Max Miller

Who was Max Miller?

Max Miller was an American jazz pianist and vibraphone player.

Oral historian Studs Terkel called him "The Angry Man of Jazz", saying that he demanded rather than coaxed certain sounds from his instruments. Record producer John H. Hammond, referring to his vibes playing, called him an "Astonishing artist, second only to Lionel Hampton in proficiency". Paul Edward Miller, former music critic, writer and editor of Esquire Jazz Books, called Max Miller "A Champion of Good Jazz". The Who's Who of Jazz by John Chilton listed him as one of the leading figures on the Chicago jazz scene for many years. The jazz critic George Hoefer wrote in 1946: "There is no doubt that Max Miller is creating something new in jazz. Keep an ear cocked towards Max Miller at the piano."

Though it covered over 40 years from 1927 to 1970, his career peak came in the 1940s and 50s. Many of his own compositions utilized extended chord harmonies, polyphony, and polytonality and were influenced by Stravinsky, Bartók and Hindemith.