Drummer, composer, and bandleader Allison Miller is a boundary-pushing performer known for her adventurous approach to post-bop and modern creative jazz. Arriving on the New York scene in the late '90s, Miller has played with a diverse range of performers from
Ani DiFranco and
Natalie Merchant to
Marty Ehrlich,
Joel Harrison, and
Dr. Lonnie Smith. A three-time Jazz Ambassador of the U.S. State Department, she also leads her own inventive groups like
Honey Ear Trio and Boom Tic Boom, the latter of which has earned praise with albums like 2013's No Morphine No Lilies and 2016's Otis Was a Polar Bear.
Born in Texarkana, Texas, and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, Miller began her musical studies on the piano at age seven, introduced to the instrument by her mother, who also played and sang. At age ten, she switched to drums, and by age 12 was studying locally with noted swing and big-band drummer Walter Salb, who she credits as a major early influence, especially in the sense of building an inclusive family of musicians with which to surround herself. Following high school, she attended the University of West Virginia, where she enrolled in the alternative music program, studying percussion styles from all over the globe. Upon graduating, she moved to New York City, where she further honed her skills, studying privately with noted drummers
Michael Carvin and
Lenny White. There, she quickly earned a reputation as a strong session and touring performer, appearing on albums with guitarist
Joel Harrison, saxophonist and longtime associate
Virginia Mayhew, reed player
Marty Ehrlich, and organ legend
Dr. Lonnie Smith.
As a solo artist, Miller made her debut with the
Lenny White-produced 5am Stroll in 2004. Featured on the album were saxophonists Steve Wilson and
Mayhew, pianist
Bruce Barth, and bassist
Ray Drummond. However, given her active touring, studio, and teaching obligations, she did not record under her own name for five years. It was also during this period that she caught the attention of alternative singer/songwriters like
Natalie Merchant and
Ani DiFranco, with whom she has toured and recorded on and off for over a decade.
In 2010, the drummer issued
Boom Tic Boom, the eponymous debut album from her boldly imaginative ensemble with bassist
Todd Sickafoose, pianist
Myra Melford, and violinist
Jenny Scheinman. While her work as a university instructor and as a session and touring musician multiplied, Miller also launched the genre-bending
Honey Ear Trio, issuing the group's 2011 debut album, Steampunk Serenade, with bandmates
Erik Lawrence (saxophonist) and
Rene Hart (bassist). Boom Tic Boom then returned with their sophomore effort, No Morphine No Lilies, in the spring of 2013. The following year, she won a Presenter Consortium for Jazz Grant from Chamber Music America.
In 2016, Boom Tic Boom recorded their third album, Otis Was a Polar Bear. Along with band regulars
Sickafoose,
Melford, and
Scheinman, the album also featured cornetist
Kirk Knuffke and clarinetist
Ben Goldberg.
Knuffke was also on board for Miller's sophomore album with her
Honey Ear Trio, 2016's
Swivel, which found saxophonist
Jeff Lederer replacing
Lawrence. In 2019, Boom Tic Boom returned with Glitter Wolf. That same year, Miller and
Scheinman collaborated on the jazz-Americana set Parlour Game, sharing equal billing and co-writing all of the material. ~ Matt Collar