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Harry Miller

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Harry Miller was a South African jazz double bassist who lived in England for most of his adult life. He was born on 25 April 1941 in Cape Town. His career began as the bassist of the rock group Manfred Mann. After moving to London he became part of a circle of musicians who in the 1960s and 1970s combined free jazz with the music of South Africa.

Music and breakthrough

He recorded with Elton Dean, Chris McGregor, Louis Moholo, John Surman, Keith Tippett and Mike Westbrook, among others, and also led a group of his own, Isipingo, named after a holiday resort in South Africa. In 1971 he appeared as a guest on Islands by the progressive rock band King Crimson. His own albums from those years include Children at Play from 1974 and Bracknell Breakdown from 1978. Together with his wife he founded the label Ogun Records, an important platform for this British and South African jazz.

Influence

At the end of the 1970s Miller moved to the Netherlands for financial reasons, where he played with musicians from Willem Breuker's circle. He was killed in a car accident in the Netherlands on 16 December 1983.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Children at Play. Notice the double bass: how Miller lets the rhythms of South African music move along in a free-jazz setting.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists