Photo by Michael Spencer

This fall and winter, Stanford Live is bringing a variety of musicians, vocalists, and comedians to the Bing Studio. Get to know a few of them—how they got their start, what their performances focus on, and more. 

 

Allison Miller

Album:
Glitter Wolf

About:
Raised in the Washington, D.C. area, Miller started the piano at a young age. Her mother also played the piano and sang, but Miller switched to the drums by age 10. At the University of West Virginia, Miller studied in an alternative music program. She entered the New York City jazz scene following college.

Music Career:
In New York, Miller studied with acclaimed drummers and soon appeared on albums with Dr. Lonnie Smith and Joel Harrison. Miller also toured with singer/songwriters Natalie Merchant and Ani DiFranco for a decade while balancing teaching responsibilities. In 2010, her debut album Boom Tic Boom was released. Miller continues to teach, both privately and at The New School, Kutztown University, and Jazz Camp West.

Songs to Check Out:
“The Ride” demonstrates Boom Tic Boom’s range

Fun Fact:
Miller’s Huff Post essay “‘You Don’t Play Like a Girl’: Queer in a Jazz World” received attention for its portrait of the jazz world as a boys’ club.

 

Alicia Olatuja

Album:
Intuition: Songs from the Minds of Women

About:
Raised in St. Louis. Olatuja started singing in the Seventh-day Adventist Church where her grandmother, whose presence and ambition inspired Olatuja, was the head church elder.

Music Career:
Olatuja focused on music in college and earned a master’s in classical voice/opera from the Manhatten School of Music. Her musical styles and influences range from gospel and soul to jazz and classical. In 2014, she formed her own jazz ensemble and released the debut album Timeless.

Songs to Check Out:
“So Good, So Right” Olatuja’s arrangement of the 1979 hit by Brenda Russell

“No Ordinary Love” Olatuja’s version of Sade’s original song

Fun Fact:
Olatuja sang a solo during the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir’s performance of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” at President Barack Obama’s second-term inauguration.

 

Musica Nuda

Album:
Leggera

About:
Petra Magoni and Ferruccio Spinetti are the Italian duo behind Musica Nuda. Born in Pisa, Magoni studied at the Livorno Conservatorio and later moved from her classical training toward rock and pop. 

From 1990 to 2006, Spinetti played double bass with Avion Travel, an Italian jazz and pop-rock group.

Music Career:
Formed in 2003, he bassist-vocalist duo are interested in the silence underlying music. Their stripped-down sounds combine song-writing, jazz, rock, classical, and punk.

Songs to Check Out:
“Condizione imprescindibile,” a tango-influenced song, cap- tures the essence of Musica Nuda.

“Dimane” was composed entirely by Spinetti and fea- tures him as a singer.

Fun Fact:
Magoni and Spinetti first played a concert together when Magoni’s guitarist got sick during a tour through clubs in Tuscany. Magoni asked Spinetti, who was touring with Avion Travel at the time, to cover for the guitarist.

 

Catherine Cohen

Show:
Cabernet Cabaret

About:
Catherine Cohen grew up in Houston and graduated from Princeton with degrees in English and Theater. She moved to New York City where she took comedy classes at Upright Citizens Brigade.

Comedy & Acting Career:
Catherine Cohen is known for her weekly variety show Cabernet Cabaret in New York City. Despite Cohen’s clever wit and asides and dizzying color, there’s a dark confessional void at the show’s center. She also performs in a monthly show The Twist? She’s Gorgeous.

Cohen has appeared in Broad City, HBO’s High Maintenance, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and will appear in The Lovebirds with Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani. She has also written for The New Yorker, The Cut, and Huffington Post.

Writing to Check Out:
“I Think About This A Lot: The Paris Trip in Frances Ha,” Cohen’s essay in The Cut about a film scene she can’t get out of her head.

Fun Fact:
Cohen co-hosts Seek Treatment, a playful podcast about dating and love.

 

Calendar

 

Comedy at the Bing: Catherine Cohen
Thu, Feb 13
7:00 & 9:00 PM
Bing Studio

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