Memphis, Tennessee. MIT. Carolina Piedmont. Silicon Valley. Blues in Mississippi. Taiko in Kyoto. Lee is on a quest, and it shows in his music.
The quest? To go beyond diversity and variety. Learning how we each are different is just a start; Lee is exploring how we are the same. And it shows in his music.
The goal? Bring out the best of every music. "The most important quality of a good arranger is insight", says Allen. "You've got to size up the song as though it were a person - it actually is somebody's baby, you know." Bring out the key strengths of the song, apply insight, look at the song a new way - the result is an arrangement that speaks directly to the listener's heart.
Insight, in this case, has been gained from a varied playing history that started when Lee began playing Memphis nightclubs at the age of 14 (don't tell!) in the late 60's. The band in which Lee played became one of the most popular club, touring and show bands in late-60’s and early 70’s Memphis. Their work included backing Ollie and the Nightengales, soul- and beach-music legend Major Lance, and once opening for blues legend Bobby Womack.
“Memphis will always have a special place in American music history because it was the musical home of Elvis, BB King, Isaac Hayes, Al Green and dozens of other artists -- all at the same time. It was very exciting to be a small part of this historic explosion and celebration of talent.”
Later, while a student at MIT, Lee helped introduce a gospel choir to the MIT campus, and held the pianist position in the school's A-list jazz band for his entire attendance until graduating from MIT (and was also student-government president!).
One summer job during Lee's college years consisted of organizing friends into yet another band and touring Mississippi once more with soul and blues legend Ollie Nightingale and with a blues artist known only as "Big Daddy". Ten days after the end of the tour, Lee was back in Boston, playing for the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Herb Pomeroy of the Berklee School of Music.
During the '80's, Lee Allen was an arranger and accompanist for various performers including the Gene Roberts Trio (left), and also began his current solo music business. During the '90's, Lee additionally organized music programs in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Silicon Valley, California.
Lee does not use any high-minded labels for his work. "It's just pop, influenced by jazz and some other things," Lee says. "But I believe that pop music is very important because it is the prime indicator of where the general population stands musically at any given time."
"Music is a language of feelings and emotions. So, when I arrange or compose, I imagine "the listener" saying 'I am opening a door to my feelings, don't abuse my trust'. I understand that everybody likes a wild ride now and then, but I leave that music for others to make."
Lee seeks the themes that unify us and inspire us, that build us up. And it shows in his music.
Memphis, Tennessee. MIT. Carolina Piedmont. Silicon Valley. Blues in Mississippi. Taiko in Kyoto. Lee is on a quest, and it shows in his music.
Insight, in this case, has been gained from a varied playing history that started when Lee began playing Memphis nightclubs at the age of 14 (don't tell!) in the late 60's. The band in which Lee played became one of the most popular club, touring and show bands in late-60’s and early 70’s Memphis. Their work included backing 
“Memphis will always have a special place in American music history because it was the musical home of Elvis, BB King, Isaac Hayes, Al Green and dozens of other artists -- all at the same time. It was very exciting to be a small part of this historic explosion and celebration of talent.” 
During the '80's, Lee Allen was an arranger and accompanist for various performers including the Gene Roberts Trio (left), and also began his current solo music business. During the '90's, Lee additionally organized music programs in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Silicon Valley, California.