Interview with Jim Miller
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MEINL Cymbal artist Jim Miller has been an extremely busy person as of late. After being a sideman on more than two dozen jazz recordings, Jim has released a project as a band leader. Jim has been an important fixture in the Philadelphia jazz scene for many years now, so many feel that it's about time that the drummer / university professor is given his due. Recently, MEINL had a chance to ask Jim some questions about his experiences. What follows are invaluable insights into the mind and soul of a true musician.
"Miller Time" is your first record as a band leader. After all the years of experience that you have had as a sideman, what was it that gave you the final push to embark upon this project? Was it the culmination of the experience itself or something in particular?
I've been trying to get into composition since the mid-'80s, but my tunes could never pass the "morning after" test, where you can imagine people saying "Oh, the drummer must've written that one." But just working things out on the piano, combined with some kind of osmosis from hearing teachers and students rehearsing incessantly at Rowan University, finally produced some music I could live with. I'm finishing up the companion piece now, sort of a "Part Two."
Your resume is quite impressive. You have played alongside many great musicians. What are some of the most memorable experiences in regards to working with other musicians?
There have been many, many highlights, but two immediately come to mind: The first time I worked with saxophonist Dave Liebman, and (for some reason) the second time I had a chance to play with trumpeter Randy Brecker. I was buzzing for days after those gigs. But that same feeling happens regularly with pianists Eddie Green, Tom Lawton and Jim Ridl, saxophonist Denis DiBlasio, guitarist Jef Lee Johnson and vocalist Suzanne Cloud, as well.
You moved to Philadelphia in 1977. Now you are credited as being the pioneer of the jazz scene in Philly. Was the city devoid of a thriving scene when you moved there? What do you feel have been your most significant contributions towards making the Philly jazz scene what it is today?
I know some article said that, but I'm hardly a pioneer of the Philly jazz scene. When I think of the "hard-bop and beyond, "East-Coast style of music that I love, I think of two cities, Philly and Detroit. The "old heads" have told me about the heyday, in the '50s and '60s, but even cities like Indianapolis had scenes back then. Jazz never died, so it's never had to come back. It's always been there, sometimes you just have to search for it a little deeper than other times. My partner, vocalist/educator Suzanne Cloud and I are just trying to make creative music easier to find through our co-op label and her concert promotions.
You are heavily involved in music education. How long have you been teaching and what do you take to your own playing from the classroom experience?
I've always been able to scare up extra pocket change teaching in music stores, because if you could play the rudiments at all, the clarinet majors or frustrated guitarists running the shops would hire you. In fact, that's how I got my reading together ... I was always worried some student was going to come in with some really advanced stuff, and would be able to tell that I was the one faking it! Denis DiBlasio, head of the Maynard Ferguson Institute of Jazz at Rowan University, in Glassboro NJ, brought me on board in the fall of 1997. Denis, Sue and I are together on this, that in concerts, there has to be an educational aspect. Sure, the music has to be entertaining, but providing information about the process of what is really happening onstage draws people in, and helps develop an understanding and appreciation for creative, spontaneous music that builds more knowledgeable, critical listeners in the future. Of course, you can't do that in the clubs, where it's about selling food and booze!
Jazz music was once considered the cutting edge style of music in the US. Obviously it's seen in a different light by today's mass media inundated society. For the majority of music listeners out there, jazz requires too much involvement. Does this frustrate you? Do you still find jazz musicians that are pushing the envelope and exploring realms that have not yet been visited? If so, are you one of these explorers?
The word "jazz" has become totally meaningless. I wish that the marketing suits had not coined "smooth jazz." If you're a saxophonist, and call yourself a "jazz saxophonist," and say things like "I could play all that fast Coltrane stuff, it's just that I choose not to," then you should be judged by those high standards, and have to at least occasionally prove that you can indeed play in a way that the masters of this art would appreciate. Or call it something else, "instrumental pop" or something. Any term would be better, and more accurate even for their own marketing purposes, than "smooth jazz." That label demeans the history of the art. Creative, spontaneous music does demand more from the audience, but so do fine foreign films, great books, PBS, NPR, anything that hasn't been dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. It's not personally frustrating, because intelligent life is out there.
About "exploring," all I'm doing right now is having fun playing music I like, that can be approached different ways on different nights. The first two reviews of my CD called it "avant-garde" or "free jazz." Another magazine, with a more esoteric bent, predictably deemed it "commercial" and "mass-appeal." So go figure.
In your mind, what are the top five essential records for a beginning jazz listener to have?
"Miles Smiles," Miles Davis w/ Tony Williams
"The Best of John Coltrane" w/ Elvin Jones (the live Pablo label stuff, includes an amazing 17:50 version of "Bye Bye Blackbird")
"Timeless," John Abercrombie w/ Jack DeJohnette
"Study In Brown," Clifford Brown & Max Roach (features a great "Take the 'A' Train")
"Milestones," Miles Davis w/ Philly Joe Jones (with brushes on "Billy Boy")
BONUS: "The Ethel Merman Disco Album"
You've been with MEINL Cymbals since 1987. How do these instruments inspire you as an artist?
The first ones I played were the "Dragon" series, very unique and trashy. In fact, I stopped using a China altogether back then,
because I didn't need one anymore...all the Dragons sounded like Chinas, even the hi-hats. I loved them.
Then I had some "Reference Class," on to the "One Of a Kind Custom Cymbal Shop," some of which I still use, and most recently the "Byzance" Series.
Norbert has amazing ears, and is going to send some new cymbals soon, including a dry flat ride, a dark crash and some others. I can't wait!
I've never liked real pingy ride cymbals that get all over the top of the band sound. To me, cymbals are the piano's sustain pedal for the drumset,
so I prefer a darker sound, that cushions the group from underneath, like a perfect mattress that the rest of the instruments can roll around on
and get comfortable. Same thing with crashes for accents...too often cymbals sound "clangy" to me, while I hear a short, fast-decaying "splash"
or "whoosh," like dunking a basketball. And Meinl cymbals provide those effects for me. On my CD, "Sex Cymbals" is just a cymbal solo,
but with close mics, it sounds like some kind of futuristic Milky Way orchestra...or at least that's what I was going for.
The harmonic overtones of Meinl cymbals are very clean and "regulated." There's no offensive, clashing ringiness.
They sound like a choir, very in-tune with one another.
Listen to "Sex Cymbals" by Jim Miller.
Comments about "Miller Time" at dreamboxmedia.com
Any words of advice for aspiring drummers out there in the world?
Well, I was very impressed by the new Meinl catalog, and the fact that Meinl pays for employees' drum lessons, if they're not already drummers. That's dedication, the same kind of dedication it takes to keep playing music for the sheer love of it, not because you think it's a quick way to fame and fortune. The bargain bins are full of product that was coldly calculated to be commercial, and it still didn't sell, so you might as well do what you love. After all, if you do make it happen and "hit big," you're going to be playing that stuff the rest of your life, so you better make sure it's something you believe in, and not some watered-down piece of crap foisted on you by producers or executive-types. The music comes first.
Interview by Chris Brewer
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