...a pianist of distinction...well-known for his seemingly unlimited creative instincts and songwriting to inspire a new generation.?
Inspired by his return to classical piano studies, Chicago pianist Steve Million was driven to explore and record a collection of his original compositions in a solo setting. With new technical and aural vistas discovered, Million collected old and new pieces and a Scriabin Prelude arranged for improvisation to present in this thoughtful and nuanced recital. One of the most active pianists in Chicago, Million is known to many through his recordings over the last 15 years with sidemen including Randy Brecker, Chris Potter, Dick Oatts and Michael Moore.
Track Listing:
1 Remembering 3:05
2 Mannequin Ballet 1:20
3 Nomadrigal 5:28
4 The Way Home 4:57
5 Azusa Dreams 1:35
6 Prelude Opus 16 #3 (Scriabin) 5:23
7 My Explanation 6:00
8 Missing Page 5:49
9 Open the Book 4:50
10 A Heart So Full 1:56
11 The Company You Keep 6:20
12 Hymnal 4:47
Performers:
Steve Million - Solo Piano
Production Info:
Produced by Steve Million
Recorded and mixed by Larry Hinds
at Steve Ford Studio, October, 2007/March 2008
Mastered by Brian Schwab
Steve Million photo by Jon Randolph
Traycard photo by Azusa Million
Cover design by John Bishop
Reviews of Remembering The Way Home
All Music Guide (Adam Greenberg)
After plenty of time spent in small-group formats (including the short-lived Monk's Dream trio with piano and organ together), Chicago pianist Steve Million took the opportunity to make his first solo piano recording. Interestingly, instead of his previous influences in Monk and others, Million makes use of a more recent foray into classical music ...
JazzTimes, Jan/Feb 09 (Thomas Conrad)
This album came about because Steve Million (a five-night-a-week working jazz pianist in Chicago) began studying classical music again. He says that the experience took him back to an early version of his playing, before he had committed himself to jazz. Remembering the Way Home is an attempt to capture the freshness of Million's first discoveries ...
Audiophile Audition (Doug Simpson)
Pianist Steve Million has been connected to the Chicago jazz scene for twenty years and started issuing albums in the mid-90s, but Remembering the Way Home is Million's first solo piano venture. Although Million has worked in different settings, including a Monk tribute band, Remembering the Way Home finds Million returning to his classical roots, ...
Chicago Jazz Magazine (Hrayr Attarian)
Solo jazz piano records, by virtue of the instrument?s versatility, run the gamut from the ragtime-inspired stride playing of James P. Johnson to the Western classical music-inspired avant-garde stylings of Cecil Taylor. Steve Million?s solo record Remembering the Way Home falls somewhere a bit to the right of Taylor??not quite as adventurous and ? ...
