Mulgrew Miller – Storyville Records

Solo in Barcelona

js@storyville-records.com — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 01:00:09 +0000

Also available on CD: Solo in Barcelona – Storyville Records

Mulgrew Miller, one of the most important pianists of jazz’ modern era, proudly delivers his brand-new album Solo in Barcelona. The occasion of a present-day release of a solo recording by this remarkable musician is a very rare and extraordinary occasion. This album, which was recorded on February 2, 2004 in Barcelona, is truly a rare gem for the admirers of a man and piano player, who was loved by so many fans and the entire jazz global community. With his unique take on arrangements from Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Cole Porter, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington, MM shows us why he is considered a modern legend.

On this solo album, MM’s piano embarks on an extraordinary musical journey. With each note, he effortlessly paints a vivid tapestry of emotions, traversing a rich musical landscape that spans genres and styles characterized by versatility, proficient soloing and tasteful restraint. He plays like a modern-day exponent of Art Tatum with the deepest musical roots, but with the freshest, most forward-thinking, profoundly original voice that’s uniquely his own.

Live in Barcelona shows how he is able to tell us a story and swing like very few others. A real master on the piano. The highlight is perhaps his ‘Excursions in Blue’, playing the blues like it should be done – in the moment! Solo in Barcelona is a beautiful documentation of Mulgrew Miller playing solo material that has not been recorded before. MM was one of the most influential jazz pianists of his generation. Renowned for his technical mastery, improvisational genius and deep musicality, Mulgrew Miller worked with Miles Davis, Betty Carter, Woody Shaw, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and his own trio around the globe. Still missed by his big audience.

Mulgrew Miller (1955-2013) was a world-renowned jazz pianist and composer. His illustrious career spanned over four decades, during which he performed with legendary jazz artists and received critical acclaim for his exceptional musicianship. His unique approach to the piano and his profound contributions to jazz have solidified his place as one of the greatest pianists in the history of the genre. With this exceptional solo album, MM invites listeners on a personal and intimate musical journey, as he displays his extraordinary command of the piano. His nuanced phrasing, exquisite dynamics and deep understanding of harmony create an enchanting and captivating listening experience.

Solo in Barcelona

Exlibris — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 09:00:16 +0000

The Duo – Live!

js@storyville-records.com — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 07:01:08 +0000

Danish Customers: Buy here!

Exclusive to Storyville Records, a previously unreleased live concert with jazz stars Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass) and Mulgrew Miller (piano) is now finally available for everyone to enjoy. For a short but magnificent time, the two played together, and our revival of their visit to the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland in 2000 testifies to their musical brightness and beauty.

In 1999-2000, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen was given the chance to make a studio recording on the occasion of Duke Ellington’s 100th birthday. For this duo session, NHØP chose Mulgrew Miller, whom he had heard, but never played with. Both were at the height of their careers, giants in their own right, and with totally different backgrounds. NHØP was born into the Danish folk high-school milieu that promoted freedom of thought and had a prolific song tradition. Growing up as the child of plantation workers in Greenwood, Mississippi, Mulgrew had his roots in gospel music and the racially divided USA of the 1960s. A Duke Ellington connoisseur, he had played with the Ellington Orchestra under direction of Mercer Ellington.

Still, from the moment NHØP and Mulgrew met and played together, the two had an affinity as human beings and musicians. They chose a repertoire based on the historic 1941 Duke Ellington—Jimmy Blanton duets. Mik Neumann, NHØP’s long-time sound engineer, says about their collaboration: “What was special was how their music assimilated the divergent influences of their younger days. Remarkable, too, was the degree of profundity in their interplay – a talent that demands years of experience for a musician to deliver, and possibly also for an audience to understand. At the same time, thanks to their ability to swing, and their inbred musicality, the music was also immediately accessible.” In many ways, piano-and-bass was the ultimate constellation for Niels-Henning and Mulgrew. Here, NHØP had the necessary room to display the same creative brilliance that revolutionized modern contrabass playing.

In 2000, NHØP and Mulgrew Miller embarked on a world tour celebrating Duke Elington’s 100th birthday. Mik Neumann recalls the special connection between the two musicians: “Not once during the tour did they sit down and discuss what they were going to play – it materialized on stage, in the moment.”

Recorded live, all the tracks on this never before released concert remain in the same order as the two masters chose that evening at the North Sea Jazz Festival. They are at the peak of their abilities, combining new version of the Ellington songs they had previously recorded together with jazz standards. Niels-Henning and Mulgrew have sadly passed away, but are remembered as intelligent and insightful musicians on and off stage, but also as unconditionally generous mentors and influences for generations of musicians after themselves.

The Duo

js@storyville-records.com — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 07:00:42 +0000

In 1999, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Mulgrew Miller came together in a unique and unlikely pairing to pay tribute to Duke Ellington on the 100th anniversary of his birth. The result was a passionate and long-lived musical partnership between two masters of their respective instruments, but the original recordings were never released. For the first time ever, more than 20 years after its recording, this lost treasure is finally made available to the public.

The duo was initially brought together by Bang & Olufsen and set out to celebrate Ellington and his partnership with bassist Jimmy Blanton. With the help of Per Arnoldi, who is also credited with the album’s artwork, NHØP was approached to take part and tapped Mulgrew Miller to tackle a series of Ellington’s classic themes and a couple of their own. He saw the opportunity to work with Mulgrew Miller, a pianist whom he admired and had not yet had the opportunity to work with, and this decision paid off greatly for both of them. A great musical and personal partnership was born, and the duo’s captivating chemistry is obvious from the first notes.

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen is widely celebrated as one of the greatest to ever grace the upright bass and had a long and fruitful career among the greats of jazz. He is arguably jazz’s most virtuosic bassist, and his long career saw collaborations with legends like Oscar Peterson, Kenny Drew, Michel Petrucciani, Tania Maria, Philippe Catherine and Joe Pass. In the duo with Miller in particular, Niels-Henning’s unique sense of harmony and his impeccable timing stand out. Meanwhile, Mulgrew Miller, one of the most accomplished jazz pianists of the 80s and 90s delivers Ellington’s themes with grace and admiration. His playing is marked by versatility, skillful soloing and tasteful restraint. With NHØP on bass and MIller on piano, the talents of both are given plenty of space to explore Ellington’s themes and to form a musical dynamic that rivals that of Ellington and Blanton.

The duo was very successful and they toured the world in the following years. A live album, The Duo – Live!, was released on Storyville Records and documents the duo’s great musical chemistry in a live setting. They kept playing shows together until NHØP’s passing in 2005.

The collaboration was a unique meeting of two of the greatest jazz-minds of their time paying tribute to another legendary partnership. Thankfully, these recordings are finally available and they make up an important addition to the already extensive and impressive legacies of both NHØP and Mulgrew Miller as well as a beautiful tribute to Ellington and Blanton.