THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN
SAMMY MILLER & THE CONGREGATION. 

Press

“One of the best jazz acts I’ve seen in years” - Jazz Journal

"Joyful jazz with lots of laughs and theatricality" - Los Angeles Times

"Sammy Miller is the perfect player- scholar" - Wall Street Journal

"Sammy Miller and The Congregation is a triple-threat. They are superb musicians, play engaging and inventive music, and are thoroughly entertaining. The 2018 Saratoga Jazz Festival audience was totally knocked out by their set." -Danny Melnick, President Absolutely Live Ent.

“There’s no need to try to figure out which branch of the jazz family tree you need to follow to find L.A.’s Sammy Miller and Congregation - they’re on the trunk. Led by Miller from behind the drum kit, it’s roots-driven jazz the way it was always intended and from which virtually all of its niche styles are derived: jovially swinging, energetically stomping, richly complex and with just the right interjections of free-wheeling instrumental freakouts.” -The Sacramento Bee

"...impressive musical skill...pure entertainment." -Telluride Daily Planet

"Trying to describe a set by Sammy Miller And The Congregation would be like telling someone watching Casablanca for the first time, “She winds up with Claude Rains.” -DRUM! Magazine

"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" - The SF Weekly

"They reach the audience with everything they have, creating
a unique bond between the players and the crowd" - Clture

Sammy (bandleader, drums) and Alphonso (trumpet) were nominated for a Grammy for Best Instrumental
Jazz Album on the record "My Favorite Things" under the leadership of pianist, Joey Alexander.

The Congregation featured in Vanity Fair - The Jazz Youth-Quake: Others on the Upswing.

The Bluegrass Situation named rendition of "Mahogany Hall Stomp"
their Song Of The Week and premiered "Tennessee Waltz" music video.

Performance History

We perform extensively all over the world. This is a snapshot of some of the venues and festivals we have played.

Newport Jazz Festival •Umbria Jazz Festival • Aspen Ideas Festival • Monterey Jazz Festival •Festival International de Jazz de Montreal • Jazz at Lincoln Center • The Whitney Museum of American Art • The White House • The Kennedy Center • Toronto Jazz Festival• Vancouver International Jazz Festival • Jazz a Juan Antibes • Ottawa Jazz Festival • San Javier Jazz Festival • Megeve Jazz Festival • The Charlotte Jazz Festival • SF JAZZ • Igor Butman Jazz Club, Russia • Prokofiev Concert Hall, Russia • Savannah Music Festival • Hyde Park Jazz Festival • The Jazz Kitchen • Telluride Jazz Festival • Jazz,TX

Bio

Sammy Miller and The Congregation are on a mission to put the generosity back into jazz and bring art back to the people. Juilliard trained and drummer on a Grammy® nominated album, Sammy Miller has been hailed as "the perfect player scholar” (The Wall Street Journal)

Miller has spent the last decade making jazz accessible to a new generation of listeners and learners. From Lincoln Center to The White House, TEDx to The Newport Jazz Festival, with special guests including Jon Batiste and Wynton Marsalis, Miller’s band, Sammy Miller and The Congregation, has headlined the most prominent Jazz festivals for over a decade. The Congregation specializes in  joyful jazz – music that feels good. They recently released the album, Joyful Jazz at Lincoln Center (2023).

After working with over 60,000 students in 45 states, Miller launched the music education platform PLAYBOOK (www.thisisplaybook.com) to offer teachers the tools to inspire lifelong musicians. Miller recently discussed his music education philosophy in his New York Times op-ed titled “We’re Teaching Music to Kids All Wrong”.

Videos

Marketing Assets

Educational Outreach/playbook

We are passionate about education and work with students of all ages. Learn how we can make a positive impact in your community. Both with our online platform Playbook as well as our Playbook IN PERSON options.

Contact

Booking

Michael Morris

michael@minttalentgroup.com | 415.640.1589