"Remembering The Way Home" on Itunes
Steve Million on Itunes
View Steve Million's Electronic Press Kit
Steve Million is a professional jazz pianist and composer living and working in Chicago, IL. since 1988. He has also called Kansas City, MO. (12 years), and NYC (2 years) home.
When Steve was seven years old his parents took him to see the Count Basie big band play at the Kemper Military School Ball in his home town Boonville, Mo. Count for some reason took a liking to Steve, introducing him to the band on a break, and then letting him sit at the piano while he performed. That experience fundamentally altered Steve's DNA.
Eventually, after years of much hard practice and paying dues Million became a working jazz musician. He recorded three CD's in the mid to late 90's on Palmetto Records - "Million to One", "Thanks a Million", and "Truth Is" - all featuring his writing, arranging, and playing skills as well as the talents of Randy Brecker, Chris Potter, Michael Moore, Dick Oatts, Ron Vincent, and Steve Cardenas to name a few of the great players involved in the projects. Million released his first piano trio side in 2003 entitled "Poetic Necessities" on the BluJazz label. This CD featured Steve's working band at the time: Tim Davis - drums, and Dave Marr - bass, the Steve Million Trio.
In 1988 Steve was selected along with 24 others to compete in the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition. Million drew great inspiration from the experience and even formed a band - Monk's Dream - with one of the other semi-finalists Mike Kocour (Mike on organ, Steve on piano, and Robert Shy on drums). The band became pretty popular in Chicago in the early 90's, and played the main stage of the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1993.
Steve is also co-leader with Joe "Guido" Welsh of the wacky novelty jazz group Thelonious Moog. They released their first CD in 2004 entitled "Yes We Didn't" and their second came out in 2006 entitled "American Standard." Both are on GrownUp Records and you can find out more info at http://theloniousmoog.com.
Steve just finished his first solo piano recording and is preparing to release it very soon. This recording revisits some of his previous work in a solo context and includes also two re-workings of Scriabin music, a prelude and a canon, as well as some new originals. Million also experimented a bit, overdubbing four pianos on one tune! He recorded on an exceptional 9' Grotrian piano at Steve Ford Studios in downtown Chicago.
For the past two years Steve has had a steady 5 night a week jazz gig at Catch 35 (35 W. Wacker, downtown Chicago) with two great jazz musicians: Eric Hochberg on bass and Rob Parton on trumpet. Check Million's website - http://stevemillion.com - for updates - sometimes they sub out to do other things. There are always quality players on this gig.
Steve teaches jazz piano privately at home and at Merit School. He also teaches two innovative jazz piano classes at Merit School as well as a jazz band. Though he has been a professional musician for almost thirty years working on average at least five nights a week and playing and performing with some really great players the teaching thing has really evolved. Million started teaching rather reluctantly (needed the bread!) in 1995 at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL. He never thought that he would experience the spiritual rewards of teaching as in performing, but by sticking with it and getting a solid program together he is able to give something back to young aspiring jazz musicians which is indeed very rewarding.
Though Million has lived in Kansas City, and NYC before finally settling in Chicago, he finds Chicago to be one of the best environments for jazz. This is a city where one can balance making a living with being creative. Steve loves Chicago.
Here are what critics have said about Steve's work:
"Most of the music offers technically brilliant originals tendered with a wide aural landscape built on detailed nuances. Most pieces are brand new, a few others are older works that fit the project’s overall aesthetic. Million also includes a Scriabin prelude rearranged for improvisation, which admirably and securely suits his contemplative inclinations." (from review of "Remembering the Way Home")
- Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition, March 16, 2009
"Remembering the Way Home is an attempt to capture the freshness of Million's first discoveries of music, filtered through the knowledge and skills he has since gained.
It works. This album is a rapt, seamless blend of formal composition (spare, elegant, minimalist entities) and improvisation (searching reflection). Sometimes the classical presence is explicit, as in Scriabin's "Prelude Opus 16 3", and in compact self-contained etudes like "Azusa Dreams" and "Mannequin Ballet." But Million's classical aesthetic flows into his exploratory spontaneity and becomes one process, one intensely personal journey."
- Thomas Conrad,JazzTimes, Jan/Feb 09
"The pieces sparkle and shimmer under Million's fingers, remaining beautiful as they cascade out bar by bar. The sheer beauty of the performance is the key to this record." (from review of "Remembering the Way Home")
- Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
“Time for Steve Million to get more national exposure.â€
- Harvey Siders, Jazz Times Magazine
“I would recommend [Poetic Necessities] to a wide audience because I think it is actually very accessible to listeners unaccustomed to jazz. There is nothing ponderous about this disc. It moves forward with momentum that starts from the very first song. The results are very tuneful and tasteful. Make no doubt about it, this s a fantastic piano trio record.â€
- Adam Johnson, Chicago Jazz Magazine
“Overall, the ensemble plays exceptionally well together. Judging from the accuracy of the unisons, and the almost clairvoyant anticipation of breaks, it is obvious these musicians are intimately familiar with one another’s playing.†(on Poetic Necessities)
- Michael Mellia, Jazz Improv Magazine
“The ensemble sounds very convivial, as if they’ve worked together for a while. A fine session by an estimable working trio.†(on Poetic Necessities)
- David Dupont, Cadence Magazine
“…Million sounds best in the stripped down context of a trio – it's the ideal setting for his soft touch and nuanced attack, and allows him to imbue his solos with more energy and focus.†(previewing live trio gig at Green Mill)
- Neil Tesser, “Critics Choiceâ€, Chicago Reader
“Steve Million is a pianist of distinction, adept at surprising interpretations of jazz and Great American Songbook standards, but is also well-known for his seemingly unlimited creative instincts and songwriting to inspire a new generation.†(on Poetic Necessities)
- Paula Edelstein, All Music Guide
“His tunes are every bit as appealing as the way he performs them. Million’s approach to improvisation is not to embellish a melody, but, rather, to perpetually reconceive it.†(review of live quintet performance at Green Mill)
- Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
"Million is a remarkable stylist. He plays with agility and tact – imagine a blend of Bill Evans’ light touch with Cedar Walton’s succinct style.†(on Poetic Necessities)
- Philadelphia City Paper
“Truth is, Million is an excellent composer/arranger within the parameters of post-bop Jazz and a warmly eloquent pianist whose perceptive ideas are always worth considering.†(on Truth Is)
- Jack Bowers, allaboutjazz.com
“His music can appear deceptively light, but he shapes both his improvisations and his compositons like a careful sculptor. The chips don’t so much as fly as fall into place when he solos.†(previewing quintet gig at Green Mill)
- Neil Tesser, Chicago Reader
Discography:
3 CD's on Palmetto Records: Million To One, Thanks A Million, Truth Is.
1 CD on BluJazz Records: Poetic Necessities
2 CD's on GrownUp Records (Thelonious Moog): Yes We Didn't, American Standard
1 CD as Producer/Musical Director on Instant Groove Records: Band of Joes - A Sense of Fairness
1 CD as sideman on Wide Sound: Jim Gailloreto Quintet - The Insider
Steve with BakerzMillion at Jazz Showcase in Chicago:
Steve with Thelonious Moog:
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
