Harry Miller

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Harold Simon "Harry" Miller (born April 21, 1941 in Cape Town , South Africa, † December 16, 1983 in the Netherlands ) was a South African jazz musician (bassist, cellist, band leader and composer).

Career

Miller began playing the double bass while studying engineering. Together with his school friend Manfred Mann , he played in the first South African rock 'n' roll band The Vikings , which also hit the charts with their two LPs. He and Mann went to Great Britain in 1961. Miller continued his studies, approached - unlike Mann - the jazz scene and occasionally took part in mainstream sessions . After two years as a ship musician , where he also got to know the New York free jazz scene, he returned to London and soon became part of the musician scene around John Stevens who was interested in free music . At that time he was engaged as a bassist for Mike Westbrook and was also a member of John Surman's groups . In 1969 he was a member of the Alan Skidmore quintet, which was awarded at the Montreux Jazz Festival : Shortly afterwards, he was part of the Centipede band project and played with Louis Moholo in the trio of Mike Osborne (until 1974). A little later he joined the groups of Chris McGregor , especially his Brotherhood of Breath , but also worked with King Crimson ( Islands , 1971).

After Barre Phillips , Miller was the second jazz bassist to record a solo album ( Children at Play ). He had his own band Isipingo and played with members such as Keith Tippett and Louis Moholo, but also with Stan Tracey and Elton Dean's all-star band Ninesense .

Together with his wife Hazel Miller he founded the record company Ogun and helped set up the Lambeth New Music Society , which ran the Grass Roots Club every Tuesday . Due to the poor economic opportunities at the time, he worked regularly in the Netherlands in the early 1980s (including with Willem Breuker and with the former Breuker pianist Leo Cuypers ), but also played in a very energetic trio with Peter Brötzmann and Moholo and in a duo with Radu Malfatti . Miller had a fatal car accident during a strong storm in the Netherlands.

Some of his compositions (e.g. Lost Opportunities , Mofolo ) are still played by musician friends who are friends.

Discography

  • Children At Play (1974)
  • Harry Miller's Isipingo: Which Way Now (1975)
  • Harry Miller's Isipingo: Family Affair (1977)
  • Full Steam ahead ( Reel Recordings , rec. 1975–77, ed. 2009)
  • Harry Miller 1941–1983: The collection (3 CDs, 1972–1983)

Lexigraphic entries

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Miller, Harry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Miller, Harold Simon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH April 21, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Cape Town , South Africa
DATE OF DEATH December 16, 1983
Place of death Netherlands