GA Russell Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 SAMMY MILLER AND THE CONGREGATION "EAGLE ROCK" "Modern jazz is far from fading, and Sammy Miller and The Congregation are examples of how alive and kicking the genre still is." – Atwood Magazine Sammy Miller, a Grammy-nominated drummer for his work with Joey Alexander, convened The Congregation in 2014 at The Juilliard School in New York. “When I was at Juilliard, I realized jazz couldn’t just live in a conservatory vacuum. It needed to provide its initial function of being an expansive creative outlet where the rules are there for you to break and improvisation went beyond notes and into an experience,” says Sammy. He soon found a cadre of jazz students who felt similarly - outliers who were fiercely individual on their instruments, but also craved a manner of expression beyond the solo. Their live show grew to be something of a mix between a comedy troupe and a dazzling rock band that played a vigorously reimagined strain of jazz. The band’s boundless energy, inclusive ideals, catchy songwriting, and revue style presentation made them a word-of-mouth buzz band. The Congregation’s 9-song debut album Leaving Egypt was cut in four 16-hour days at the legendary United Studios where the many famed Count Basie sides were tracked. The band enlisted drummer extraordinaire Jay Bellerose (Alison Krauss, Ray LaMontagne, Robert Plant, B.B. King) to supervise and produce the proceedings. Catch Sammy Miller and the Congregation on Tour: Feb 12 - Escondido, CA - California Center for the Arts Feb 13 - Santa Barbara, CA - Campbell Hall Feb 16 - Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg Theater Feb 21 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Feb 22 - Palo Alto, CA - Oshman Family JCC Feb 23 - Sacramento, CA - The Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts Feb 28 - Dubai, UAE - Dubai Jazz Festival Mar 14 - Tulsa, OK – Duet Mar 18 - Houston, TX - Axelrad Beer Garden Mar 19 - Baton Rouge, LA - Mid City Ballroom Mar 20 - Dothan, AL Mar 21 - Nashville, TN - The Basement Mar 22 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre Mar 24 - Atlanta, GA – Vinyl Mar 26 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre Mar 25 - Asheville, NC - Isis Music Hall Mar 27 - Richmond, VA - Tin Pan Mar 28 - Washington, DC – Songbyrd Mar 29 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater Mar 31 - Boston, MA - The Red Room at Cafe 939 May 1 - Fond du Lac, WI - Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts May 2 - Baileys Harbor, WI - Door County Brewing Co. Music Hall May 3 - Minneapolis, MN – Dakota June 27-28 - Aspen, CO - Jazz Aspen Snowmass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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