Sammy Miller and The Congregation Debut Album Leaving Egypt

Sammy Miller, a Grammy-nominated drummer for his work with Joey Alexander, convened The Congregation in 2014 at The Juilliard School in New York City where he was getting his master's in jazz. “We all went to Juilliard and have these credentials, but we didn’t like the insular feeling of the jazz scene. We were seeking warmth and connection,” Sammy says. These misfit creatives descended on venues around NYC where the genre was not played. “I wanted to find a new audience,” Sammy says. “We played in dive bars where people were scared of jazz.”

Their live show grew to be something of a mix between a comedy troupe and a dazzling rock band that played a vigorously reimagined strain of jazz. “We let ourselves be free on the bandstand and we took the audience with us,” Sammy says. The band’s boundless energy, inclusive ideals, catchy songwriting, and revue style presentation made them a word-of-mouth buzz band. The septet expanded its reach through adopting the rock band philosophy of touring endlessly in a van to build a fanbase.

The Congregation’s 9-song debut album Leaving Egypt was cut in four 16-hour days at the legendary United Studios where the many famed Count Basie sides were tracked. The band enlisted drummer extraordinaire Jay Bellerose (Alison Krauss, Ray LaMontagne, Robert Plant, B.B. King) to supervise and produce the proceedings. The band lineup is Sammy Miller, drums and vocals; Sam Crittenden, trombone; Ben Flocks, tenor sax; Sammy’s sister Molly Miller on guitar; Alphonso Horne, trumpet; Corbin Jones, bass and tuba; and David Linard, piano.

“This is us,” Sammy says of the album. “I’m proud of it, and I’m eager to embark on our mission to bring joy to people’s lives through music.”

Tour Dates:

Feb 21 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater

Feb 22 - Palo Alto, CA - Oshman Family JCC

Feb 23 - Sacramento, CA - The Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts

Feb 28 - Dubai, UAE - Dubai Jazz Festival

Mar 24 - Atlanta, GA - Vinyl

Mar 26 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre

Mar 25 - Asheville, NC - Isis Music Hall

Mar 27 - Richmond, VA - Tin Pan

Mar 28 - Washington, DC - Songbyrd

Mar 29 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater

Mar 31 - Boston, MA - The Red Room at Cafe 939

May 1 - Fond du Lac, WI - Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts

May 2 - Baileys Harbor, WI - Door County Brewing Co. Music Hall

May 3 - Minneapolis, MN - Dakota

June 27-28 - Aspen, CO - Jazz Aspen Snowmass