The last time Allison Miller and Carmen Staaf were in these parts, it was as members of “Parlour Game,” the group co-led by Miller and Jenny Scheinman. That was one of the most joyous nights of music we can remember, and like everything else from the Before Times, it seems like much too long ago. Since then, the pair have made a follow-up to their brilliant 2018 co-led debut, Science Fair. The new duo album’s title, Nearness, could almost be a wish-fulfillment expression of our longing to bridge the distance between us and their musical magic. And how much nearer can you get than the Morris Graves Museum of Art?
Proximity to Humboldt Bay obviously wasn’t the original idea behind the record, which emerged from two full days of studio recording. No words were exchanged regarding a set list; Miller and Staaf would simply sit down at their instruments, give each other the “I’m ready” nod, and one or the other would start playing. Sometimes they’d see a song to completion; other times inspiration would spawn a series of segues into the depths of their extensive repertoire. The result is a rich and bold collection of ten grooving, swinging compositions that showcase their musical chemistry, their rhythmic sync, and their willingness to explore vulnerability and intimacy—nearness—in times of uncertainty.
A repeat visitor to Humboldt County and a crowd favorite here and worldwide, drummer/composer/teacher/bandleader Miller won “Best Jazz Drummer” in the 2018 JazzTimes critics poll and “Rising Star Drummer” in the following year’s DownBeat poll. Her composition “Otis Was a Polar Bear” is on NPR’s list of The 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women. A three-time Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, Miller was Monterey Jazz Festival Artist in Residence in 2019, the same year her band Boom Tic Boom celebrated its 10th anniversary. (The group’s fifth album, Glitter Wolf, made that year’s “best of” lists at NPR, Rolling Stone, Paste, and Bandcamp, among others, and was featured on such programs as NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Tiny Desk with Bob Boilen, WNYC’s Soundcheck and New Sounds, and Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride.) In addition to leading her own groups, Miller is a core member of the critically acclaimed supergroup Artemis, and her drumming has been the rhythmic force behind such artists as Sara Bareilles, Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, Toshi Reagon, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Patricia Barber, Marty Ehrlich, Ben Allison, and the Late Night with Seth Meyers band. Miller is on the faculty of New York City’s New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and she has also taught at the Stanford Jazz Workshop and served as Artistic Director for Jazz Camp West.
With roots in Seattle and formative sojourn in Los Angeles, pianist/composer Staaf is a rising force in the NYC and global music scenes. Currently the pianist and Musical Director for NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater, she’s performed at major clubs and festivals across the country and around the world. After graduating with a double degree from Tufts University (Anthropology) and the New England Conservatory (Jazz Performance), she immediately became one of the youngest faculty members ever hired by Berklee College of Music, joining their piano department in 2005. After a period of New York-based touring and recording (during which she also won the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Pianist competition), she was accepted to the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, now the Herbie Hancock institute of Jazz Performance. It was her stint there that led indirectly to a serendipitous connection with Miller. Highlights of Staaf’s resume include appearances at the Playboy Jazz Festival, in a two-piano setting with the legendary Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter; Jazz at Lincoln Center, with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; and Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center, alongside Kenny Barron and Fred Hersch).
Tickets are $20 General Admission and $15 Students and Seniors. Advance Tickets are highly recommended for this show, as IT MAY SELL OUT. Masking a vaccination restrictions are no longer in effect, but because of the highly contagious nature of the latest strains of COVID-19, and mindful of the increased vulnerability of over-60s and the immunocompromised, the RJA cointinues to endorse masking in indoor spaces, and asks that you please stay home if you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms.
Partners and Sponsors
This concert is happening as a special “Community Partnership” between the RJA and the Humboldt Arts Council in the Morris Graves Museum of Arts.
Special thanks to Bug Press, the most steadfast of jazz allies, for its abiding generosity.
Additional support for this show comes from David Mulhern, North Coast Co-Op, Cafe Brio, Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, and dozens of RJA members.