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, ...
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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.

Leo Cuypers Sean Bergin Willem Van Manen

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.

Jan Cees Tans Willem Breuker

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.

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