Aziza Miller is everywhere. A longtime member of Local 802, she’s enjoying well-deserved recognition at this moment in her long, storied career.  Her recent interview on NY1 highlighted her work on Alicia Keys’ Broadway musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” which was inspired in part by Aziza herself and which features Aziza on stage on Keyboards 2.

“My musical career is always growing and evolving,” she tells us. She attended the High School of Music & Art and later the Manhattan School of Music, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in theory and a master’s in music education. She taught in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn before winning the extreme honor of touring with Natalie Cole as her first female music director, conductor and pianist. In 1977, Aziza (who was then professionally known as Linda Williams) co-wrote the platinum hit “La Costa,” which has been recorded by Ahmad Jamal, Buddy Williams and just last month by Vanessa Williams. Two years later, Aziza recorded “City Living,” her first solo debut album for Arista, which contained nine original songs and was produced and arranged by Richard Evans. To this day, Aziza continues to write and record as an independent artist.

Music education is also her passion and by 1990, she was teaching at the Professional Performing Arts School, right next to the Local 802 building, where one of her students was a young Alicia Keys. Aziza remembers teaching Alicia “vocal jazz, R&B, gospel, classical music, everything from solfeggio to Stevie Wonder, theory, ear training, sight singing, songwriting and music history. You name it, I taught it — and she trusted it! And now, in addition to being a 16-time Grammy winner, she has a Tony-winning Broadway hit musical that she created and I am proud and happy to be a part of!”

In 1997, Aziza was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award (also known as the Presidential Scholars Program Teacher Recognition Award) in Washington, D.C. This year, on Oct. 27, she will receive an Arthur Miller Foundation Award for Excellence in Arts Education (along with Alicia Keys and Kristoffer Diaz). The foundation is a nonprofit dedicated specifically to expanding theater education in public schools.

But in addition to her lifelong education career, Aziza has stayed active in all areas of the industry. From 2000 to 2003, she wrote lyrics for Ahmad Jamal (who called her “an amazing lyricist” and an inspiration). She worked on Broadway in “The Color Purple.” And now, she’s the Keyboard 2 chairholder on “Hell’s Kitchen,” where she’s also the featured pianist for the “Miss Liza Jane” character.

Looking back, Aziza tells us, “I believe it’s safe to say that educator Aziza Miller and former music student Alicia Keys are experiencing a ‘full circle’ moment! God is good!”

We recently caught up with Aziza to ask her a few questions about how her career brought her to this moment.

ALLEGRO: How did your journey in music begin?

AZIZA MILLER: My Godmother Bettye gave me my first upright piano when I was 8, and I fell deeply in love and became fascinated with it. My dad played stride piano, which he had learned as a child, and his dad was an accomplished musician on piano and violin. My grandmother also played piano. My dad loved jazz and spirituals and my mom loved R&B and blues. Music was always in my household. In high school, I got exposed to the various forms of classical music, and in the after-school music jam sessions, I learned about Latin music, jazz, soul music and the art of improvisation! The mentors who were the most important to me were Anton Coppola, who was my conducting teacher at the Manhattan School of Music; Ms. Cynthia Auerbach, who was my high school music ear-training and sight-singing teacher; my mentors at the Jazzmobile workshop — Paul E. West, Kenny Barron and Sonny Redd; Zenon Fishbein, who was my piano teacher when I was in college; and Horace Silver, who mentored me in composition when I was a student at the Music & Art High School. We remained friends until he passed. Later, at the Manhattan School of Music, I minored in piano and majored in theory. Yusef Lateef and I were in the same ear-training class. My theory teacher Ludmila Ulehla was a mean person and I didn’t enjoy her class at all. In fact, I failed it and had to repeat it, but the second time around I kicked ass and passed that class and never looked back!

ALLEGRO:  What were your earliest professional musical experiences? And when was the moment you decided to commit to the life of a professional musician?

AZIZA MILLER: First I played cover tunes in a couple of club date bands. It’s an experience I am grateful for, but one I would not want to repeat! But when I was a high school student at Music & Art, I knew music had me. I knew this was going to be my life’s path because of the joy and love I felt during and after performing and expressing myself through my instrument. It was a feeling unlike any other.  My passion for playing music eventually led to songwriting. My first big break came in 1975 when Natalie Cole hired me to be her music director and pianist immediately after my audition! I also had the pleasure of being the accompanist for Marlena Shaw and Linda Hopkins while living in L.A. And Mitzi Shore hired me to be one of the house pianists at the Comedy Store. I warmed up the audiences before the comics took the stage and sometimes I was part of their act. I opened for Whoopi Goldberg in her one-woman show. It was an incredibly positive and fun experience in my life.

ALLEGRO: What were some of your favorite gigs over the years?

AZIZA MILLER: I’ve had many favorite gigs. Too many to name – but an important music experience for me came when I got a phone call in 2000 from the legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal asking me if I’d consider penning lyrics to four of his songs he was going to record. Of course, I saw this as a great honor and said yes! We recorded “Whisperings,” “Picture Perfect,” “My Latin” and “It’s Only a Flower.” Ahmad actually had me sing “My Latin”! O.C Smith sang on “Whisperings.” On YouTube there is a live performance of Ahmad and the Lincoln Center Jazz Band playing “Picture Perfect” with one of the trombone players singing my lyrics! Our collaboration was a tremendous blessing and he is quoted in a Downbeat interview that I inspired him! Wow!

ALLEGRO: When you think of who has taught you the most on a gig, who comes to mind?

AZIZA MILLER: Playing in bands and conducting orchestras has helped sharpen my sightreading and technical skills. It has also taught me how to be an effective leader as well as a band member. Jazzmobile workshop instructors taught me how to play and comp in a big band and how to voice chords and solo over the chord changes and be supportive of all the band members. Going to hear other musicians is also helpful.

ALLEGRO: Funniest thing that ever happened to you on a gig?

AZIZA MILLER: I was playing an outdoor gig with a singer.  A rather big moth-looking insect flew into their mouth while singing with head back and mouth wide open!

ALLEGRO: Why do you think unions are important or valuable or necessary for musicians?

AZIZA MILLER: I think I first joined Local 802 in 1975, which was required to get paid for certain gigs on and off the road, plus TV and Broadway shows and certain nightclubs. Unions take care of and protect musicians and provide valuable — and in some cases lifesaving — services that otherwise would not be available to us.

ALLEGRO: Let’s say you meet a young person who’s obsessed with becoming a professional musician and is willing to do whatever it takes. What is your best advice?

AZIZA MILLER: I think my best advice would be to stay focused, remain open to learning and growing in your chosen art form, and not to let perfection replace or become more important than your passion, heart and soul and always stay humble and grateful. As for me, music is important because it is my life, it is my voice and it is my passion’s purpose!

Learn more about Aziza Miller on her Instagram and Facebook.