Joel Miller

Swim

Origin 82613

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WINNER OF 2013 JUNO AWARD FOR BEST CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM

Passionate and creative, melodic yet exploratory...illustrating the cross-pollination emblematic of the Montreal jazz community.
- DOWNBEAT

"His solos are supremely melodic - think of Stan Getz, or of John Coltrane at his most wistful." - Toronto Globe and Mail. A driving force in the international jazz scene, Montreal-based saxophonist Joel Miller's newest recording, and first on Origin, proves he's not just a musician for those in-the-know any longer. Teaming with the mighty pianist Geoffrey Keezer, drummer Greg Ritchie, and Fraser Hollins on bass, the quartet delivers a set of tight-knit originals. A complete, accessible, yet thoroughly modern jazz statement from a band of artists at the top of their game.


Track Listing:

1 Teeter Totter 6:17
2 Honeycomb 5:57
3 Afternoon Off 6:20
4 Time of the Barracudas 5:29
5 Drop Off 5:57
6 MarkAdamDrum 6:09
7 Step Into My Office 2:53
8 This and That 5:00
9 Nos Etoiles (intro) 1:06
10 Nos Etoiles 4:39
11 Jobim 2:02

Performers:

JOEL MILLER - saxophones
GEOFFREY KEEZER - piano
FRASER HOLLINS - bass
GREG RITCHIE - drums

Production Info:

Produced by Paul Johnston and Joel Miller
Recorded and mixed by Paul Johnston
on May 2 & 3, 2011
at Studio Pierre Marchand,
Montreal Quebec, Canada
Mastered by Guy Hebert at Studio Karisma
Photography by Robert Chute
Live photo of Joel by Yima Jahiel Medrano
Cover art and design by John Bishop


Reviews of Swim

La Presse - Quebec (Alain Brunet)
Not only is Joel Miller indeed among the most formidable tenormen of Montreal but he proves one of our best composers and more open minded leaders. That at least is what is observed since the late 90s : Find A Way (1996), Playgrounds (1998) , Sky Beneath My Feet (1999) , And Then Everything Started to Look Different (2001) , Mandala ( 2004) , Tantr ...

Ottawa Citizen (Peter Hum)
There's so much to like about Swim, the just-released disc from Montreal saxophonist/composer Joel Miller, that it's hard to know where to begin. The disc features Miller, who at 41 is well into a rich and diverse career, in that most traditional of formats, the tenor saxophonist's quartet. Over 11 tracks, all but one of which are potent, likeab ...

Info-Culture Quebec (Shirley Noel)
This very talented musician--who is now in his sixth album--is known for his explorations he did mostly out in his last two albums, Mandala and Tantramar. This time, he returned to more traditional jazz, but was fantastically creative. This saxophone virtuoso who first touched this instrument at the age of 10 and who started learning jazz from the ...

Toronto Star (Peter Goddard)
Joel Miller dazzles - "Joel who?" should not be a question. Swim is as fine an album as I've heard so far this year. It's honest, direct and refined at a time noted for its lack of refinement. Moreover it's the Montreal saxophonist's sixth solo effort in a 14-year period during which he nabbed just about every Quebec musical award available. ...

Winnipeg Free Press (Chris Smith)
MONTREAL saxophonist Joel Miller composed 10 of the 11 tracks on this energetic, engaging outing featuring a crack rhythm section of pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Fraser Hollins and drummer Greg Ritchie that helps the tenor player stretch out of his comfort zone. "Afternoon Off" is just what it suggests, an easy romp, while Step Into My Office ...

Ottawa Citizen (Peter Hum)
Ottawa International Jazz Festival Concert Review - For his concert Friday night in the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival?s Great Canadian Jazz series, Montreal tenor saxophonist Joel Miller brought with him an A-list American ringer. The pianist in Miller?s quartet was not just any U.S. citizen. On the bench was no less than Geoffrey Keezer, a ...

All About Jazz (John Kelman)
LIVE REVIEW: OTTAWA JAZZ FESTIVAL June 22: Joel Miller Quartet, Ninety Miles and The Fellowship Band - If the first night of the festival was only tangential in its relation to jazz, the second night was proof that the Ottawa Jazz Festival is committed to bringing top quality jazz to the big stage at Confederation Park; they couldn't have put tog ...

Cadence (David Franklin)
Since 2001, the Canadian tenorist Joel Miller has released six recordings under his own name, the 2011 Swim being the latest. On this album, as on earlier ones, Miller shows himself to be an extraordinary saxophonist able to execute the most difficult technical passages with apparent ease. But he employs his technique not for show but in the servic ...

Rifftides (Doug Ramsey)
In his sixth album, his first for Origin, Montreal tenor saxophonist Joel Miller again makes music that melds intricacy and accessibility. This time out, he is aided greatly by pianist Geoffrey Keezer, asJoel Miller Swim virtuosic as Miller in bringing relaxation to the complex lines in many of the leader's compositions. The young veteran bassist ...



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