HARRY MILLER
Harry Miller
In his home country Harry Miller (Cape Town, South-Africa, 25 April 1941 – Netherlands, 16 December 1983) makes music with Manfred Mann before moving to England in 1961. In London he becomes part of a scene of British and South-African jazz musicians, like Mike Westbrook, Chris McGregor, Louis Moholo, ...
Instruments
basgitaar, contrabas, fluit, percussie
Mentioned in the biography of
1977
Arjen Gorter
1981
Sean Bergin
Biography Harry Miller
In his home country Harry Miller (Cape Town, South-Africa, 25 April 1941 – Netherlands, 16 December 1983) makes music with Manfred Mann before moving to England in 1961. In London he becomes part of a scene of British and South-African jazz musicians, like Mike Westbrook, Chris McGregor, Louis Moholo, John Surman, Keith Tippett and Elton Dean. From his London home base he regularly plays with Dutch musicians, including Leo Cuypers and Willem Breuker. In 1978 he moves to Amsterdam permanently, because the work situation is better than in the UK. He plays with the Herbert de Jonge/Willem van Manen Quintet en and starts his own band. From the Netherlands he plays regularly with fellow-countryman Louis Moholo and with German reed player Peter Brötzmann's trio. In 1979 trombonist Willem van Manen asks him as the bassist for his Springband. On the way back from a concert in Baarle-Nassau (near the Belgian border) in 1983 Miller is one of the mortal victims of a traffic accident involving the orchestra's van.
1975 - 1977
In July pianist Leo Cuypers asks Harry Miller (whom he has known since 1973) as one of the two bassists in the large ensemble with which he performs his Zeeland Suite. In September the group performs in the VARA radio studio, and the recordings made there make their way on to an LP released by Willem Breuker's BVHaast label. Miller also joins the quintet co-led by pianist Herbert de Jonge and trombonist Willem van Manen, where he finds a fellow-countryman, saxophonist Sean Bergin. Joop van der Erven is the drummer of the band, which continues until 1980.
1978
He starts his own sextet, featuring the saxophonists Trevor Watts and Willem Breuker. The group records the LP In Conference. Miller permanently moves to Amsterdam, and is offered a role in tenor saxophonist Jan Cees Tans's quartet, where he is one of two bassists (the other being either Ernst Glerum or Arjen Gorter), with Han Bennink or Petro Nykyruj on drums. Later Sean Bergin joins the band, making it a quintet.
1979
When Willem van Manen starts his own big band, named Springband, he asks Miller on board as bassist. The orchestra does not exist all year round, but does an annual tour of the Dutch jazzclubs.
1983
In March Miller is a guest in the VARA studio with his own Quintet (Sean Bergin, trombonist Wolter Wierbos, cornettist Marc Charig and Han Bennink), for a live radio broadcast, featuring all original compositions by the leader. The VARA Jazz label later releases the recordings as the LP Down South. On 27 November a van filled with Springband musicians returns from a concert in Baarle-Nassau. In a traffic accident trumpeter Jeff Reynolds and trombonist Joep Maessen are dead instantly. Tenor saxophonist Maarten van Norden, trumpeter Louis Lanzing and Harry Miller are heavily wounded. On 16 December the bassist succumbs to his injuries and dies.
Discography Harry Miller
Albums | Singles | Compilations | Other | Guestperformance
Children At Play
Act | Harry Miller |
Type and year | LP, 1974 |
Label | Ogun, OG 200 |
Harry Miller/Radu Malfatti - Bracknell Breakdown
Act | Harry Miller |
Type and year | LP, 1977 |
Label | Ogun, OG 320 |
Harry Miller's Isipingo - Family Affair
Act | Harry Miller |
Type and year | LP, 1977 |
Label | Ogun, OG 310 |
Harry Miller Sextet - In Conference
Act | Harry Miller |
Type and year | LP, 1978 |
Label | Ogun, OG 523 |
muzikant | Willem Breuker |
Harry Miller Quintet - Down South
Act | Harry Miller |
Type and year | LP, 1983 |
Label | VARA Jazz, 4213 |
muzikant | Sean Bergin |
muzikant | Wolter Wierbos |
muzikant | Han Bennink |
Leo Cuypers - Zeeland Suite
Act | Harry Miller |
Type and year | LP, 1977 |
Label | BVHaast, 012 |
muzikant | Arjen Gorter |
muzikant | Willem Breuker |
muzikant | Martin van Duynhoven |
muzikant | Bob Driessen |
muzikant | Willem van Manen |
muzikant | Harry Miller |
Details | Recorded by VARA Radio, Hilversum, 19 September 1977; released in 1993 on BVHaast CD 9307 |
Leo Cuypers - Nachtrit
Act | Harry Miller |
Type and year | 7", 1979 |
Label | Theaterunie |
muzikant | Martin van Duynhoven |
muzikant | Harry Miller |
muzikant | Willem van Manen |
muzikant | Kashavan Maslak |
muzikant | Maarten van Norden |
Details | Recorded in Rotterdam, January 1979; one-sided flexidisc containing the soundtrack of Nachtrit, a theatrical play by J. Bernlef |
Willem Van Manen - Willem van Manen
Act | Harry Miller |
Type and year | LP, 1979 |
Label | BVHaast, 027 |
muzikant | Harry Miller |
muzikant | Misha Mengelberg |
producer | Willem Breuker |
muzikant | Martin van Duynhoven |
In the discography you will find all recordings that have been released listed chronologically. We restrict ourselves to the title, the type of audio, year of publication or recording, label, list of guest musicians, plus any comments on the issue.
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