Allison Miller

Allison Miller is a  New York City-based drummer, singer, and composer.

Miller has performed with songwriting vocalists Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, and Erin McKeown, and toured with avant-garde saxophonist Marty Ehrlich and organist Doctor Lonnie Smith. She has been touring with Brandi Carlile for the past two years.

She currently has a band called "emma" with fellow musician Erin McKeown. Miller also showcases her piano trio compositions with her band, TILT, and continues to perform songs from her debut release 5am Stroll. The album was features Boom Tic Boom, whose members include Ray Drummond on bass, Steve Wilson on alto saxophone and alto flute, Virginia Mayhew on tenor saxophone, and Bruce Barth on piano.

Allison Miller is also a collaborative member of Agrazing Maze, composed of Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Enrique Haneine (piano), Carlo DeRosa (bass) and Miller on drums. Their album, At the End of the Day, was released on Foxhaven Records in November 2005 and was voted a "Top 10 Jazz Record of 2005" in All About Jazz NY.

Miller began playing the drums at age 10, and quickly began studying with a top teacher in the Washington D.C. area, Walter Salb. In 1991, she was featured in Downbeat magazine's "Up and Coming" spotlight. She soon began playing in clubs in Washington D.C. and eventually received a Bachelor of Music Performance degree at West Virginia University. After graduating summa cum laude in 1996, she moved to New York City to begin her career as a freelance drummer and continue her studies with Michael Carvin.

Miller has since performed and recorded with Natalie Merchant, Ani DiFranco, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Barron, Norah Jones, Doctor Lonnie Smith, Steven Bernstein, Ray Drummond, Peter Bernstein, Erin McKeown, Sheila Jordan, Marty Ehrlich, George Garzone, Melissa Ferrick, Kitty Margolis, Michael Feinstein, Shahin Novrasli, Toshi Reagon, Mike Stern, Kevin Mahogany, Ingrid Jensen, Paul Bollenback, Barbara Dennerlein, Mimi Fox, John McNeil, Jenny Scheinman, Virginia Mayhew, Bruce Barth, Mark Soskin, Harvie S, poet Alix Olsen and the band Betty. Miller's drumming and composing have also been featured on the Showtime hit series, The L Word.

In addition, Miller was chosen by the US State Department to tour East Africa, Eurasia and Southeast Asia as a Jazz Ambassador.

Allison Miller recently founded the "Walter Salb Memorial Scholarship Foundation" in honor of her late teacher and mentor. The foundation annually provides a promising young musician a monetary award directed toward furthering their studies in music.

Miller also holds an adjunct teaching position at Kutztown University and gives lessons and master classes at additional universities and high schools throughout the United States, including NYU, UMASS Amherst, University of Alaska, Elon University, University of South Florida, West Virginia University, Berkeley Jazz School, University of the Pacific, UC Berkeley and the University of Maryland. She recently had one of her lessons published in DRUM magazine and has also been featured in Downbeat, Jazz Times, Modern Drummer, All About Jazz NY, and Female Musician magazine.

Discography

 * 5am Stroll (Foxhaven Records) (2005)
 * Boom tic Boom (Foxhaven Records) (2010)