Vladimir Miller/Steve Plews
what haven't you had?
SLAM CD260
below profile; i, public person;
counterpoint for a count; vagrant's
paradise; praelude; intrinsics; triple
diptych; quetzal; your armour; what's
bacon?; he's in; one woman's poison.
Vladimir Miller, Steve Plews (p). 12/04 - 1/05.
Vladimir Miller and Steve Plews are pianists who have largely built their careers around their respective ease in moving between musical traditions. Miller fully addresses his Russian heritage with Moscow Art Orchestra, but does not let it dictate his voice on all occasions. Plews firmly has one foot in jazz and improvised music, and the other in contemporary composition. This ability is at the core of this album, a collection of music for two pianos, fourhanded piano pieces and solos.
More so than most recordings, the strengths of what haven't you had? are also its weaknesses. Obviously, much if not all of the music was rehearsed. In many instances, this yields immaculate execution and sonic clarity; since
the music was recorded on two exceptional instruments in a resonant, presumably large space, the latter is not to be underestimated. At other points, the music is overly coiffed, like Philippe Entremont's early
versions of Debussy.
The other issue that cuts both ways is the pianist's stylistic breadth. They don't just cover a lot of territory; they guide the listener through it with disarming expertise. Miller and Plews really know a variety of styles inside out; but it often comes across as book learning instead of blood
knowledge. Subsequently, it is difficult to get a real bead on who
they are. Yet there is enough engaging music on this recording
to keep an eye out for future
instalments.
BILL SHOEMAKER
JAZZ VIEWS JUNE 2006
As his name suggests, Vladimir Miller is an Anglo-Russian who I first became aware of via some Leo Records releases of his Moscow Composer’s Orchestra in the 90’s. His work and recordings have taken him into freer areas of the music as well as into Film and Theatre and also more conventional jazz playing. In fact, I was much impressed by his Quartet, featuring the muscular sound of saxophonist John Sanderson, at last year’s Pontypool Jazz Festival. 2005’s ‘Before the Storm’ recording (on the 33 Label) which features the group is well worth a listen. Steve Plews, like Miller, is a Pianist and Composer who works extensively in Modern Jazz and Contemporary Classical music. He also runs the ASC label devoted to the above musics, so it’s curious that this recording which features he and Miller, singly and together, was actually recorded in the ASC Studios but released on George Haslam’s Slam. Also, the first 7 tracks on the CD were made in December 2004, while the other 5 were cut just over a month later before an (invited?) audience ‘Live at ASC’. The latter clearly influenced the pair to stretch out more because they average over the 7 minute mark, while the earlier studio sides seem a little clipped and curtailed at around 3 minutes each. Either way, what we are presented with is a highly listenable hour plus long recital of 20th Century Piano Musics. Although there is a stylistic coherence across the record, Miller emerges as a highly percussive player who is also capable of great detail and intricacy; while Steve Plews’ playing has an underlying romanticism and has a more rhapsodic quality. It would be interesting to hear what other listeners glimpse across the 12 sides, because there seems to be frequent near quotes from, for instance, Messiaen and Ravel in the duo’s ‘Below Profile’; near snatches from Debussy’s ‘Children’s Corner’ Suite in Miller’s solo ‘Counterpoint for a Count’ where his classicism is much more apparent; and the solo Plews’ ‘Praelude’ has some of the quietude of Bill Evans and the elegiac qualities to be found in the Composed work of Arnold Bax and Lennox Berkeley. If there’s a criticism to be made of these first 7 tracks it is, as stated, that they do often end rather abruptly e.g. Miller’s percussive and developing ‘Intrinsics’ seems to meander to a sudden edit. The live to audience performances are all duets and we hear again, but this time more expansively, the influence of Ravel (‘Your Armour’) and Rachmaninov (‘What’s Bacon’) etc. ‘He’s in’ seems to suggest a slightly heavier and slowed down Conlon Nancarrow Player Piano Exercise; while the more Jazz inclined references allude to the eclectic likes of a Jaki Byard, and on the final track, ‘One Woman’s Poison’, the Solo Keith Jarrett is evoked. Part composed, part improvised and largely successful, ‘What Haven’t You Heard?’ is an always engaging listen from two of our, sadly, less sung Pianist / Composers. Well worth investigating. Reviewed by Mike Hodges
