Musician Guides/Current Calendar Ranking

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Carmen Staaf

Carmen Staaf is a pianist, composer, musical director, bandleader, and educator whose projects range from piano trios to collaborative ensembles.

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Photo source · Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Career Overview

About Carmen Staaf

Staaf’s official biography documents her work as a pianist, composer, and musical director, including eight years with Dee Dee Bridgewater. It also traces study at New England Conservatory and the Thelonious Monk Institute into a wide performing and teaching practice.[1]

Her project catalog separates the Carmen Staaf Trio from Science Fair with Allison Miller, the Staaf-Miller duo, and collective work in ContraPunctus. Sounding Line adds a larger leader setting with guests including Ambrose Akinmusire, John Santos, and Ben Goldberg.[1][2][3]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Leader, pianist, and composer

Carmen Staaf Trio

Staaf’s trio with Michael Formanek and Jeff Williams records her leader music in the compact setting heard on Woodland.[1][2]

Co-leader, pianist, and composer with Allison Miller

Science Fair and Nearness

Staaf and Miller collaborate in both an expanded ensemble and a piano-drums duo, creating two distinct recorded formats.[1][2]

Pianist and musical director

Dee Dee Bridgewater groups

Eight-year tenure

The official biography documents Staaf’s sustained role directing and performing in Bridgewater’s ensembles.[1]

Selected, Not Exhaustive

Recordings to Know

2018 · Sunnyside Records

Science Fair

Co-leader, pianist, and composer with Allison Miller

The ensemble debut features Staaf and Miller with Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, and Matt Penman.[1][2]

Release details

2022 · Sunnyside Records

Nearness

Co-leader and pianist with Allison Miller

Nearness pares the collaboration to piano and drums, distinct from the larger Science Fair ensemble.[1][2]

Release details

2025 · Sunnyside Records

Sounding Line

Leader, pianist, and composer

Staaf’s leader album combines her compositions with a changing ensemble of horns, percussion, bass, and drums.[1][3]

Release details

Artist-Authorized Destinations

Start Listening

Official Bandcamp catalog

Stream Staaf’s leader and collaborative recordings with complete artist-authorized credits.

Sounding Line

Hear Staaf’s complete 2025 leader album through Sunnyside Records’ authorized edition.

Live Calendar

Upcoming Jazz DateBook Shows

No current Jazz DateBook dates are listed for Carmen Staaf. The career guide remains available while the calendar changes.

Evidence-Based Connections

Related Musician Guides

Connections below come from shared current Jazz DateBook bills or normalized documented performance roles—not subjective similarity.

Adrean FarrugiaPiano · ComposerShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · EducatorArmen DonelianPiano · ComposerShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · EducatorArt LandePiano · DrumsShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · EducatorBenny GreenPiano · ComposerShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · EducatorBrian DickinsonPiano · ComposerShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · EducatorChristian SandsPiano · ComposerShared documented roles: Pianist · Composer · Educator

Sources

Career copy is original synthesis from the artist, label, and project sources below. Current dates come from Jazz DateBook event inventory.

  1. [1] Official biography, ensembles, and musical direction

    Carmen Staaf

  2. [2] Official leader and collaborative album guide

    Carmen Staaf

  3. [3] Sounding Line stream and personnel

    Sunnyside Records