On June 11, the Detroit Jazz Fest partnered with the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) to present DJF’s 2010 Artist in Residence Mulgrew Miller and Detroit’s Roland Hamilton in a duo piano concert.
With more than 400 recordings as a leader and sideman, Mulgrew Miller is undoubtedly one of the most recorded artists of his generation. His resume includes longtime associations with many of the legends of jazz, including Betty Carter, Woody Shaw, Art Blakey, Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin and Tony Williams.
Although widely esteemed as a skilled, swinging accompanist and inventive soloist for many years, by veterans and young lions alike, Miller has emerged as a leader of vision and a significant composer. In recent years, he has performed throughout Europe, Japan, Australia, the U.S., and Canada with his own trio and Wingspan. Miller is also a member of the Contemporary Piano Ensemble, a group consisting of four pianists performing simultaneously on grand pianos with a rhythm section.
Roland Hamilton is a graduate of Detroit’s famous Cass Tech High School and attended Wayne State University. He has performed with Kenny Barron, Rufus Reed, Nicholas Payton (at the International Jazz Workshop in Switzerland), as well Detroit legends such as Marcus Belgrave, Johnny O’Neal and Johnny Allen. Hamilton is a recipient of the Spirit of Detroit Award for “Artistic Excellence in Music” and placed third in the NANM classical piano competition in 2001. He currently serves as musical director at Trinity Baptist Church in Pontiac, MI, and performs with the jazz group In The Tradition, which released its debut recording, Fikira, in 2007.
Note: Admission to this concert was FREE to Detroit residents.
