(photo of Allison Miller by Erika Kapin)
For most of our audience, Allison Miller, as they say, Needs No Introduction. Humboldt truly and deeply loves this re-repeat visitor, and the feeling is mutual. The last time—fall 2018—Miller brought her feel-good flagship band, Boom Tic Boom, to town, her career was on the verge of blowing up. Now it has well and truly exploded, with high-profile leader, co-leader, and sidewoman gigs; radio dates and press profiles; honors, grants, commissions, and teaching appointments—all of it on both coasts and points in between, around the world and on all the ships at sea. (How is she still in one piece?) We’ve seen her since with two of her myriad endeavors, namely her “Science Fair” duo with pianist Carmen Staaf and her “Parlour Games” quartet co-led with Jenny Scheinman—though not, sadly, with the Lux Quartet (co-led with Myra Melford), the Big & Lovely big band, the massive multi-media “Rivers In Our Veins” project (with tap dancers!), or the all-star “Artemis” septet. At least not yet. But we’ll gladly take another hit of Boom Tic Boom, fresh off a prestigious three-night residency at the Mondavi Center in Davis.
It's been 15 years since BTB’s eponymous debut album, and while the band—especially in its touring incarnations—has featured a rotating roster of musical aces over the intervening years, this time it sports five-sixths of its most constant crew. Joining Miller are four more welcome returnees: Myra Melford on piano, Jenny Scheinman on violin, Ben Goldberg on clarinets, and Todd Sickafoose on bass. (Cornetist Kirk Knuffke had to miss this date, unfortunately.) Virtuosos all, each one an established bandleader and composer in their own right, every member of this group could step into the spotlight and dazzle us with their amazing range, their songwriting skills, their instrumental chops. That’s not really how any of them rolls in any event, so it’s no surprise that on this occasion, too, they’ve shown up as seasoned collaborators who are here to serve the music. And the music of Boom Tic Boom is, as the New York City Jazz Record described it, “undeniably accessible, gloriously melodic and funky as hell.”
The making of Boom Tic Boom’s 2019 album “Glitter Wolf”
Sponsors
We couldn’t present such world-class artists at such affordable prices without the steadfast support of dozens of RJA members & sponsors, not to mention the community spirit of Arcata’s dynamic arts agency, Playhouse Arts. Special thanks to Bug Press, the most steadfast of jazz allies, for its abiding generosity.
Additional support for this show comes from Cafe Brio, Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, John Helie & Monica Simms, Bob & Amy Doran’s Black Cat Alley Hideaway, and the North Coast Co-Op.