Adam Miller – The Jazz Warriors
Dièse Onze
Montreal
June 16, 2008, 10pm

Adam Miller at Dièse Onze (Stanley Clarke Jr. / JNO49)

Vancouver-born drummer and Jazz Warrior, Adam Miller, played two sets of honest music last night as part of the OFF Festival de Jazz de Montréal’s (OFJM) series at Dièse Onze.

He battled side by side with fellow Warriors Chet Doxas on tenor saxophone, Jonathan Cayer at the recently acquired grand piano, Adrian Vedady à la contrebasse and a welcome addition from Vancouver, Neelamjit Dhillon on tabla.

The Jazz Warriors are the genesis of Miller’s eight month sabbatical in India where he studied tabla, Dholak and an Indian Classical vocal tradition, Dhrupad.

Miller’s time in India was evident on the second tune of the evening. I may have to dig deep into the jazz repertoire to find an instance of the melody being sung by a drummer in unison with the saxophone. Another song had the Warriors chanting momentarily in one of the Indian languages what I can only guess were not the lyrics to “Summertime.”

Highlights included a captivating solo by Cayer on the previously mentioned second composition—a melancholic experience, a sweet back-and-forth duet between Doxas and Dhillon culminating in an impressive saxophone solo, grooves laid down by Vedady and Dhillon, as well as an intriguing arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence” as the last tune of the night.

There’s an accessible pop sensibility to Miller’s music that blends well with the predominantly jazz flavoured, groove-based compositions played last night—worth listening to.