Inspirational Jazz musician Bruce V. Allen has a career spanning 30 years and is best known for his collaborations with the iconic duo, Allen & Allen, comprised of Allen Wiggins on saxophone and Bruce Allen on piano. Allen & Allen’s ground-breaking artistry of fusing Gospel, Jazz, and Funk earned them two Stellar Gospel Music Awards and multiple Billboard Chart-topping albums. After taking a hiatus from the duo, Bruce returned as a solo artist to release new music. He is sharing new music and the story of his amplified new life after a tragic stroke took away his ability to play piano.
Bruce suffered a stroke in 2007 that weakened his right side and affected his brain. It took away his ability to play piano fluidly. God was silent for about a year, and then Bruce felt God speak to his heart saying, If you trust me, I will do more with what you have left than what you had before. After a year of intense physical therapy, what God said began to happen.
“My stroke was a setback that has become the setup for the greatest part of my life,” Bruce explains. “When life and the things we take for granted slip away, you learn to give God glory every day. And now more than ever, I look at my music as a vehicle to introduce people who have not had a genuine relationship with our Creator.”
With a new determination to play with purpose, Bruce’s resilience and gratitude are reflected in his smooth and uplifting tapestry of work, COME BACK. Integrating jazz, praise, and worship, Bruce delivers an inspiring five-song EP that is available now on all digital music platforms.
Bruce will release more of the COME BACK live performance videos throughout June to celebrate African American Music Appreciation Month.
Bruce was recently honored with the Wayman Tisdale Jazz Award for his accomplishments in Jazz music. He is a native of East St. Louis, IL, who is now a pastor serving in ministry at Open Arms Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville, FL where Bishop Leofric Thomas is senior pastor. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Bethune-Cookman University, a Master’s degree from the University of Phoenix, and an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity Degree from St. Thomas Christian College. In addition, Bruce became an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard University School of Divinity by completing the rigorous Summer Leadership Institute.
