On November 9, 2017 in the North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, Savannah Music Festival announces the lineup for its 2018 festival season (March 29 – April 14). A free kickoff concert features Sammy Miller & the Congregation, with doors opening to the public at 7:30pm and the concert at 8:00pm. Tickets for the 2018 festival go on sale the following morning, November 10, at 10:00am Eastern, online at savannahmusicfestival.org, by phone at 912.525.5050 and in-person at the Savannah Box Office at 216 E. Broughton St.

Sammy Miller & the Congregation play “feel-good party jazz, harking back to the ‘20s and ‘30s. It’s brassy, stomp your feet and dance music, and it’s got the raw uplifting vibe of a New Orleans street parade” (SF Weekly). The ensemble includes two Grammy-nominated musicians in Sammy Miller (drums) and Alphonso Horne (trumpet), with members who have performed or recorded with artists ranging from Wynton Marsalis to Iron & Wine. Also including Sammy Critten on trombone, Ben Flocks on tenor saxophone, David Linard on piano and John Snow on bass, Sammy Miller & the Congregation are focused on sharing the power of community through their music, which they call “joyful jazz.” They have performed all over the world, in venues including SF Jazz, the Montreal Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, The Whitney Mueseum of American Art, Umbria Jazz Festival and The White House.