Zebra Stories by Steve Allee

‘Zebra Stories’ – Liner Notes – Steve Allee

‘Zebras,’ a playful term coined by my mentors—pianist Claude Sifferlen and drummer John Von Ohlen, both veterans of the Woody Herman & Stan Kenton bands —captures a unique approach to non-traditional musical harmony and an embracing view of world music. I’ve often wondered if it was also a metaphor for the black and white keys of the piano. I never knew for sure; it was deeper than that. I just loved the mystery of these new sounds.

As a teenager, when I heard Claude play, it was the first time I had encountered these harmonies. They instantly resonated with me, just as they did with many musicians in the Indianapolis area. Claude composed six pieces known as “Zebra I – VI,” and John, who learned them all, would sometimes add his own voicings, often laughing at having unraveled another musical riddle. John also created his own compositions using these captivating harmonies, some of which were recorded on his solo piano album, The Pond. Claude’s solo album, Every Time We Say Goodbye, features several of his Zebra works as well.

I was eager to join this “music club” and felt thrilled when invited to be part of John’s group, the Baron Von Ohlen Quartet. When Claude and I played these new songs, combining the Fender Rhodes and Organ sounds, sometimes with vocals (without words) it was as if a ‘new hybrid sound’ was created. The balance and touch had to be just right for this to happen. We called it the ‘Zebra sound’.
With the quartet we recorded ‘The Baron’ on Stan Kenton’s Creative World label. In this ensemble, with John on drums and Mary Ann Moss on vocals, Claude and I blended acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboard bass, and the Farfisa organ, developing this sound. We were fortunate to perform with this group six nights a week for a couple of years.
When John decided to expand this Zebra sound into a big band, we added guitar, vibes, voice, and percussion. This new configuration led to the recording of the Downtown Blues and Live albums. Inspired by our sound, younger musicians like pianist Steve Corn, drummer Greg Corn, bassist Joe Deal, and drummer Mike Mechem formed their own groups embracing this style.

Fast forward several decades, and we continue to celebrate this sound while writing new compositions. With longtime, collaborators and the dedicated encouragement of the ‘AHA Trio’, drummer Steve Houghton, (Freddie Hubbard, Woody Herman, Lyle Mays) and bassist Jeremy Allen, (Bob Brookmeyer) we called on vibist, Rusty Burge, Rob Dixon, tenor sax, (Charlie Hunter, Mike Clark), Frank Glover, clarinet and vocalists Erin Benedict and John Brewer to join us in this adventure. On Zebra Stories we honor the legacy of this unique musical journey. I am deeply grateful to these wonderfully talented artists for their exceptional contributions to this project.

Last May we recorded two new big band albums that pay tribute to the Indianapolis sound, affectionately known as the 'Naptown Sound' combined with 'Zebra Sound.' Both albums, Naptown Sound and Full Circle, by the Steve Allee Big Band, are set to be released in the Spring and Fall of 2025.

‘Zebra Stories’ pays tribute to Claude Sifferlen, John Von Ohlen, and Steve Corn.
Steve Allee

Steve was born in Indianapolis, IN. He studied with pianist Claude Sifferlen and joined the Buddy Rich band at age 19. Steve is a Yamaha Performing Artist and has performed with
Slide Hampton, James Moody, Benny Golson and many others. Steve has been a member of the Rufus Reid's Trio.