:05
"New Eyes Opening" - 5:37
"Vertical Flowing" (Geri Allen, Ornette Coleman) - 5:27
"M.O.P.E." - 6:11
"FMFMF (For My Family, for My Friends)" - 5:34
"Dark Eyes" (Geri Allen, Wallace Roney) - 4:20
"Little Waltz" (Ron Carter) - 6:11
"In the Back of Your Head" (Allen, Roney) - 5:52
"Windows to the Soul" - 5:11
"The Eyes Have It" (Allen, Ornette Coleman) - 7:23

Personnel[]

Geri Allen - piano, synthesizer
Wallace Roney - trumpet (tracks 4, 6, 8 & 9)
Ornette Coleman - alto saxophone (tracks 3 & 10)
Cyro Baptista - percussion (tracks 1, 4 & 6)

References[]

^ Geri Allen catalog, accessed July 1, 2014
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Yanow, S., Allmusic Review accessed July 1, 2014
^ Jenkins, W., JazzTimes Review, October 1997

[1] Geri Allen catalog, accessed July 1, 2014

[Allmusic-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b Yanow, S., Allmusic Review accessed July 1, 2014

[3] Jenkins, W., JazzTimes Review, October 1997

[1]

[2]

[3]

show v t Geri Allen
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, except where noted.
Albums as leader or co-leader	The Printmakers (1984) Home Grown (1985) Open on All Sides in the Middle (1986) In the Year of the Dragon (1989) Segments (1989) Twylight (1989) Live at the Village Vanguard (1990) The Nurturer (1990) Maroons (1992) Twenty One (1994) Eyes in the Back of Your Head (1995–96) Some Aspects of Water (1996) The Gathering (1998) The Life of a Song (2004) Timeless Portraits and Dreams (2006) Flying Toward the Sound (2008) Geri Allen & Timeline Live (2009) A Child Is Born (2011) Grand River Crossings (2012)
With Oliver Lake	Expandable Language (1984) Otherside (1988) Talkin' Stick (1997) At This Time (2008)
With others	Movies (Franco Ambrosetti, 1986) Movies Too (Franco Ambrosetti, 1988) The Collective (Cecil Brooks III, 1989) Duet in Detroit (Roy Brooks, 1989) Droppin' Things (Betty Carter, 1990) Feed the Fire (Betty Carter, 1993) Sound Museum: Hidden Man (Ornette Coleman, 1996) Sound Museum: Three Women (Ornette Coleman, 1996) Motherland Pulse (Steve Coleman, 1985) Flute Talk (Buddy Collette, 1988) Etudes (Charlie Haden, 1987) The Montreal Tapes: with Geri Allen and Paul Motian (Charlie Haden, 1989) The Montreal Tapes: Liberation Music Orchestra (Charlie Haden, 1989) Reflections in Change (Craig Handy, 1999) Lift Every Voice (Charles Lloyd, 2002) Jumping the Creek (Charles Lloyd, 2004) Decision in Paradise (Frank Lowe, 1984) Monk in Motian (Paul Motian, 1988) Mindgames (Greg Osby, 1988) Living on the Edge (Dewey Redman, 1989) Crunchin' (Wallace Roney, 1993) Munchin' (Wallace Roney, 1993) Bemsha Swing (Woody Shaw, 1986) By Any Means Necessary (Gary Thomas, 1989)