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Archive Apr 01, 2020
Photo Courtesy by Bender
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Sammy Miller and the Congregation to bring their original show The Great Awakening to The Odyssey Theatre
Los Angeles will be awaken for a five night event thanks to Sammy Miller and the Congregation.
Sammy Miller and the Congregation will bring their rousing original theater show Great Awakening to The Odyssey Theatre for five nights starting March 18 – 19 and March 24 – 26.
Grammy-winning drummer Sammy Miller has conceived a show that puts the generosity back into jazz and brings the joy of the art form back to the people. This immersive production is a foot-tapping, hand-clapping good time that celebrates the liveliness of the jazz age. This theatrical and musical journey follows a jazz band banished from jazz, as they try to rebrand themselves as a theatre troupe with the hopes of making an award-winning play.
Sammy Miller and the Congregation’s mission is to spread joy through music reaches beyond traditional concert audiences and into classrooms and local communities throughout the world. Equal to their passion for performance is their passion to educate. Inspired by the teachers, musicians, and artists that have influenced and supported the group in their musical journey, Sammy Miller and the Congregation travel all over the world, engaging students of all ages through their mission to uplift and inspire. The curriculum, developed by Sammy, teaches kids about music they’ve most likely never heard before, keeping the tradition alive by passing down the joy and history of jazz through the lens of important artists such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman.
During their time in LA, Sammy Miller and the Congregation will visit two schools University High, and Sammy’s alma mater, Peninsula High School. On March 20, at University High, the group will create a brand new recording with music tech students and perform an interactive concert for the entire student body to introduce and excite students about jazz. Students will be asked to join the Congregation to act the part of a young Duke Ellington falling in love with a girl; an unknown Ella Fitzgerald going on stage at the Apollo; and Louis Armstrong misbehavin’ as a youngster on the streets of New Orleans.
On Tuesday, March 21, at Peninsula High School Sammy Miller and the Congregation will give a masterclass and perform original big band charts with the high school’s big band, to give them the opportunity to perform alongside experienced musicians. This is part of the school’s fundraiser for its art programs.
For more information about the group’s education efforts, visit http://www.sammymillercongregation.com/education.
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