Photo by Andrea Canter

With back to back live releases ( Live at Yoshi’s 1 and 2, MaxJazz), the Mulgrew Miller Trio is one of the most celebrated small ensembles of modern jazz. Dubbed by the Boston Globe as “perhaps the leading pianist of his generation,” Miller is also one of the most prolific, with over 400 recordings as leader or sideman to his credit—and at fifty, he will no doubt continue to expand his repertoire and resumé for years to come. With compatriots Ivan Taylor (bass) and Rodney Green (drums), the Mulgrew Miller Trio will be setting up shop in Chicago at the Jazz Showcase (April 18-23), in Minneapolis at the Dakota (April 24-25), and at the Tri-CJazz Fest in Cleveland (April 27-30).

Photo by Andrea Canter

Mulgrew Miller has enjoyed a thirty-year career atop the pool of pianists influenced by legendary Oscar Peterson and the great but under-rated Phineas Newborn. Growing up in Greenwood, Mississippi, young Miller was immersed in gospel and blues, playing gospel at church and blues and R&B for dance bands. He also studied classical piano and formed a trio while in high school, but did not really appreciate jazz until he saw Oscar Peterson perform on television. Said Miller in an interview with All About Jazz, “When I saw him, I realized there was a way to do something with music -- and do it with integrity and in a way that demanded virtuosity but wasn't classically oriented.” Pivotal to Miller’s transition to jazz was his studies at Memphis State University with Donald Brown and James Williams, pianists who would later work with Miller in the late 80s-early 90s as part of the Contemporary Piano Ensemble (along with a very young Geoff Keezer and Harold Mabern), dedicated to the music of Memphis’ native son Phineas Newborn. With Williams and Brown, Miller often caught Newborn’s sets at the Gemini in Memphis. “So that's where I really began to seriously learn jazz,” he notes.

Ivan Taylor, photo by Andrea Canter

One of Mulgrew Miller’s earliest jobs was as pianist for the Mercer Ellington Orchestra. Then Cedar Walton introduced Miller to Betty Carter, and he moved to New York, spending the next 8 months with the great vocalist/educator. Following his tenure with Carter, Miller performed with Woody Shaw, Johnny Griffin, Art Blakey, and 7 years with Tony Williams. “From the Ellington band through Tony Williams, I was literally in a band every single day for 16 years.” Miller also was a frequent collaborator with Joe Lovano in the late 80s, turning his priorities to his own trio and other ensembles in the 90s while still performing or recording with such artists as Diane Reeves, Rene Marie, Steve Turre, Kenny Garrett, Joe Lovano, and Gary Burton. He also collaborated with the late Niels Henning Orstad Pedersen on a recording and series of performances in tribute to the great piano/bass duos of Ellington and Blanton.

But Miller’s focus lately has been his trio, as well as the quintet Wingspan. When asked how his approach to his small ensembles differs from his soloing, Miller noted, “In a trio or quintet, I sometimes tend to become more focused on melodic improvising. And especially in a quintet, I'll have a more concise approach to playing. But as a solo performer, I try to be more orchestral and use more of the entire instrument. After all, it's just you, so you need to come up with different things to make the music more interesting. In essence, I do things that are more pianistic.”

Rodney Green, photo by Andrea Canter

Miller has released a number of recordings as leader for Landmark, Criss Cross, Verve and most recently, the two trio volumes, Live at Yoshi’s on MaxJazz. Noted Time Out New York, “True to his blues-tinged upbringing, he's a bop intellectual with an unabashed gift for populism. That explains both the thundering jabs in his sparkling runs and the sleekness in his writing and arranging." A committed jazz educator, Miller has also recently assumed duties as Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in New Jersey, succeeding his late partner in the Contemporary Piano Ensemble, James Williams.

Miller’s new bassist on his spring tour is young Ivan Taylor. The Chicago native was a star performer at the 2002 Essentially Ellington competition before enrolling at Julliard. In addition to touring with Mulgrew Miller, he plays with Soul Cycle, the Julliard Jazz Orchestra, and studies with Ron Carter. Rounding out the trio for this tour, drummer Rodney Green has been into percussion since he was a toddler in New Jersey; by 17 he was touring with Bobby Watson, and shortly thereafter spent two years backing Diana Krall.

While the Live at Yoshi’s volumes have become modern masterpieces, live anywhere with the Mulgrew Miller Trio is a real treat. Those of us in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Cleveland now have the opportunity to enjoy one of the most acclaimed pianists on this or any other planet.

The Mulgrew Miller Trio will perform in Chicago at the Jazz Showcase, April 18-23, www.jazzshowcase.com; in Minneapolis at the Dakota, April 24-25, www.dakotacooks.com; in Cleveland at the Tri-C Jazz Fest, April 27-30; www.tricpresents.com