Max Miller (jazz musician)
| Max Miller | |
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Max Miller
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Maxwell Miller |
| Born | November 17, 1911 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 13, 1985 (aged 73) |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instruments | Piano, vibraphone, guitar, banjo, bass, drums |
| Years active | 1927–70 |
| Labels | Columbia, Life, Gold Seal |
| Associated acts | Sidney Bechet, Anita O'Day |
Edward Maxwell "Max" Miller (November 17, 1911 – November 13, 1985) was an American jazz pianist and vibraphone player.
Oral historian Studs Terkel called him "The Angry Man of Jazz", saying that he demanded rather than coaxed certain sounds from his instruments. Record producer John H. Hammond, referring to his vibes playing, called him an "Astonishing artist, second only to Lionel Hampton in proficiency". Paul Edward Miller (no relation), former music critic, writer and editor of Esquire Jazz Books, called Max Miller "A Champion of Good Jazz". The Who's Who of Jazz by John Chilton listed him as one of the leading figures on the Chicago jazz scene for many years. The jazz critic George Hoefer wrote in 1946: "There is no doubt that Max Miller is creating something new in jazz. Keep an ear cocked towards Max Miller at the piano."
Though it covered over 40 years from 1927 to 1970, his career peak came in the 1940s and 50s. Many of his own compositions utilized extended chord harmonies, polyphony, and polytonality and were influenced by Stravinsky, Bartók and Hindemith.
Multi-instrumentalist Max Miller was born on November 17, 1911 in East Chicago, Indiana. He learned banjo at an early age and played that in the East Chicago, Indiana high school band. He started playing professionally after joining the Musicians Union at age 16. In 1927, he switched to guitar and played with numerous local bands in the Indiana/Michigan area, playing primarily dixieland jazz. He moved to Chicago in the early 1930s and worked gigs as a drummer and string bassist and it was at this time that he started experimenting with the vibraphone. From this time on he worked with numerous bands around Chicago playing guitar, piano and vibes, including gigs as guitarist in a group with a constantly changing lineup that included pianist Kansas City Frank Melrose and drummer Dave Tough. Before long he was touring as guitarist and featured vibraphonist with the Vincent Lopez Orchestra, with Betty Hutton as vocalist. It was during this period of traveling the big band circuit that he began to concentrate on the vibes and began learning piano. He made his greatest impact as a musician when he switched to those two instruments. In 1937, at age 26, he left Lopez to become musical director at WIND radio, where he stayed for two years, performing 21 live shows a week, much of it original compositions.
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