Miller: New Orleans Tenor Sax

Tenor saxophonist Eddie Miller (1911–1991) was one of the defining musicians of traditional American jazz for decades. This selection of 50 recordings from 1933 to 1959 traces his career from early appearances as a sideman to recordings under his own name and his work in the 1950s.

The earliest recordings show Miller first with Ben Pollack and then alongside musicians such as Wingy Manone, Louis Prima, Glenn Miller, and Bunny Berigan. A major focus is his time with the Bob Crosby Orchestra and the Bob Cats. This period includes his composition “Slow Mood” as well as “South Rampart Street Parade,” in which Miller can also be heard playing clarinet.

Recordings from the 1940s under his own leadership, including a trio version of “Stars Fell on Alabama,” continue the selection. The collection concludes with recordings from the 1950s, many under the leadership of clarinetist Matty Matlock and featuring musicians such as Dick Cathcart and Abe Lincoln. This provides an overview of more than 25 years of Eddie Miller’s work and the different stages of his career in traditional jazz.