“This is feel-good party jazz, harking back to the ’20s and ’30s. It’s brassy, stomp your feet and dance music, and it’s got the raw, uplifting vibe of a New Orleans street parade,” raves THE SF WEEKLY. “Sammy Miller & the Congregation are a jazz unit with the rock band mentality of jumping into a van and relentlessly touring to build a fan base. ‘Leaving Egypt’ is a fine representation of their sound but cannot possibly deliver the energy, visuals and sheer enjoyment of their live act, where they connect with audiences like few bands, regardless of genre, can,” states GLIDE MAGAZINE (2020 Album Review of ‘Leaving Egypt’). “One of the best jazz acts I’ve seen in years,” states JAZZ JOURNAL. “Joyful jazz,” says the LOS ANGELES TIMES. “Sammy Miller is the perfect player…” raves the WALL STREET JOURNAL.
GRAMMY® Nominated Drummer SAMMY MILLER & THE CONGREGATION has been described as a mashup of the sensibilities of Ben Folds and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The band freely mixes vocal & instrumental tracks live and on record, asking the audience to go along for the ride with the lead melody being carried by vocalists half the time, and instruments the other half. The 7-piece group is a community of adventurous & charismatic superstar musicians who are conservatory trained but who have not lost their childlike wonder and awe for playing music. The band lineup is SAMMY MILLER (Drums & Vocals); SAM CRITTENDEN (Trombone); BEN FLOCKS (Tenor Sax); MOLLY MILLER (Guitar); ALPHONSO HORNE (Trumpet); CORBIN JONES (Bass & Tuba) & DAVID LINARD (Piano). The Congregation has played nonstop around the world and highlights include performances at Umbria Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jazz At Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Prokofiev Concert Hall in Russia, and the Newport Jazz Festival.