R.I.P. MIKE MILLER

I just heard that Mike Miller passed away.

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THE BANNED FROM UTOPIA - - - INCA ROADS (LIVE 2013)

Recorded in Frankfurt.

• Robert Martin - vocals, keyboards, sax, French horn
• Ray White - vocals, guitar
• Ed Mann - mallets, Percussion
• Tom Fowler - bass guitar
• Albert Wing - tenor sax, soprano sax
• Mike Miller - guitar
• Morgen Agren - drums

 

ZAPPA ALUMNI

Albert Wing and Mike Miller are featured on Shawn Philips' "Rumplestiltskin's Resolve"
Both gentlemen also contributed to "Spaced" by the same artist.

additional info for both albums :

http://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2017/02/shawn-phillips-rumplestiltskins-resolve.html

http://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2017/01/shawn-phillips-spaced-1977-us.html

And here's info on a Tom Scott album with John Guerin and Emil Richards :

https://egrojworld.blogspot.com/2023/04/tom-scott-great-scott.html

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

MIKE MILLER

I first heard of Mike Miller when I noticed his name on some of the Fowler Brothers albums.
Must have been late eighties or early nineties.
Around the same time, Mike toured and recorded with The Band From Utopia.
He's been on the UM-radar ever since.

Mike released his first solo album, "Save The Moon" in 2001. On the Marsis Jazz record label.
Instrumental pop/jazz.

The very same album got re-released in 2006 on the German ESC Records label.
With three additional tracks !!
So if you're looking for this album, go for the German edition ! (or for both)

In 2004, Mike released "Two Guys From South Dakota" in collaboration with Bruce Arnold.
And 2008 saw the release of the excellent "World Goes Round" by the Mike Miller Quintet (with Walt Fowler, Albert Wing and Chad Wackerman).

Earlier this year, Mike released "Trust", but I'm not sure it's getting any Yuripean distribution as I haven't been able to find it on this side of the ocean (or custom border, if you prefer).

MIKE MILLER QUINTET - NO MATH

YouTube:

Mike Miller Quintet, from a number of years ago.
What a line-up.
What a fantastic piece of music.

• Mike Miller: guitar
• Jimmy Johnson: bass
• Chad Wackerman: drums
• Walt Fowler: trumpet
• Albert Wing: tenor sax

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

MIKE MILLER SUPER ALLSTARS IN CONCERT AT THE BAKED POTATO TONIGHT

https://www.thebakedpotato.com/events/mike-miller-super-allstars-friday-march-11-2022

 

MICHAEL TINHOLME

Michael Tinholme
Brother Can You Spare a Dime  (Gorney and Harburg)

BASS-Tom Fowler
DRUMS-Gary Novak
PIANO-Bill Cunliffe
GUITAR-Mike Miller
HAMMOND B3-Jeff Babko
VOCALS-Michael Tinholme

Other tracks on his album feature Walt Fowler, Bruce Fowler, Albert Wing and Ralph Humphrey !

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

MSM SCHMIDT - LIFE

• msm schmidt: life
      (2017, cd, germany, laika records) 

Drummer and composer Michael 'MSM' Schmidt's latest album, "Life", features Allan Holdsworth (on two tracks), Mike Miller (on four tracks) and former Zappa cohorts Bruce and Walt Fowler (on one track).

It's his sixth album. Supberb fusion jazz.

Here's 'Trance' with the late Allan Holdsworth on the guitar :

-- info : Jan van Kemenade

SHAWN PHILLIPS - RUMPLESTILTSKIN'S RESOLVE

• shawn phillips: rumplestiltskin's resolve
      (1976, lp, usa, ??)

This 1976 album features Albert Wing and Mike Miller.

http://rockasteria.blogspot.be/2017/02/shawn-phillips-rumplestiltskins-resolve.html

-- info: Jan van Kemenade

FREEBO - THE END OF THE BEGINNING

• freebo: the end of the beginning
      (1999, cd, usa, poppabo)

Freebo's musical bio reads is quite impressive. He started his musical career in early seventies and he recorded and toured with Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Jerry Donahue, Paul Barrere,...
It took him until 1999 to release his first solo album, "The End Of The Beginning".

This is a fine album for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Lots of familiar sounding names on this disc : Albert Lee, Paul Barrere, Bonnie Raitt, Sam Clayton, Valerie Carter,...
The album also features Tommy Mars on one track, Mike Miller on another track and Albert Wing on two tracks.

The below 'Trouble' track features Tommy Mars on synth strings.
Not really represantative as the rest of the album is quite bluesy and features a lot of guitar work, but it does feature Tommy Mars.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - ZAPPANALE 24 GOOD-BYE SESSION

• various artists: zappanale 24 - good-bye session
      (2013, dvdr, ger, arf society)

Each edition of the Zappanale festival ends with a so-called "Good-Bye" session. It's sort of a jam where members of various bands and ensembles join on stage to jam a bit.
It's always a good occasion to see some of the special guests and invitées on stage once more.

Last year, the session followed the Pojama People concert which meant that bass, drums and mallets of Pojama People (Kevin Crosby, Glenn Leonard and Ali Bach) were at first joined by the guitar player of Z3 (Tim Palmeri), and later on by Albert Wing, Mike Miller, Robert Martin and Tom Fowler.
And yes, they played some of their favourite Zappa tunes.

If my memory serves me right, this was the first time that a "Good-Bye" session got recorded on video and was made available on DVDR.

THE BANNED FROM UTOPIA LIVE IN BRNO

BANNED FROM UTOPIA - 17.11.13 - METRO MUSIC BAR

Brno, Czech Republic

ROCKRADIO DOT DE AND ZAPPANALE

The Zappanale Festival will be featuring The Banned From Utopia.
Ray White, Robert Martin, Tom Fowler, Ed Mann, Mike Miller, Albert Wing and Ralph Humphrey will be performing the music of Frank Zappa.

www.zappanale.de

You should be there.
Just in case that you will not be able to make it, make sure to tune in to www.rockradio.de.
They'll be broadcasting live from the festival.

BANNED FROM UTOPIA UPDATE

Concert promoter  GYGX (http://gygx.ch/) represents The Banned From Utopia in Europe.

BANNED FROM UTOPIA

• Robert (Bobby) Martin - vocals, keyboards, sax, french horn (Frank Zappa 1981-88)
• Ray White - vocals, guitar (Frank Zappa 1978-86)
• Ed Mann - xylophone, percussion (Frank Zappa 1977-88)
• Tom Fowler - bass, violin (Frank Zappa 1973-75, 1978)
• Albert Wing - tenor sax, flute (Frank Zappa 1988)
• Morgan Agren - drums (Frank Zappa 1988)
• Mike Miller - guitar

Frank Zappa is one of the twentieth century's most important composers. His effect on modern music is undeniable, his works the most voluminous and versatile of the entire generation rock - encompassing of course jazz as well as avant-garde, electronic, contemporary experimental and orchestral music. And the list of his collaborators and band members is a who's who of incredible musicians.Twenty years after his untimely death on December 4 1993, half a dozen of Zappa's most popular alumni are back on the mission to bring his multi-dimensional music to the world's stages again. Amongst them Zappa's longest running band member (Ed Mann), two lead singers who the great master also held in high esteem for many years (Bobby Martin and Ray White) and the man who opened Zappa's door for three (!) brothers of his before he went on to play with Ray Charles for well over a decade (Tom Fowler).

Alltogether they name themselves Ban(ne)d From Utopia, referring to the Zappa album "Man From Utopia" - but having played on almost every Mothers / Zappa album between them, they're performing classics from all eras. With their virtuoso creativity and deep history, Banned From Utopia authentically recreate the live Zappa experience, please the connoisseurs and convert the curious into dedicated fans.

They can do that on stage !