Composers & Arrangers - Joel Miller

Montreal composer and jazz saxophonist Joel Miller has an individual voice that incorporates the folk and pop music of his youth with more recent explorations into Afro-Latin and contemporary classical music. His bands have included musicians of international acclaim including pianists Geoffrey Keezer (heard on his 2012 Origin album Swim) and Henry Hey, drummers Matt Wilson and Brian Blade, and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel (heard on his 2005 Effendi recording Mandala). Miller’s dedication has been recognized with a long list of honours: Swim won a Juno award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album and was named Jazz Album of the Year by both La Presse and The Ottawa Citizen, and most recently, his project Dream Cassette (Origin, 2016) with vocalist/lyricist Sienna Dahlen won an East Coast Music award.

Miller has fostered longstanding local partnerships, notably with like-minded bandleader Christine Jensen – who also happens to be his spouse – and Miller’s creativity has permitted him to travel Canada and the world, bringing his bands to the United States, Mexico, Peru and Japan. After a long hiatus from formal studies, Miller recently returned to his alma mater, McGill University, to pursue a Master’s degree in jazz composition, focussing on new works for large acoustic chamber ensemble.