Lloyd Miller

Orientations

Sourced from Miller’s personal archives of masters and personal recordings that have never been released.  

Archival, Curation, and Tape Transfers by Adam Michael Terry

We invite you to stream Orientations digitally right here.

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A1. Camels To Cairo (1963) 2:02

Written and Arranged by L. Miller 

Miller conducting the Trans Atlantic Jazz Ensemble. Provo, UT

Immediately following Miller's years exploring regions of Asia and the Middle East, and honing those musical influences in Europe, Lloyd returns to the U.S. and leads a group of jazz players through his adventurous music concepts acquired abroad. Appearing to be the closest example of Exotica in Lloyds catalogue, this slightly Westernized approach to Eastern music acts as an accessible entry point for Lloyds curious jazz disciples to join his caravan of sound.

A2. Segah Leaves (1960, re-edited 2021) 5:50

Autumn Leaves composed by J. Kosma. Adapted and Arranged by L. Miller. Cover song licensed through Easy Song Licensing. Traditional Persian mode Segah. Final version produced by Adam Michael Terry and Lloyd Miller. 

Miller plays all instruments via multi tracking: Piano, Bass, Drums, Santur, Oud   

Paris, France

Recorded in Paris during the same sessions as the 3 innovative tracks from Oriental Jazz  “Prelude In Shur”, “Pentalogic” and “Sahar-E Meh-Alude”. Jef Gilson engineered the multi-track recordings as Lloyd explored his new concept of playing the piano like a hammered santur, as well as performing as a one-man jazz trio. This modular creation is an early demonstration of the ideas Miller was developing concerning the jazz meets the Middle East. While oscillating between the jazz standard Autumn Leaves and the Persian traditional mode Segah, Lloyd’s piano stylings drift in and out of jazz licks and middle eastern phrasing. Persian traditional instruments the Oud and the Santur are incorporated as well to complete the vision. Jump cuts, tape splicing and unconventional arranging techniques that Lloyd is known for, assist in bringing the avant-garde composition to life. Whether or not Miller was aware of Jean-Luc Godard and his fellow French new wavers, something was in the air, and Lloyd felt right at home innovating in Paris in the 60’s.

A3. Orientation #1 (Kheneccordion) (1963, revisited 2021)  1:58 

Adapted Laotian Traditional Performed by Lloyd Miller. Produced by Adam Michael Terry

Miller: Accordion in the style of the Laotian Khene, Zarb Drum, Darbakka, Roland Juno 106 Synthesizer 

Once again, out of necessity, Lloyd applies his creativity to repurpose an accordion, to resemble the Laotian instrument the Khene, and adapts traditional melody and phrasing from the region. The recording was sourced from a reel of live performances by Lloyd at BYU, giving an orientation of global music. During this time Lloyd was honing his performance abilities of many cultural music forms and instruments. This is prior to the completion of Miller's first two LP’s Near and Far East, and The Middle East. Revisited and completed over a half century later, Lloyd applies over-dubbing techniques to create a dreamlike atmosphere around his vintage Laotian accordion solo. Bending space and time, Lloyd engages in a meta conversation with his younger self that connects the two ends of his linear path of exploration that spans a distance of 6 decades, and beyond the oceans.

C3. Humalayan (edited version 1998)  3:03

Written by L. Miller 

The Earthtones Band. Miller: Piano, Synthesizer, Santur, Percussion. George Grant: Percussion, Tabla, Vocals. Michael Johnson: Flute 

Another U of U  live performance, and with an avant-garde intro featuring Lloyd playing the santur with a percussive approach, while creating atmospheric synthesizer textures over Grants’ eastern percussion rhythms. Johnson solos on flute while leading the group into a meditative peaceful zone which invites Grant’s “Himalayan hum”. The group finds a cohesiveness as they slowly sync their instruments. It’s quite rare to hear Miller incorporate synthesizer and electronic sounds, but when he does he makes it his own. 

C4. Summer Thyme in Tehran (1972 Tehran, Iran)  5:53

Written by G. Gershwin. Adapted by Lloyd Miller. Cover song licensed through Easy Song Licensing.

Miller: Piano. Roger Hererra: Bass. The Roger Hererra Band is most likely Rudy Sucgang: Sax, Johnny Lingasin: Trumpet, Using Villanueva: Drums.

Lloyd reinvents the Summertime traditional with help from the Roger Hererra band. Straight ahead cool jazz with a few exotic spices. 

C5. Ketch Me If You Can (Improvisation) (1972 Tehran, Iran)  2:51

Written by Lloyd Miller. 

Miller: Piano, Featuring the Roger Herrera Band

Lloyd leads the Herrera Band on an improvised Pan-Am trail across the globe circa 1972. Ballad, Blues, East, West, and sailing across to Latin America and back within 3 minutes. Witness Lloyd’s white knuckled stream of consciousness as the band of detectives eagerly stay on the jazz fugitives tail the entire chase… until the song's inevitable end

C6. Orientation #5 (Central Asian Occasion) (1963) 1:16

Central Asian Traditional Adapted by L. Miller.

Miller: Whistle, Barrel Drum, Tambourine, Tape Machine

Discovered on another reel of Miller demonstrating Eastern music ideas to a BYU audience. Lloyd would often perform alongside a tape machine of his pre-recorded rhythms and musical parts in order to showcase foreign traditionals to the best of his ability. 

D1. Improv In Isfahan (extended-full version) (2005)   18:14 

Written by L.Miller

Miller: Piano, Synthesizer, Santur, Flute, Vocal, Various Instruments. Soroush: Vocal. Most likely featuring Mark Deutsch: Bass, Amir Koushkani: Tar, Shirzad Sharif: Zarb 

One of Miller’s masterpiece creations that acts as a mystical dissertation for his   musical philosophies. This rarely heard full length epic explores the traditional Isfahan Persian mode, while implementing Lloyd’s own personal sensibilities and collage approach. While drenched in atmospheric textures, ancient chants, cerebral drones, and jazzy feels, Lloyd somehow aligns together a millennia of musical concepts into a mosaic of sound that is equal parts archaic-contemporary-futuristic. 

There is always an academic component to Doc Miller’s work, and his creations act not only as expressive essays, but logical thesis statements derived from a global observation of culture, always protecting and preserving the purity of these cultural forms. Often Miller composes and arranges in a way similar to stacking bricks end to end, keeping intact the cultural integrity of the specific parts, all while trying to illustrate the commonality between regional instrumentation and the unique nature of each culture’s music.

D2. Camels From Cairo (1963)  :33

Written and Arranged by L. Miller 

Miller conducting the Trans Atlantic Jazz Ensemble. Provo, UT

Lloyd leads his caravan followers and converts of global music traditions out of the vast sands and on to new territory.

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