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Butch Miles

The accomplishments of drummer Butch Miles continue to attract worldwide attention. He has performed with such luminaries as Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dave Brubeck, Mel Torme, Lena Horne, Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, Clark Terry, Gerry Mulligan, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Benny Goodman, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Zubin Mehta, Itzak Pearlman, Dick Hyman, Willie Nelson and others, Butch displays the maturity of his experience with youthful imagination and unending energy. Butch conducts jazz clinics at universities and high schools, continues to record C.D.s and plays frequently in small group capacities at jazz parties and festivals around the globe where he brings together technique, creative finesse and a love of the music that delights audiences.

As the drummer for the world-famous Count Basie Orchestra (1975-1979 and 1997-2007), Butch quickly became renowned for his swinging big band style and techniques. Butch has performed at the Newport Jazz Festival (now the “JVC Jazz Festival”) in New York since 1975 and the Grande Parade De Jazz in Nice, France nine times. He has performed at major jazz festivals around the world, including the Montreal Jazz Festival; North Sea Jazz Festival at the Hague, the Netherlands; the Montreux and Bern Jazz Festivals in Switzerland; the Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart Jazz Festivals in Germany along with many tours throughout Europe, Australia, the Far East, the Americas and the Caribbean. In 1976, Butch played a Royal Command Performance for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II which was televised throughout all of Europe. Butch has recorded over 100 albums (see Discography) and has been on three (3) Grammy winning albums, along with being nominated numerous times for the European equivalent of the Grammy.

He has appeared on “CBS 60 Minutes,” “The Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson, “The Merv Griffin Show,” “The Dick Cavett Show,” “the Mike Douglas Show” and six times on “the Jerry Lewis Telethon.” Internationally, Butch has made personal appearances on radio and televisions stations throughout the world. He has also appeared in three motion pictures: “The Australian Jazz Fest” filmed while Butch was touring Australia with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, “The Last of the Blue Devils” filmed on location while he was touring with the Count Basie Orchestra and briefly in Woody Allen’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Butch performed on the soundtrack of the 2003 film, The Alamo. He also travels for the Ludwig Drum Company giving clinics and concerts worldwide (Ludwig/Musser). Butch produced a C.D., Straight On Till Morning, in June, 2003, from Nagel-Heyer Records ( Nagel-Heyer Records ), Hamburg Germany.

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207
Album Review

Butch Miles: Straight on Till Morning

Read "Straight on Till Morning" reviewed by Dr. Judith Schlesinger


Another gem for those who like their swing served straight up. Recorded in Texas at Willie Nelson's studio (!), this is a propulsive, happy session where the group doesn't catch its breath till past halfway with “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing," the only ballad in the bunch. (Even “When You Wish Upon a Star" is taken up-tempo.)

Butch Miles, a fine, slamming drummer in the Rich tradition, has a pedigree that includes two long stints with Basie, ...

152
Album Review

Harry Allen: Love Songs Live!

Read "Love Songs Live!" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Two words are about all that are needed to sum up the singular talents of swing–based tenor saxophonist Harry Allen — smooth and consistent, each of which aspect of his charismatic persona is abundantly present on this compilation of love songs recorded in concert between 1993 and ’96. I’m not fully conversant with Allen’s influences but Stan Getz had to be one of them (listen, for example, to Jobim’s “Once I Loved”). Others, he says, include Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins ...

213
Album Review

Harry Allen: Love Songs Live!

Read "Love Songs Live!" reviewed by Dave Nathan


Nagel Heyer has put together an album of romantic love songs performed by the Coleman Hawkins influenced, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims like tenor horn of Harry Allen. All of the tracks were compiled from previously released recordings of live concerts, mostly in Hamburg where Allen was on the stage with a variety of first rate jazz musicians. Given that virtually every song is played in that slow, ballad tempo, this album could just as well have been titled Music for ...

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51

Event

Columbus Jazz Orchestra Honors Three BS of Jazz with "Basie, Buddy & Benny" Featuring Butch Miles & Ken Peplowski

Columbus Jazz Orchestra Honors Three BS of Jazz with "Basie, Buddy & Benny" Featuring Butch Miles & Ken Peplowski

Source: Michael Ricci

Jazz royalty takes center stage as the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) celebrates Count Basie, Buddy Rich and the “King of Swing," Benny Goodman, March 16-20 at the historic Southern Theatre. Under the direction of Artistic Director Byron Stripling, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra honors the three Bs of jazz with “Basie, Buddy & Benny" featuring drummer Butch Miles and clarinetist Ken Peplowski. Playing with such luminaries as Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dave Brubeck, Mel Torme, Lena ...

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Straight on Till...

Unknown label
2003

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Love Songs Live!

Nagel Heyer Records
2001

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Live Montreux '77...

Unknown label
1989

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