Record Reviews

ALLISON MILLER / BOOM TIC BOOM ~ BOOM TIC BOOM FOXHAVEN 70026 (Barcode: 600627002625) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 This is the debut album by American drummer Allison MillerFind albums by this artist and her Boom Tic BoomFind albums by this artist quartet, which also includes pianist Myra MelfordFind albums by this artist, violinist Jenny ScheinmanFind albums by this artist and bassist Todd SickafooseFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight compositions, four of which are originals by Miller, two are originals by Melford and two are (sort of) standards. In fact most of the tracks on this album are recorded in a classic piano trio format and Scheinman, who plays just on one track, is credited as a special guest, only to become a full member of the quartet on subsequent albums. Three women and a guy sound more like a recipe for a romantic comedy than a Jazz ensemble, but in this case the recipe works wonders. Boom Tic Boom really booms, or ticks, or whatever, from the very beginning of this exceptional album and all the way through. The music is modern Jazz, with a lot of Free passages and breathing space, which has everything a great Jazz album should: good melodies, great improvisations, group interplay, fiery solos, a sense of vitality and desire to play together. Combined with virtuosic performances by the musicians, this is definitely a superb example of contemporary music, which is intelligent and emotional, elegant, uncompromising, artistic and above all honest. Miller is an exceptional drummer; that is plainly obvious. She plays more naturally and intuitively then most other Jazz drummers I know, and believe you me, I do know a lot of them. Switching effortlessly between swing, free form, country and rock she is always right where she needs to be in a way she needs to be. Sickafoose is a monster bassist, which is immediately evident from the first bass thud one hears on this album. Down to earth, steady as a rock and completely in charge of his faculties his bass lines are the glue that keeps the music together. His solos here are paradigms of bass perfection. Melford Is the "bad girl" of this crew, making sure the music does not get too pretty and immediately taking it into uncharted territory. They are perfect for each other and their music shows it. This is definitely an album, which I will return to repeatedly, which happens very rarely considering the mountains of albums I´m buried under. Side Note: I was fortunate to meet Allison a few weeks ago in Poland and even had a dinner with her and the other members of the trio she played with, flautist Hadar NoibergFind albums by this artist and bassist Or BareketFind albums by this artist. She gave me two of her albums (this one being one of them), which she signed for me with dedications that read: "Bad Boy" and "Bad Influence", which of course I consider as compliments of the highest degree. She made me fall head over heels in love with her beautiful personality, and I´m grateful for the opportunity to make her acquaintance. Keep up whatever you are doing, because you are doing it right, Girl!

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ALLISON MILLER / BOOM TIC BOOM ~ NO MORPHINE NO LILIES FOXHAVEN (Barcode: 020286213314) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the third album by American drummer Allison MillerFind albums by this artist and her Boom Tic BoomFind albums by this artist quartet, which also includes pianist Myra MelfordFind albums by this artist, violinist Jenny ScheinmanFind albums by this artist and bassist Todd SickafooseFind albums by this artist. Three guest instrumentalist and a vocalist appear on selected tracks. The album presents eleven compositions, eight of which are originals by Miller, one is an original by Melford and additional two come from outside of the quartet. The music on this album is quite different from what was present on the band´s debut album. It is obviously much more carefully composed and arranged, with the shorter pieces leaving less space for improvisation and requiring tightness and careful preparation. Nevertheless the music still breathes freely, allowing for silences to be no less significant than notes. Miller shows her chops as a composer with a much wider scope and ambition, and excelling at it. There is so much music here that it takes several listening sessions to embrace it all and probably many more to appreciate it in full. The lyrical ballads seem to be Miller´s forte and they are often simply heartbreaking. The basic piano trio is also much tighter then earlier, reaching incredible levels of almost telepathic togetherness and brilliant interplay. Once again Sickafoose stuns with his incredible bass lines, which bond the entire ensemble. Melford also sticks to her part, being the quartet´s most adventurous and far-reaching instrumentalist, venturing into unexpected tonal and harmonic adventures. Miller keeps the quartet cooking, with her incredible sense of rhythm, regardless of what a particular rhythmic pattern might be required. She is always accurate, in time and amazingly precise, as only the best drummers can be. Scheinman is heard sparingly, but when she does play, she falls immediately in sync with the rest of the band, expanding the tonal layers with another voicing, which is perfectly suited to the context. Boom Tic Boom obviously moved forward on their development path, which is perfectly natural. Although they lost some of their "virginity", which was so magical on their debut album, they compensated for it with more complex and developed compositions and elaborate arrangements, eventually producing another gem. I can´t make up my mind which is the better of the two and I won´t even try, as they both deserve to be heard and admired. Therefore the only thing left to do is to grab a copy ASAP, and throw oneself upon the mercy of one´s ears. Satisfaction guaranteed!

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