Allison Miller - Melodic Imagination

The act of using Melody to inform ones creative statements and musical choices on the drums is one quite dear to me. I think about this every time I sit down to play the drums or teach a lesson.

Allison Miller is a favourite drummer of mine these days and her approach to using Melody around the drums is compelling, to say the least. 

Check out this brief footage of Miller from her PASIC 2022 appearance in which she demonstrates her melodic imagination, using Sonny Rollins' Sonnymoon for Two as the basis for her improvisation:

And I've shared this one numerous times already but it's really great so here it is once again, Allison's feature on melodic drumming from NPR's Jazz Night in America:

And to quote/paraphrase the great Roy Haynes:

"If you know the song, you'll never go wrong!"

- Roy Haynes (via Joe Farnsworth)