Name Harry Miller | ||
Harry miller quintet the magician 1978
Harold Simon Miller (25 April 1941 - 16 December 1983) was a South African jazz double bassist who settled in Europe, becoming one of the UK jazz scene's "most vibrant and dynamic talents".
Contents
Biography
Miller was born in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. He began his career as a bassist with Manfred Mann, and went to settle in London, England. He was a central figure in the mixture of South-African township music and free-jazz that dynamised the scene in London at the end of the 1960s and into the '70s. Miller recorded frequently with musicians such as Mike Westbrook, Chris McGregor, John Surman, Mike Cooper, Louis Moholo, Keith Tippett and Elton Dean.
At the end of the 1970s he moved to the Netherlands for economic reasons, where he worked with musicians of Willem Breuker's circle. Miller also appeared on the album Islands by the progressive rock band King Crimson, in 1971 as session musician.
Miller died in a car crash in the Netherlands in 1983.
The record label Ogun Records, which he founded with his wife Hazel Miller, was vital for documenting that period, and is still active today.