Another local kid made good returned to Nighttown last week, as vocalist Rhys Miller entertained a crowd of friends, family, fans, and jazz lovers last Tuesday night. Backed by a talented band led by pianist Jackie Warren, Miller performed two sets of standards and personal favorites, helped along the way with same guest appearances by some old friends.
Amongst the classics Miller tackled were "Being in Love," "Quiet Nights Loving You," "Angel Eyes," "A Night in Tunisia," and "A Day in the Life of a Fool." More contemporary material included a slow, jazz arrangement of The Police's "Roxanne," and a similar arrangement of U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for."
Miller is a large man with a beautiful voice, with more than a little Billy Eckstine, and a touch of Sam Cooke, in it. His band at Nighttown included not only Jackie Warren on piano, but also Sammy DeLeon on percussion, Kim Reed on bass, and Ron Godale on drums. He was joined several times over the course of the evening by some old friends who are in the oldies band Generation Gap, guitarist Dave Schock and vocalist Julie Fogel, joined Miller in a very good version of James Taylor's "Her Town Too."
I really enjoyed the show, and I think the rest of the audience did too.
For more about Rhys Miller and his music, he plans to return to Nighttown later in the summer, check out www.myspace.com/rhysmillermusic. As always, there are a lot of good things coming up at Nighttown, including organist Tony Monaco and his trio on May 28; Irish vocalist Moya Brennan on June 3; and the great guitarist Duke Robillard on June 20. Visit www.nighttowncleveland.com for more information.
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