Natasha Miller: Press

VOCALIST-VIOLINIST Natasha Miller is hooked on the songs of Bobby Sharp, and who can blame her? This is Miller's second recording devoted to tunes composed by Sharp, best known for penning the Ray Charles hit "Unchain My Heart," and it's full of charming treats and discoveries.

Not least among them is Sharp's welcome cameo, in which the octogenarian briefly teams up with Miller for an unabashedly sentimental performance of "As the Years Come and Go." Sharp's hazy tenor has aged well, but not as well as his songbook, which, for all its strong ties to vintage pop and jazz, appears timeless. It's hard to categorize his legacy. The selections here are as diverse as the torchy "Prisoner of the Blues," the whimsical "Doin' the Impossible," the swinging "Don't Move" and the country-loping "Stolen Love (On Highway 99)". "Don't Set Me Free" rings a vintage R&B bell, but most of the tunes are as obscure as they are worthy of unearthing.

Miller isn't interested in merely playing the role of archivist. Her interpretations are heartfelt and occasionally moving. With help from a few arrangers, she also places Sharp's words (and delightful wordplay) in flattering settings that feature a rhythm section led by pianist Josh Nelson, plus, now and then, horns and strings.

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Appearing Wednesday at Blues Alley.

Found treasure: Best known for writing the Ray Charles (and Joe Cocker) hits "Don't Set Me Free" and "Unchain My Heart," songwriter Bobby Sharp returns from the missing via two terrific albums.

Charming San Francisco Bay area jazz singer Natasha Miller elevates a set of vintage but previously unheard Sharp tunes to instant classic status on her beautifully performed and arranged set, "Don't Move" (Poignant, A). (Think simple, sublime songs of a Johnny Mercer or Harold Arlen caliber.)

The raspy voiced, 80-years-young Sharp also performs on his own, almost as fine debut (!) set, "The Fantasy Sessions" ( Poignant, B+).

Natasha Miller’s first holiday release The Season avoids the major pitfall
of utter sameness that usually plagues Christmas music by offering a unique
blend of different jazz styles that normally would not accompany “Christmas
Songs.” Miller’s vocals are as pristine as newly fallen snow on Christmas
morning and are perfectly highlighted--as a well decorated tree--with the
wonderful arrangements and solo features on the recording. The recording
itself was partially recorded at Yoshi’s of Oakland, CA on December 12th,
2005 and in the recording studio.

The recording opens with the Irving Berlin classic “White Christmas,” with a
New Orleans accentuated groove arrangement by Miller featuring trombonist
Adam Theis and drummer Jeff Marrs. In fact it does snow occasionally for a
White Christmas in the Crescent City, as it did Christmas Eve 2004. The
Season next moves into a medley of songs of “Let It Snow,” “Rudolph the
Red-Nose Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” with a swingin’ blues flare that
features a brilliant piano laden arrangement by Josh Nelson. Nelson is also
featured on the next tune “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” with a bluesy-gospel
oriented piano solo masterfully played and executed.

“Little Drummer Boy,” features Latin-Jazz guitarist Steve Erquiaga in a
soulful and silky smooth rendition that will have you hummin’ Pa rum pum pum
pum (ba bum). Saxophonist Rob Roth and bassist John Shifflett melt away the
cold with some hot solo playing in “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
While a sweet, swinging samba may not be the first rhythm to come to mind in
conjunction with a song about Christmas, Miller’s rendition of “The
Christmas Song” quickly dispels any doubts about such a twist and
combination of flavors. Brazilian Cachaça mixes well with Chestnut Liqueur
and Eggnog as a drink pairing with this song. Santa swings right in with
style in “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Sweetness and melody prevail in
the Bobby Sharp tune “As the Years Come and Go.”

Miller’s talent and range is exhibited in full upon singing “My Favorite
Things,” which shows her exceptional promise as a jazz singer. Rob Roth’s
saxophone compliments Miller perfectly on this track, a task which is not
easy to fulfill for a tune in which Coltrane was specifically known for
playing. Beauty may be the only way to express Miller’s singing with
Erquiaga’s arrangement and playing of “One Hand One Heart,” that features a
solo acoustic guitar introduction from “Somewhere”. A final medley of song
of “Amazing Grace,” Silent Night” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” was
arranged by Josh Nelson and features Sheldon Brown on soprano saxophone.

“Twas the Night Before Christmas” is notable for the resounding theatrical
performance by Miller’s father Martin and the improvised musical
accompaniment by Josh Nelson on Piano and Tim Bulkley on drums. The only
downside to this recording results when Christmas is over since the musical
merits warrant year-long listening. Forget the rules and play it all year
long!!

Simply beautiful. A jazz sensation in the San Francisco Bay area, Natasha Miller applies a clean and classy approach to twelve Christmas cuts in The Season. This generous release (55 minutes!) provides great holiday fare for adults; the singing is sophisticated without vocal gymnastics, and the supporting ensemble smokes.

Although the musicianship here is outstanding throughout, Miller's voice is best showcased in slower pieces such as The Christmas Song, where every nuance can be savored. The artist's treatment of My Favorite Things is exceptional, injecting incredible intensity and emotion into a tune that is often fluff (and the piano jazz interludes are extremely cool). Her execution of One Hand One Heart (from "West Side Story") is achingly lovely within a gorgeous guitar framework. Her Amazing Grace/Silent Night/Twinkle Twinkle Little Star selection is one of the more creative seasonal medleys around, and it's a keeper.

The final track, Twas the Night Before Christmas, is a nearly six-minute reading (by Martin Miller) with musical accompaniment for the Clement Moore poem. Although I generally do not favor narratives in my holiday music, this is a particularly fine execution of a nostalgic favorite.

Let this be The Season that you discover Natasha Miller. She's the jazzy gift that keeps on giving!

Studio 880 Funky, Hip, Groovin’ Workplace in Oakland

By Natasha Miller

Tattoos. Piercings. Low slung jeans and hip-hop grooves doing battle with alternative music blasting of juvenile angst. Welcome to Studio 880, home of Goapele, Blackalicious, Zion I, and Greenday. GREENDAY? Greenday. Yep, they’ve moved into Studio B, brought their motorcycles, tricked out bikes and their entourage of really cool looking guys. In their domain are pinball machines, a ping-pong table, requisite basketball hoop and a secret code to enter. I know the code, but I can’t tell you. It’s cool though, as only rock-star codes can be.

On any given day as you drive through the anonymous gates of Studio 880 in Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood, you are greeted by an endless stream of young recording engineers in the making (interns), producers responsible for platinum-selling recordings, and some of the Bay Area’s hottest recording artists. Also in the mix is the controversial and confrontational Hooman of Alice radio, graphic design studio White Noise, Marshall Lamm Publicity (a veteran in the industry–having worked at GRP/Verve and at Yoshi’s) and video production company OnPoint Productions. No, these people aren’t all hovering over the biggest act in entertainment of this decade. They reside in the tropical Indiana Jones themed office complex that sits opposite of the building from the recording studios.

This entire experience is the dream and making of John Lucasey. Lucasey spent his youth in the very spot that is now the control room of Studio A helping his grandfather with his manufacturing company. When Lucasey bought the building in 1998, he says, “You could roll a bowling ball from one end of the building to the other.” Now the warehouse that sits on the I-880 freeway houses 3 beautifully appointed state-of-the-art recording studios that have been witness and creative force to many music projects ranging from Robert Cray to Chris Issak.

Lucasey hasn’t always made his career in recording music. He’s also been a bass player in local punk and rock bands, a stunt man, an actor in Los Angeles and San Francisco with recurring roles on Nash Bridges. He’s a skilled artist in metal fabrication and just happens also to be a doting husband and father to 2 young children of Moraga.

He is a playful, athletically built 40-year-old, arriving at the office no later than 9:00 am each morning. He sits at his computer in his relaxed office adorned with colorful electric guitars checking email alternating with playing a couple computer games. This is all before taking the helm of his new Digi-Design mixing board in his private studio. He just happens to be at the very end of mixing the debut CD of his newest discovery, Maypole – a heady Coldplay meets Jeff Buckley mood band.

Lucasey realizes his dream by welcoming all these entities under one roof. His roof. And getting to walk through the halls and the parking lot of his creation is enough to keep him coming back every day.

Natasha Miller is a jazz vocalist who runs her record label and production company out of the Studio 880 complex. She fancies herself a hipster while on the studio campus, but is really a conservative mother of 10-year-old daughter Bennett Smith.

New Face in Berkeley: Disc Makers


Are you about to release your first CD? Do you have any idea where to get it replicated (multiple copies and packaging)? Well... you’re in luck! Disc Makers just opened a Berkeley office and has over 60 years of experience in the industry.

Based in New Jersey, Morris Ballen runs the business that his father Ivin started as a record label in the 1940’s. In 1946 they began to press vinyl records, and have been on the forefront of CD manufacturing for the past 18 years.

Stuart Loth is a product specialist in the Berkeley office, and describes the company as a “complete CD/DVD manufacturing and replication company.” They produce everything in-house, so that the quality control and turn-around of a project is handled directly by a Disc Makers staff, who often times is a musician. Loth says, “we hire musicians and they know about our customer’s needs based on their own similar experiences.”

Loth stresses, “Disc Makers is a customer service company first and foremost which ensures we have a great base of loyal repeat customers.” In addition to their replication services, they have a 30-person design studio that can design an entire CD project’s graphic elements, or take an artist’s images and ideas and form them into a great layout. They also have a 40 person pre-press department (which makes sure all graphic files end up looking and printing correctly) as well as a mastering studio (the last step in audio engineering before replication), and a proof-reading department.

Disc Makers doesn’t skimp on the perks either. They’ve partnered with a few established music-focused companies to offer their clients discounted or free services. CDBaby is the largest on-line distributor and Disc Makers sends a coupon with a completed project that waives the $35 fee to set up an account. As well, you can send one of your original songs to TAXI for a written review/critique on its commercial viability. Disc Makers also hosts the Independent Music World Series which is held four times a year in different cities across the country with prizes totaling $25-50 k each contest.

Disc Makers produces 10-15 thousand CD or DVD projects a year, and remains committed to quality and excellence. Loth says, “If anything should go wrong (as will happen once in a while), we can fix the problem right away. Every customer works directly with their account rep and has phone, email and web access to the progress of their project.” Loth considers Disc Makers the best in the business. Check them out for yourself. www.Disc Makers.com

Natasha Miller is a vocal jazz artist in the bay area. Her latest CD “Don’t Move” will be featured at Books Inc. on Park Street in Alameda.

JazzSchool of Berkeley Gala Concert

Brilliant, magnificent and out-of-this world! These are the first words that come to mind when describing the Jazz School’s concert with mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and piano whiz kid Tyler Eigsti (Concord Records).

The setting was unusual for a jazz concert–a large sanctuary at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley. But when Ms. Von Stade (often referred to by her nickname, Flicka) sang her first glorious notes, and Mr. Eigsti expertly accompanied her on the ebony Steinway grand piano, you no longer noticed you were sitting in a pew. Using a little imagination you could have been in a box seat at Davies Hall. The music boomed through the space and was certainly felt by every body in attendance.

Flicka thrilled the crowd with mostly classical/operatic selections (Bizet’s Habanera from Carmen, an Aria from Mozart’s Madame Butterfly) along with a couple of popular tunes thrown in the name of “jazz” (Fascinating Rhythm, Somewhere) Eigsti adjusted the accompaniment with just a hint of altered chord voicings and flourishes giving a nod to his mentor Dave Brubeck. He didn’t stray to far “out” allowing the classical purists to enjoy their “standards” with safety, and allowing the “jazzers” to appreciate the subtleties of Eigsti’s interpretation.

Flicka left the stage to allow Taylor Eigsti to perform a solo piece that bewildered and dazzled. His technique, and pure, raw talent is so superior and more realized than his 21 years would call for. (piece?)

Then Eigsti was joined by long-time band mates John Shifflett (upright bass) and Jason Lewis (drums). Things started to heat up when they ripped through Eigsti’s arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Promenade. Shifflett is the non-stop engine that could, and does… and Lewis tends to his drum kit seducing sounds rarely heard from the instrument.

Midway through the concert, Eigsti, the 21 year-old genius pianist was found underneath the piano. The audience was treated to a surprise-to-all comedy break while the wunder-kid crawled under to fix what might have been a loose pedal. The attempt was unsuccessful, and a man from the audience came to assist, and then another. Eventually, after a couple of jokes by MC Bud Spangler (of KCSM/Sunday Night Suites fame)… “Two Irish men pass by a bar…” (insert laugh here) and Flicka stalling by announcing the sale of her 6 bedroom, 5-bath home in Alameda’s Gold Coast neighborhood¬– the show went on.

The concert was the Jazz School’s spring fundraiser. Conceived and established by pianist and educator Susan Muscarella, the Jazz School has enjoyed 10 years of superior music education for people of all ages and abilities. In recent years, the Jazz School moved to their current home on Addison Street in Berkeley where they enjoy the company of the Aurora Theatre and the Downtown Restaurant.

www.jazzschool.com
www.tayjazz.com
www.fredericavonstade.com

Industry Profile: George Peterson of Mix Magazine


If you’re a musician, an engineer, or have something to do with making music happen, you probably know about Mix Magazine. And if you read the Music Scene regularly, you have probably seen articles and ads for the band Ariel. What you might not know about is that the common denominator for both Mix and Ariel is Alameda resident George Peterson.

Peterson has been the editorial director for Mix for 25 years, he refers to the magazine as the “bible of audio”. I thought this article would be about Mix, and issues relating to sound or about publishing a music industry magazine. Nope, that’s not at all how this is turning out at all.

Peterson’s passion lays in the actual act of making music – straight from the songwriting to the playing of the instruments that make a song happen. He says he plays music about an hour a day, but given all the other endeavors he’s involved in, he’s lucky to get that in.

Peterson owns a recording studio with partner JJ Jenkins in Alameda called Alameda Digital Recording, which exists primarily to record artists on their label Jenpet Records. (Jenpet is the combination of JJ and George’s last names) The artists that are currently on their roster are of course Ariel, Purgatory’s Gate (death metal), the Aquaphobics (a virtual surf band-no actual live members), and Michelle and Friends (slave songs from the 1800’s and some original, all a capella). Quite a wide-range of genres!

When asked what kind of music Peterson’s band Ariel plays, he describes it as “original music”. He goes on to say that their fans are “people who like good music” and that his goal is “creating his own music, and discovering other bands”. He believes that the song is EVERYTHING. AS far as he’s concerned, the band is a cross of Steely Dan, the Blues Brothers and the Beatles.

It’s the music of music that gets Peterson going, and sites Paul Simon’s Graceland concert at the Oakland Coliseum as one of his favorite concerts ever. Dave Morgan did the live mix and kept it quiet enough so that when he punched it up in appropriate places, it “punched right to the gut”. There were over 20 musicians on stage, and each one could be heard at the appropriate time. Now, that’s art!

I asked Mr. George Peterson – ‘King of all things audio/studio and obviously technical’ what the current “must have” technology is. He answers with a smug, “two ears attached to the head that can actually hear things”. Pretty impressive, and a breath of fresh air as far as I’m concerned. This guy understands what real music is about, and how to get there. It isn’t which machines you have… you have to have a good song, good musicianship and skill first. Then you need a computer and Pro-Tools. That’s it.

Ariel will be performing a little acoustic show as part of the First Friday’s in Alameda series at the newly opened Wilmot’s Book Store on Central Ave from 8:00p-10:00p. Check everything Ariel out at www.jenpet.com including their music written for political change.

Natasha Miller is a jazz vocalist who runs a record label Poignant Records and production company Entire Productions. natasha@natashanmillerweb.com