Jane Miller
Three Sides to a Story
Pink Bubble Records
Berklee Associate
Professor and former
PG columnist
Jane Miller has
gone solo for Three
Sides to a Story.
With a mix of
originals, standards, and pop classics, it is, as
Miller says, a snapshot of where she is with
her guitars now, and it’s a flattering one.
Original tunes are the foundation of the 15 tracks, and Miller ably composes her way through a spectrum of styles, including traditional-sounding jazz, peaceful folk, and quirky blues. She also showcases her deep knowledge and experience as a jazz musician by tackling George Gershwin’s “Our Love is Here to Stay,” Miles Davis’ “Nardis,” and Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Here’s That Rainy Day.” Miller is a skilled arranger, taking tunes meant for full orchestration, paring them down to their essence, and making them sound like they were written for six strings.
Miller’s electric, steel-string, and nylon-string guitars are captured beautifully by recording engineer Lauren Passarelli, who combined a direct signal and a mic on the two electrics to produce an incredibly intimate sound. A solo guitar record is an artistic challenge, and on Three Sides to a Story Miller proves herself a master of many genres.
Must-hear track: “Gratitude”