Jazz Articles about Mulgrew Miller

Mulgrew Miller: Live At the Kennedy Center, Volume 1

by C. Michael Bailey
September 6, 2006

The best thing about Live at the Kennedy Center, Volume 1 is that there will be a Volume 2. Mulgrew Miller is a consummate captain of the piano trio and larger ensembles and has released a string of fine recordings on the MaxJazz imprint, including Live At Yoshi's, Volume 1 & Volume 2 and The Sequel. Miller is a large man and a commanding pianist, like Oscar Peterson, and I suspect that he will inherit the mantle that once belonged ...

Mulgrew Miller: Reshaping the Familiar

by AAJ Staff
February 23, 2006

Pianist Mulgrew Miller may not have the star power of Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner or Herbie Hancock. Nor has he ever been a “flavor du jour --possessing the passing but often fleeting large-scale popularity that may look good while it lasts, but rarely bodes well in the long term. But one look at his massive discography, which includes recording and/or touring with musical legends including Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard and it's clear that Miller is ...

Mulgrew Miller: Live At Yoshi's Volume Two

by Joel Roberts
August 24, 2005

Mulgrew Miller is one of the unsung heroes of jazz. The veteran pianist, who turns fifty this month, has played in the bands of major figures like Betty Carter, Woody Shaw, Art Blakey, and Tony Williams and has more than four hundred recording credits to his name. Though respected as a dependable, first-call sideman, he's only recently been getting the attention he deserves as a leader, thanks to a series of excellent releases on the MaxJazz label. That welcome trend ...

Mulgrew Miller: Live at Yoshi's Volume Two

by Dennis Hollingsworth
July 6, 2005

Mulgrew Miller may not be a household name, but he should be no stranger to jazz fans, with more than ten recordings to date as a leader. Miller might be the only pianist who can cite regular stints with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the incredible Tony Williams on his resume. This new release is dedicated to another somewhat unsung pianist, James Williams, who passed away during the recording sessions. Williams was a friend and mentor of Miller, going back ...

Mulgrew Miller: Live at Yoshi's Volume Two

by John Kelman
June 23, 2005

Sometimes a live performance is a singular experience--not capable of being relived, and consequently not meant to be documented. Other times it's so vivid and so rich in emotion that it bears repeat visits. Pianist Mulgrew Miller's '04 trio release, Live at Yoshi's Volume One was one such show--so worthy, in fact, that its very title was enough to create immediate anticipation for a followup.

A year later, Live at Yoshi's Volume Two has clearly been worth the wait. It's ...

Mulgrew Miller Returns To Boston For James Williams Tribute

by Timothy J. O'Keefe
October 14, 2004

Although Boston is not often associated with jazz, parts of the city have been infected with music's syncopating beat. Mulgrew Miller, jazz pianist and one-time Boston resident, returned last weekend to perform at a commemoration for his friend James Williams, a former Berklee College of Music instructor who passed away on July 20, 2004. Miller, a jazz phenom born in Greenwood, Mississippi, on August 13, 1955, remarkably started performing publicly at the age of nine. Miller's age puts him on ...

Mulgrew Miller: Live at Yoshi's, Volume One

by Russ Musto
July 3, 2004

Mulgrew Miller's second release for MaxJazz, his first live recording as a leader, captures the pianist's current working trio featuring his long time associate, drummer Karriem Riggins, and the amazing young Philadelphia bassist Derrick Hodge, at Yoshi's, the Bay Area's premier jazz establishment, in a set of classic music that should stir any discerning listener. Miller possesses one the most impressive pedigrees in jazz today, boasting tenures with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Betty Carter, Art Blakey, Woody Shaw and Tony ...