Science Fair

“Science Fair is a true collaboration between two impressive leaders, though what makes you sit up and pay attention the most is Staaf’s pianism. It’s brilliant, enriched stuff, as rugged as it is lush. Still a rather unrecognized figure, her playing comes from a lineage that favors Mary Lou Williams over Art Tatum, Herbie Nichols over Herbie Hancock—but every one of those figures is in there. Science Fair suggests we’re just starting to see how deep her talents go.” -Giovanni Russonello, DownBeat

“Excellent”…(#12, Best Jazz Albums of 2018) “[‘Science Fair’] is an unofficial announcement of Carmen Staaf’s prodigious talent, and an uncommonly good collection of small-group jazz.” - NY Times

(#5, Best Jazz Albums of 2018) “The focal point remains the interplay between the album’s dual leaders, whose exchange of ideas remain as unpredictable as they are rewarding.” - LA Times

(“[One] of 2018’s best”) “The best improvised music destabilizes expectations. That could happen when a taut groove suddenly dissolves into a free-jazz breakdown, a trick the band Science Fair pulled in a set Saturday night at Winter Jazzfest in New York City.” - The Atlantic

"Science Fair" (Sunnyside, 2018) is a collaboration between drummer Allison Miller and pianist Carmen Staaf, also featuring Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Dayna Stephens (tenor) and Matt Penman (bass). Their eponymous debut album, which features compositions by Staaf and Miller, was recorded at Brooklyn Recordings by Andy Taub, produced by Ben Goldberg, mixed by Todd Sickafoose and mastered by Dave Darlington.