Allison Miller

Drummer, composer, and bandleader Allison Miller pushes boundaries as a performer with her bold explorations of post-bop and modern creative jazz. She reached the New York scene during the late 1990s and has performed across an eclectic spectrum alongside figures such as Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, Marty Ehrlich, Joel Harrison, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. A three-time Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, Miller directs her own forward-thinking ensembles, including Honey Ear Trio and Boom Tic Boom, the latter featuring violinist Jenny Scheinman and receiving acclaim for releases such as the 2013 album No Morphine No Lilies and the 2016 album Otis Was a Polar Bear. She and Scheinman also joined forces on the 2019 album Parlour Game. Rivers in Our Veins, a vibrant and deeply resonant 12-song cycle drawn from America’s rivers and watersheds, appeared in 2023.

Born in Texarkana, Texas, and raised near Washington, D.C., Miller started piano lessons at age seven under her mother’s guidance, a pianist and singer herself. She turned to drums at age ten and, by age 12, trained locally under noted swing and big-band drummer Walter Salb, whom she recognizes as a formative early influence, particularly in cultivating a supportive community of fellow musicians. After high school she enrolled at the University of West Virginia in its alternative music program, immersing herself in percussion traditions from around the world. Following graduation she relocated to New York City, where she refined her technique through private study with drummers Michael Carvin and Lenny White. There she quickly established herself as a reliable session and touring musician, contributing to recordings by guitarist Joel Harrison, saxophonist and longtime associate Virginia Mayhew, reed player Marty Ehrlich, and organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith.

Miller launched her solo career with the 2004 album 5am Stroll, produced by Lenny White and featuring saxophonists Steve Wilson and Mayhew, pianist Bruce Barth, and bassist Ray Drummond. Her extensive commitments to touring, studio work, and teaching delayed further solo releases for five years. During this stretch she attracted the notice of alternative singer-songwriters including Natalie Merchant and Ani DiFranco, with whom she has toured and recorded intermittently across more than a decade.

In 2010 Miller released Boom Tic Boom, the self-titled debut from her daringly inventive group featuring bassist Todd Sickafoose, pianist Myra Melford, and violinist Jenny Scheinman. While her university teaching, session dates, and touring schedule intensified, she also formed the cross-genre Honey Ear Trio and issued its 2011 debut Steampunk Serenade alongside saxophonist Erik Lawrence and bassist Rene Hart. Boom Tic Boom followed with its second album, No Morphine No Lilies, in spring 2013. The next year she received a Presenter Consortium for Jazz Grant from Chamber Music America.

Boom Tic Boom completed its third album, Otis Was a Polar Bear, in 2016. Joining core members Sickafoose, Melford, and Scheinman were cornetist Kirk Knuffke and clarinetist Ben Goldberg. Knuffke also appeared on Miller’s second Honey Ear Trio album, 2016’s Swivel, which introduced saxophonist Jeff Lederer in place of Lawrence.

Miller reunited with Boom Tic Boom for the 2019 album Glitter Wolf. That same year she and Scheinman issued the jazz-Americana collection Parlour Game under joint billing, co-writing every track. In 2023 she presented Rivers in Our Veins, an expansive 12-song cycle inspired by and intended to spotlight conservation of the nation’s rivers and watersheds. Alongside Scheinman and reedist Goldberg, the project included pianist Carmen Staaf, trumpeter Jason Palmer, bassist Todd Sickafoose, and a group of tap dancers.