“Music is a different level of awareness than normal everyday life. It’s usually a unique experience, a unique experience often beginning at birth. Now after a whole lifetime of doing music professionally for the love of it, I realize very clearly what a special rare gift it is.”

Charlie Miller: The Music Gumbo of NOLA

Charlie Miller is a New Orleans born and raised Jazz trumpet player, residing in New Orleans, LA. He has been the music director/arranger for Dr. John's band, and has performed many styles of music in jazz festivals around the world. NOLA native Charlie Miller is an old friend to several instruments (flute, piano and trumpet), but the trumpet is his first love. His music career began rather uniquely, to say the least. He began by playing the family washing machine hose, then graduated to a beat-up old trumpet an elderly gentleman gave him at the age of 12. In 8th grade, he connected with a young musician who would prove to be a lasting friend and fellow professional - Dr. John. Miller performed with Dr. John's early band, arranged, produced and performed on many of the now classic New Orleans R&B recordings and still had time to attend Loyola School of Music.                        (Charlie Miller / Photo by Jerry Moran - Native Orleanian Fine Photography)

Miller left New Orleans to enroll in the Manhattan School of Music. After graduating, he worked with Thelonious Monk, Dr. John's, Chuck Mangione, the Saturday Night Live Band, Paul Jeffrey, the New York Ballet, Bill Watrous, BB King, Danny Barker, Lou Rawls, Johnny Adams, Al Hirt, and many more. He also participated in the bands for Jay Leno's Tonight Show and the Conan O'Brien Show. Charlie was also a jazz combo instructor at Loyola University, and his current activities include New Orleans area live performances.

Interview by Michael Limnios                  Archive: Charlie Miller, 2013 Interview

How has the music influenced your views of the world? What moment changed your music life the most? 

Music is a different level of awareness than normal everyday life. It’s usually a unique experience, a unique experience often beginning at birth. Now after a whole lifetime of doing music professionally for the love of it, I realize very clearly what a special rare gift it is. There have been times when I have just watched the music coming through me … enjoying it … often amazed. One event which changed my music view a lot was a concert at Carnegie Hall where we honored Thelonius Monk, playing his pieces with Monk on piano. Another was working many times with Machito’s band in New York. This was pure Cuban music or Afro-Cuban music.  Very spiritual, very rhythmical!  Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie spent time with these musicians learning what they could. And third, a lifetime friendship with New Orleans pianist, Dr. John was a mind blower. Always musically fresh, very inspired.

What keeps a musician passionate after six decades in salsa, blues, jazz? How does your hometown (New Orleans) that affect your music? 

I believe that when a musician is born into the world, this soul is uniquely different from most others. Music within the individual can be many varieties. E.g., Sometimes it’s music that was heard somewhere by the musician, and it seems like a recording in the mind. Sometimes it’s beautiful music, forming itself abstractly in the person’s soul. It seems there’s no limit to how many types of music there can be … such a different language it is. I’m so thankful to have been born and raised in New Orleans. Early jazz, the music of the black people here in New Orleans traveled the world and the whole world sat up and listened. From that early music, pop music evolved, and this early jazz developed in new ways with each new generation. To address this question, “What keeps a musician passionate?”, I believe it’s the quality of a musician’s soul, which is always receptive to new sounds containing new undiscovered directions, various rhythmic relationships, and the very personal expressions of the sounds which are often magnetic … drawing listeners to join the experience and live this very personal in-the-moment magical moment. Some musicians and singers express a melody so beautifully that their performance becomes totally riveting … very uniquely glueing the listener to that magic moment like a dream… precious!

“That music is a spiritual connection. It’s an inspiration, a gift, a feeling, that exists not like other types of communication. It enters the heart of the musician and that musician shares it with the world, most often lifting others.” (Charlie Miller, New Orleans LA 2017 / Photo by New Orleans Television 

What were the reasons that made New Orleans to be the center of music researches and experiments? 

The creation of early jazz by the black musicians of New Orleans went all around the world. It is rooted in the gospel churches. It was the amazing joining of African rhythms and European harmonies. Rhythm is the basis of all music. If we take that literally, the various note pitches are vibrating at various frequencies. Vibrating at “Frequencies” means they’re in rhythm. Frequency infers time. There is a rhythmic relationship between them. Of course no one experiences it as a numerical relationship. But we feel (and hear) the difference in the pitches. And we sense the rhythmical relationship of the parts. To take this a step further, it’s good to remember that science believes that everything in the physical universe is vibrating in various frequencies and (I believe) often in rhythmic relationships down to its smallest parts. So rhythm is the basis of music and possibly the basis of the whole physical universe. 

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths? 

That music is a spiritual connection. It’s an inspiration, a gift, a feeling, that exists not like other types of communication. It enters the heart of the musician and that musician shares it with the world, most often lifting others.  

I’ve learned that I’ve been protected by being born a musician. If I would’ve chosen to ignore that calling, I imagine my life wouldn’t have been so marvelous. I believe that since I followed and did music my whole life, I had a very happy life as I look back on it. I did what I was put in the world to do. Thus there were so many joys in so many musical endeavors. Music is the only art which is destroyed in the same moment it’s created. Surely, there are recordings and various copies like sheet music. But, the actual musical experience is the moment a person conceives it and expresses it from inside the soul self. And that experience disappears moment by moment as it is experienced.

“So much of the music of the past was brought into the world by individual highly inspired artists with a unique new musical viewpoint never heard before. We need that now.” (Photos: Charlie Miller with Red Tyler - Charlie Miller with Eddie Bo & Dr. John / Photo by C.J. Ryan - Various albums from Charlie Miller’s discography as a session musician with BB King, Johnny Adams,Dr. John and Ruth Brown)

Are there any memories from Red Tyler, Johnny Adams, BB King, and Dr. John which you’d like to share with us? 

Yes. It was wonderful working so much with Red Tyler. Red really knew what a New Orleans horn section is about. Of course, he was around in the old days with so many musicians creating this concept. So together we had many special moments playing through the years and in so many events in Dr. John’s band. 

Also, it was beautiful listening to Johnny Adams in the moment when he was singing. I did some recording with BB King. Doc Pomus did the lyrics to a BB King album we did called “There Must Be Another World Somewhere”. This is the title of one of Doc Pomus’s songs on this album. BB King was always so gentle and kind spoken the few times I spoke with him.

Dr. John was my close friend all through life. I met him when he was about 11 years old (still in elementary school) and I was about 12. Shortly after, we started playing around New Orleans wherever we could, … in schools, whatever. Needless to say he was a huge talent. I often think knowing Mac was like knowing a great European artist like Leanardo Da Vinci. Both Mac and Da Vinci had very limited formal teaching but both had incredibly acute understanding of the world and human nature … elevated artists with more knowledge than one could pick up in any school.  A casual conversation with Mac was always an uplifting experience. The way he expressed many things in a simple conversation was magical. I would often get high just talking with him. He had a very artful way of seeing the world. In his normal everyday speaking it was often like he was creating imaginative lyrics on the spot. 

Why do you think that Dr. John’s music legacy continues to generate such a devoted following?

Dr John was a special unique person in this world. He was very spiritual. His viewpoints were often very deep.  He was very married to New Orleans music. Though he traveled through many different musical scenes he was always true to New Orleans music. What a pleasure seeing this aspect of him. With his huge talent he could have been involved in many types of music. I don’t feel he wanted or needed that. He was able to express all he needed to with his basic New Orleans music that he was born into.

There was always an underlying root in his playing. There is “something special” in what he left for us. I feel that this special invisible quality is giving his long life to his music. I feel that people of the future will gravitate to his music and they’ll be attracted to this underlying invisible love he so masterfully put into all that he did.  He always had this built in personal touch that was very deep. It is what I think his present and future listeners will return to time and again. It’s like a glimpse at something undefinable, very subtle and strongly attractive and personal. I surely feel it.

“The creation of early jazz by the black musicians of New Orleans went all around the world. It is rooted in the gospel churches. It was the amazing joining of African rhythms and European harmonies. Rhythm is the basis of all music.” (Photo: The Skyliners - Charlie Miller, Charlie Madwell, Tony Monjourie, Mac Rebennack aka Dr. John, Paul Staehle, Earl Stanley, Big Boy Myles, c. late 1950s)

What is the impact of Blues and Jazz on the socio-cultural implications? How can we bring the jazz and blues of the past into the future?  

This is a difficult question. Difficult because it brings in the whole world of contemporary materialism. True blues and jazz are very pure mediums of human expression. I feel that they more or less elevate the general population as all arts do. The public awareness of blues and jazz elevates and decreases with time. When a current musician during a certain era in history contributed brand new music as the world had never heard, there was usually an increase of attention by the people. (Not always immediately). When there was mainly copying of former artists on radio or new recordings there has been a dry period. This relationship between the arts and the public alternates as time passes. It increases, then decreases, then increases, etc.

I don’t know how to address the question, “How can we bring the jazz and blues of the past into the future?” The music of the past was new in its time and an expression of that era. My question would be how can we get individual musicians to the point where they present a fabulous new music like the world has never heard before? At least as great as the great music of the past. So much of the music of the past was brought into the world by individual highly inspired artists with a unique new musical viewpoint never heard before. We need that now.

What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions? Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues and jazz?

The following is my viewpoint. I wouldn’t expect that everyone should have the following view: Soul/emotions are the core of the music. They are closer to spirituality, inspired by the soul. Technique (skills) are developed to be able to easily express the precious moments appealing to the soul. 

Sometimes one develops technical ability on their instrument ignoring the spiritual beauty of the music. Sometimes they present technical skill but fail to touch anyone’s soul … thus, not sharing a beautiful spiritual moment. I believe that healthy music is a balance of these two aspects, basic talent and technical skill needed to express that talent. I believe that music serves the world so beautifully. E.g. as a heartfelt relief from so many mentally derived endeavors, sharing a healing moment of personal peace.

To me this is important because it deals with spiritual gifts and the sharing of it.

“I believe that when a musician is born into the world, this soul is uniquely different from most others. Music within the individual can be many varieties.” (Charlie Miller / Photos by Dawn Earles)

You’ve worked in many different settings, from clubs and studios to open air festivals and theatres around the U.S. How do you navigate between these different worlds and local audiences?

My response here refers back to previous question… There are so many types of music in the world, so many various styles. The bottom line is the personal connection or the “soul/emotions” played in each type of music. If a classical concert artist plays with unearthly beauty many people love it. Without that beauty, the work is often just a technical exercise. For sure, the same goes for blues, rhythmic music like Cuba and Spanish speaking countries, New Orleans music, be-bop, etc. So I feel the way to get across in all these various settings is simply … always endeavor to play your heart out … soulful. And the audience always gets that! There were two U.S trumpeters who didn’t have much technical ability on trumpet, but they played with warmth, originality, and very sparse. Strong statements as individuals! Thus, they were recognized for many years as the leading jazz musicians that they were. So we need to be thankful for heart felt music. Because without “heart felt” it doesn’t have the magic of music. And with heart felt one can go into various cultures and styles. That’s fun!

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