Mulgrew Miller: Live At Yoshi's, Volume One

by Jim Santella
June 4, 2004

Gone are the days when a live recording would find the artist being drowned out by loud conversation or by microphones that are misplaced and under-valued. Just look at some of our treasured historical recordings of Bird and Diz, and from other pioneers such as Pops. Some of their early live sessions stood worlds apart from the superior sound later captured in the studio. MaxJazz in general, and Phil Edwards Recording in particular, have captured every nuance from Mulgrew Miller's ...

Mulgrew Miller: Live at Yoshi's Volume One

by John Kelman
May 21, 2004

With the multiplicity of mainstream records out there mining the standards songbook, what does it take to differentiate oneself from the crowd? Well, in the case of pianist Mulgrew Miller, it is about formidable virtuosity that never loses site of the inner truth of the music; it's also about injecting a little surprise--not too much--where one would least expect it. All too often mainstream artists treat the source material with too much reverence and, at the end of the day, ...

Mulgrew Miller and Wingspan: The Sequel

by Jack Bowers
December 1, 2002

Mulgrew Miller, one of the best-known and busiest pianists in Jazz, goes back to his roots on The Sequel, which reunites him with Wingspan, the quintet he formed more than fifteen years ago, for his first recording as a leader in seven years (during which time he appeared as a sideman on more than two hundred albums). Miller wanted his return to be special, and it is. The captivating program consists of eight of Miller’s superlative compositions for the quintet, ...

Mulgrew Miller: The Sequel

by David A. Orthmann
November 1, 2002

Mulgrew Miller's first session under his own name in seven years is a welcome reminder of the breadth of his talent. Miller's skills as a composer, bandleader, producer, and pianist converge to make The Sequel a unique and accessible recording. Although different in mood and texture, each of his eight compositions contains a melodic core that makes them easy (and a pleasure) to recall. He gives the sidemen ample room to express themselves, yet Miller retains a firm hand on ...

Mulgrew Miller and Wingspan: The Sequel

by C. Michael Bailey
October 2, 2002

Perhaps the most underrated pianist playing?

Mulgrew Miller has always been a hidden treasure. He has recorded as a sideman much more than as a leader and in both cases done so at the top of his form. Considered part of the “lost generation" of jazz musicians who came of age between Miles Davis? second great quintet and heyday of Fusion, Miller has never the less excelled and established himself a place in jazz that is both unique and vital. ...

Mulgrew Miller and Wingspan: The Sequel

by C. Andrew Hovan
September 8, 2002

As prolific he is as a sideman, pianist Mulgrew Miller’s own catalog as a leader is rather scant, making the release of The Sequel all that more welcome. As a bit of clarification, it should be noted that the reprise the album’s title suggests refers to Wingspan, the name of Miller’s ensemble and his 1987 Landmark release of the same name. However, vibraphonist Steve Nelson seems to be the only returning member of the ensemble from the group’s original incarnation. ...

Benny Golson: One Day, Forever

by AAJ Staff
May 1, 2001

Benny Golson’s latest Arkadia release, One Day, Forever, arose from a taping of some of Golson’s previous band members from the Jazztet: Art Farmer and Curtis Fuller. At the end of a European tour, they were so rushed they that they didn’t record long enough to fill an entire CD. Arkadia owner Bob Karcy kept the tape in the can, and he and Golson kept that recording in mind, in the intervening five years, during which Farmer passed. After Golson ...