Welcome ::
NEWS! Jon Miller Quartet is up for the Monday Magazine M Award in two categories:
FAVOURITE JAZZ ARTIST and FAVOURITE ALBUM OF 2009.
PLEASE VOTE! Victoria and area residents only can vote here at mondaymag.com. Voting closes Feb 19 2010, but PLEASE VOTE EARLY to help us make the short list!
Welcome to the official homepage of the Jon Miller Quartet. Here you can find out more about the debut CD "Orchidology," hear excerpts, contact me, and get news of upcoming performances.
The Jon Miller Quartet is one of the West Coast's premiere instrumental jazz groups. The Victoria BC based ensemble was formed in 2007 with the addition of saxophonist Roy Styffe to the already seasoned trio of guitarist Rob Cheramy, upright bassist James Young and drummer/leader Jon Miller. In 2009 the quartet released their critically acclaimed debut CD “Orchidology,” co-produced by Wynn Gogol. The disc showcases band members' playing and writing with five of the nine tracks penned by leader Miller.
Spontaneous and animated, the sound of the Jon Miller Quartet is characterized by dynamic rhythms, memorable themes and spirited improvisation. True to their origin, the open sound of the guitar-based rhythm section combined with Styffe's exuberant sax work bring to mind in turn various proponents of the “West Coast Sound” and the work of one of guitarist Cheramy's major influences, Jim Hall. Saxophonist Roy Styffe's work on the debut CD "Orchidology" has been compared by listeners and reviewers alike to legendary alto-masters Paul Desmond and Cannonball Adderley. Live, the group's repertoire is split between band member's original compositions, jazz standards, and tunes from outside the usual jazz idiom by such artists as Bob Marley and Soft Cell. Regular performances at Victoria's jazz spot Hermann's Jazz Club provide an outlet for innovation with new tunes and arrangements popping up at every turn.
Miller's own compositions first began surfacing in the early 2000's with the group 'Miller, Stokes and Young.' Explains Miller: “Having played in so many bands with a host of brilliant players who also wrote over the years...I guess it put the idea in the back of my mind to eventually try my own hand at it. Being part of new music as it's being created is something I've always enjoyed immensely. Now with my own band I consider myself very fortunate to have such great players to play my music and bounce ideas off. For me a tune usually isn't truly finished until its been played live a few times to work out the details like arrangement, tempo, feel, even overall placement in the set list...”
Another feature of the group's repertoire is its propensity for reinterpreting material by other musicians closely associated with the band. For example the song 'Men Without Heads' from the CD 'Orchidology' is written by British singer Ross Mitson and was originally performed by Miller's Amsterdam-based band of the same name in the mid 1999's. “This tune got me primarily because of its mood, a jazz waltz with shades of Coltrane or Wayne Shorter but (for me at least) filtered through a kind of euro sensibility....in an instrumental we don't get to use the lyrics, but the words are about going somewhere you've never been to find yourself, which I find interesting.” explains Miller. Another new piece is the Quartet's first commissioned work by former band-mate and composer Tobin Stokes entitled “4 Jon's 4.” (not yet recorded) “The great thing about the tune Tobin's wrote for us is how it gives each player a really interesting, melody-driven part to play, as opposed to a more typical melody-and-accompaniment kind of approach.”
Copyright 2009 Jon Miller
Purchase the debut release "Orchidology" on iTunes and the following sites:
Secure Downloads on KERFMUSIC
James Young 
Photo: Ute Miller
Photo: Ute MillerRob Cheramy's guitar Photo: Ute Miller
Photo: Ute MillerRoy Styffe
Jon Miller
