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Ben Miller

Ben Miller is a Rochester-based jazz pianist, composer, producer, educator, and founder of Third Motion Studios, LLC

About Me

“Whether he’s at a piano or a Fender Rhodes keyboard, Rochester pianist Ben Miller is a formidable player and inventive improvisor”

-Ron Netsky, Rochester City News

“…full of an almost youthful enthusiasm which unrolls a jazz of today well anchored in the roots of the genre.”

-Yves Dorison, CultureJazz (France)

“Undoubtedly, his background and exposure to musical influences have fuelled his artistry.”

-David Emmanuel Noel, Occhi Magazine

“Feathers of Ma’at is the sophisticated and essential album everyone’s been waiting for,”

-WIndout Magazine (Italy)

“Ben is hands down one of the most exciting young talents on the piano today!”

-Chris DiGirolamo, Two For the Show Media

“In Miller’s compositions, it is possible to hear traces of not only bebop, post-bop and other jazz styles, but also the effects of mysticism.”

-Turgay Kantürk, Dark Blue Notes (Turkey)

“His approach to the piano is a bit out of the ordinary and really riveting,”

-Mike, Adult Music Podcast

Education

Manhattan School of Music (Harlem, NY) Masters Degree in Jazz Performance

McGill University Schulich School of Music (Montréal, QC) Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance, minor in Musical Applications of Technology

Jazz pianist, composer, and producer Ben Miller was born in the Philippines, raised in Perú upstate New York, and Kenya, and educated in Montreal and New York City. His reverence for jazz and classical tradition resonates in his creative explorations of contemporary harmony.

In addition to leading his own trio, Ben is a member of the Orbiting Human Circus Quartet, Taru Alexander Quartet, and several other bands. He is a former member of the Williamsburg All-Stars at the Williamsburg Music Center in Brooklyn.

Ben’s debut trio album Feathers of Ma’at (Feathers of Ma’at EPK) was released on June 30, 2023 on Truth Revolution Records. It is available for sale at https://trrstore.bandcamp.com/album/feathe rs-of-maat. Themed around ancient mysticism, it consists entirely of his own originals and features Taru Alexander on drums and Joseph Lepore on bass.

Ben is currently releasing is a 25-piece ensemble project of his own compositions called Dweller on the Threshold featuring fine talent from Rochester and beyond. Besides composing ans arranging, Ben has taken on production, from recording to mixing and mastering.

If you would like to donate to the large ensemble project fund, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dweller-on- the-threshold-large-ensemble-jazz

Ben has had the privilege of sharing the stage with many acclaimed musicians, including Taru Alexander, Joseph Lepore, Jesse Collins, Julian Koster, Hanka G, Emilio Modeste, Tom DiCarlo, Niklas Lukassen, Miles Griffith, Stanley Banks, Kevin Dean, Adi Meyerson, Kris Monson, Ryan Sands, Josh David Barrett, Dominic Duval, Marco Cirigliano, Jake Leckie, Daryl Johns, George Delancey, and the list goes on.

On November 17, 2023, The Orbiting Human Circus Quartet, a jazz project led by indie rock star Julian Koster (The Music Tapes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Elephant 6), released Quartet Plus Two on Merge Records (order here: https://www.mergerecords.com/product/qu artet_plus_two). Ben joined this band when they recorded music for Julian’s hit fiction podcast The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) produced by WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents. The band has toured successfully off their first album and is now in the process of recording a second.

Ben’s interest in composition and film scoring has led him into the world of digital music production and orchestration. His work as a producer, film composer, and audio engineer has been featured in podcasts such as WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents’ The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air), Wondery’s The Next Big Idea, Mensch Media’s Living Downstream, films such as James Beard Award-winning Marcella, Balk, and Farm and Red Moon, as well as political ads for Priorities USA.

Working out of his own studio Third Motion Studios, Ben currently produces for local clients in Rochester, as well as entities like Willow Pond Films, Universal Music Group, Greenwich Entertainment, California Public Media, Documist, and more.

Festivals and shows

Geneva Jazz Festival (2x), RBTL Stars of Tomorrow, Sterling Stage Festival, Orbiting Human Circus Quartet Summer Tour, Fulton Jazz Festival, Cornell Summer Concert Series, Crossing Borders Live, Apple Harvest Festival, Ithaca Festival, Newark Backyard BBQ Series, McGill University Battle of the Bands (member of winning band Busty and the Bass), Arch Ballet Pointe in Motion World Premier, CSMA Young at Art, Williamsburg All- Stars at WMC, Rob Ingram and Friends (prod by Exotic Roots and Flour City Station), Ithaca All-Star Jazz Invitational, Jazz in July @ UMass Amherst, Ithaca Porchfest, Ithaca Teen Cabaret, The Fabulous Fable Factory, Kevin Dean’s Next Generation, and various dance, cabaret, and theatrical productions.

Performances and residencies

Smalls Jazz Club, Williamsburg Music Center, Mezzrow Jazz Club, WNYC Studios, Shrine World Music Venue, 55 Bar, The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, Rue B, Anyway Cafe, Tomi Jazz, Legion Bar, Tsion Cafe, Greenfield Hall, The Sultan Room, Troost Bar, Miller Hall, Denise Bibro Fine Art, Strange Weather Studios, The Red Room at KGB Bar, Pete’s Candy Shop, Ronald McDonald House, New York Athletic Club, Tedesco Studios, Neidorff- Karpati Hall (New York City); Maison de la culture Maisonneuve, Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill, Pollack Hall, L’Absynthe, Solin Hall, Tanna Schulich Hall, Gert’s Bar, Molson Hall, Redpath Hall (Montréal); L’Angelus (Montpellier, France); UUU Art Collective, Flour City Station, RBTL Auditorium Theater, RIT City Art Space, Flight Wine Bar, The French Quarter, Cure Bar, The Yards Collective, Parcel 5, Exotic Roots Hydro, the Little Theater, U of R Audio Engineering Lab, Bar Abilene, Millard E Latimer & Sons, Perlo’s Restaurant, El Greco By Mike, Third Motion Studios, Vanni's Jazz Lounge, Spritz146, Vine and Tap, Water Street Music Hall (Rochester, NY); Johnny Brenda’s (Philadelphia, PA); The Trestle (Sodus Point); Quarry House Tavern (Silver Spring, MD); The Church of Chill (Lacona, NY); Zebu Club at ILRI (Nairobi, Kenya); Bezanson Recital Hall, (Amherst, MA); Daños Heuriger, Lodi Historical Society (Lodi, NY); Prosecco Italian Restaurant and Jazz Bar (Farmington) Geneva Country Club, Lake Drum Brewing, Microclimate Wine Bar, Linden Social Club, Geneva on the Lake (Geneva, NY); WMC North Jazz Lounge (Elmira, NY); Bailey Hall, Community School of Music and Arts, The Warehouse at Argos, South Hill Cider, The Dock, The Kitchen Theater, Bike Bar, Ithaca Commons Main Stage, Buffalo Street Bistro, Six Mile Creek Winery, The History Center, Corks and More, Willard Straight Hall, Collegetown Bagels, Agava, The Carriage House Loft, First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, The Range, Hockett Recital Hall, The Yellow Barn, Longview, The Shop, The Hangar Theater, Moosewood, Monks on the Commons, Lot 10, The Lost Dog, Kulp Auditorium (Ithaca, NY); Funk N’ Waffles, Al’s Wine and Whiskey Lounge (Syracuse, NY); Sterling Stage (Sterling, NY); Seneca Falls Heritage and Tourism Center, Damiani Wine Cellars (Burdett, NY); Brookton Market, Brooktondale Community Center; (Brooktondale, NY); Lafayette Park (Watkins Glen, NY); Mill House Market, Grindstone Farms (Pulaski, NY); Seneca Falls Heritage and Tourism Center, Concerts in the Park Series (Seneca Falls, NY); Canales Restaurant, SUNY Oswego Tyler Hall (Oswego, NY); and many other venues, restaurants, bars, wineries, clubs, art galleries, private functions, etc.