Scott L. Miller: Tipping Point

Scott Miller, or Scott L. Miller to be precise, is not a jazz composer in the usual sense. Yet his music has a new music-avant jazz synergy. I covered several of his albums on myGapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review. You can go there and type in his name in the search box to find those. I post the latest review here because his music seems to me will be of equal interest to avant jazz aficionados as it is to new music listeners.

And so we have the latest one, Tipping Point (New Focus 161), which features the chamber ensemble Zeitgeist, with whom Miller has collaborated since 2003, and electroacoustics, an important component of much of his work.

Six pieces are presented on the album, some previously unrecorded, some new. Zeitgeist consists of piano, two percussionists and woodwinds. They seem especially well-suited to the music, which has tonal and more avant structures and a kind of direct expressiveness that brings it closer to avant jazz than some other composers. Soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw graces the ensemble on three of the six works represented and sounds excellent.

It is music better heard than described, except to say that Miller has a real flair for evocative new music which he gives us ample evidence of in these works.

If you want to be introduced to a new voice on the scene, or even if you know his music already, this one is a seminal example of why he is important. Give Tipping Point your ears and I think you will be pleased. - Grego Applegate Edwards, 5.6.2015

The cover of Scott Miller's Tipping Point displays two text details, but it should really show three, so integral to the release is the group whose playing is featured on it. As if to further accentuate the point, Zeitgeist has been collaborating with Miller since 2003 in a relationship that began with the release of Shape Shifting and has grown deeper over the years. Miller has written a large number of compositions for the ensemble and has produced recordings for it and its members, including three Zeitgeist CDs. And without wishing to take anything away from Miller, as it is after all his compositions that are performed on Tipping Point, the recording makes as compelling an argument for the group as for the composer.

That's especially true when one takes into account the type of music Miller creates: electroacoustic chamber music. He's no new music dabbler, by the way: not only does he teach composition, electroacoustic music, and theory at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, he's also the current president of the Society for ElectroAcoustic Music in the U.S. (SEAMUS). Zeitgeist has figured critically into Miller's evolution, as the group has helped catalyze his work as opposed to being a mere adjunct to its development. On their latest collaboration, Zeitgeist performs previously unrecorded and recent Miller compositions, plus a purely acoustic work. It bears worth mentioning, too, that he doesn't watch from the sidelines but is, in fact, credited with electronics on five of the hour-long recording's six tracks.

Premiered by Zeitgeist (and for whom it was written) at SEAMUS 2010, the title track offers a representative taste of Miller's composing style. For eleven minutes, electronic whirrs and clicks interact with piano, vibraphone, marimba, and bass clarinet expressions in a rapidly shifting setting punctuated by percussion accents. A multi-scenic setting of a poem by Catalan poet Felip Costaglioli, “Forth and Back” benefits considerably from the presence of soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw, whose singing helps humanize Miller's ponderous, dream-like reverie, and the evocative character of Costaglioli's text is complemented by an equally rich backdrop of piano, woodwinds, and mallet percussion. Shaw also appears on the suitably titled nocturne “Twilight” and, wordlessly, on the crepuscular closer “Consortia,” the latter nicely enhanced by inner piano strums and bowed vibraphone textures.

Originating out of a day-long session whereby snare drummer Patti Cudd interacted with electronics, the rhythmically charged “Pure Pleasure” proves ear-catching in featuring nothing more than crosstalk between two instruments. Something similar happens during “Funhouse,” though this time the interactions involve Miller and bass clarinetest Pat O'Keefe in a piece characterized by jazz-like spontaneity.

Throughout Tipping Point, Zeitgeist attentively navigates the knotty pathways of Miller's music, and one comes away from the recording less humming any of its melodies than impressed by the group's fastidious rendering of the composer's material. It's also worth noting that, generally speaking, Miller acts more like a formal Zeitgeist member than guest sound contributor, given how seamlessly his electronic effects are woven into the arrangements.

July-August 2015

Scott Miller’s “ensemble+electronics explorations” are more approachable and musical than Burtner’s. But there are still a number of buzz words and hip phrases in the liner notes to warn you that the material is not standard classical music and that our future robot overlords have invaded most works, causing them to become electroacoustic. Tipping Point, though, is a fascinating entity. I admit I have a penchant for the bass clarinet, but Miller’s use of it with piano and marimba creates a great timbre. The repetitive growth of force that eventually pushes or tips the piece into a new area is done with intelligence and undercuts expectations. ‘Twilight’ is a beautiful piece for soprano, mallet percussion, clarinets, and electronics. The vibraphone and electronics give the piece an uneasy pedal, but the round sound of the bass clarinet and Carrie Henneman Shaw’s tender delivery craft a relaxing atmosphere. Pat O’Keefe gets free reign with his bass clarinet in Fun House, a spatial work involving microphones, speakers, and computer programs altering sound objects as they occur in specific spaces. Recordings of works that require performers to wander around are never as exciting as being there, but Fun House is convincing.

-- Kraig Lamper © 2015 American Record Guide

I was particularly pleased to receive this disc for review as I am a long time fan of the Minnesota based Zeitgeist ensemble. This varied ensemble has been a vital part of the new music scene in Minnesota since about 1977 (I still have some of their vinyl LPs). Happily they are in the process of making these out of print items available again on CDs via their website.

Curiously there is very little on the ensemble’s web site or on the internet in general on the history of this group prior to about the year 2000 A Google search yields few references to this group and Discogs does not have much listed in their discography of Zeitgeist. Their Wikipedia page is also in serious need of updating. The Innova records site is perhaps the most useful in identifying the albums released by this group in its various configurations and solo or other collaborations by its members (though the re-release of the older discs are not distributed there). I realize that this group began in the pre-internet era but perhaps it is time to clarify this and present a comprehensive history and discography of this significant new music ensemble.

The present disc is a collection of recent works by Scott Miller, a Minnesota based composer and teacher whose association with Zeitgeist goes back to 1993. He is currently the president of SEAMUS (Society for Electro Acoustic Music in the United States) and professor of music at St. Cloud State University. You can find his work on youtube and Sound Cloud.

Now let me say here that it is my observation that electroacoustic music, while not an uncommon genre, seems to be a specialized one which, like Zeitgeist, is not consistently well-promoted. At least that is my explanation (excuse perhaps) for my limited knowledge of Mr. Miller’s music up to this point.

The CD is a collection of six tracks with vocals by soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw on tracks 2, 4 and 6. Each track is a separate work and they are listed in the proper order on the back of the CD case but are discussed out of order in the notes for some reason.

But now I must stop my whining and criticisms (and thinly veiled references to Prince) and turn to the actual music. This is really wonderful music, well-performed and well worth your attention. And if the term “electroacoustic” puts you off don’t worry. What we have here is an artist who has managed to integrate a variety of techniques into an effective musical language that transcends mere experimentalism to yield some really good music.

The first piece, the one from which the album receives its title, is Tipping Point (2010) and was originally included on the SEAMUS CD Volume 20 (EAAM-2011). This is a remixed and remastered version of that recording from 2010. This writer hears echoes and homages to (or influences by, you decide which) Terry Riley, Steve Reich as well as perhaps Morton Subotnick and even the thornier sound of Mario Davidovsky at times. To my ears this is an integration of many ideas which work effectively together.

The second track, Forth and Back (2003) is the longest track and is a setting of the poem by Catalan poet Felip Costaglioli. The setting is atmospheric, appropriate to the lovely texts and the vocal writing is simply beautiful. Carrie Henneman Shaw delivers this work with the success of interpretation that one would expect of a musician who understands the composer’s intent. Not an explicitly virtuosic piece it nonetheless challenges the performer with sotto voce passages that I imagine are quite a balancing act for a singer. This is a beautiful piece and the fact of its electroacoustic aspects take on far less important place than the effectiveness of the setting.

Next up is Pure Pleasure (2008) is a percussion piece. The composer goes into some detail in the notes as to the genesis of this piece and that is interesting but so is the act of listening to it. This is one of the more obviously experimental works here.

Twilight (2008-13) is actually a portion of a larger work, a collaboration between Miller, Pat O’Keeffe and video artist Rosemary Williams called, The Cosmic Engine. This is a multi-media chamber opera which premiered in 2008 and this section was revised in 2013. The text is by Walt Whitman. Again, Shaw does a lovely job with the lyrical vocal lines.

Funhouse (2003) is a marvelous use of electroacoustic methods. It is a piece with rather complex origins as explained in the notes but, consistent with its title, this is a fun piece to hear and, I imagine, to play. Along with the percussion piece it represents the more overtly experimental work of this artist.

The final track, Consortia (2013), as with Twilight, is an outgrowth or by product of work on the multimedia opera, The Cosmic Engine. Here the composer enlists computer processing to create a sort of live polyphony with live mixing of tracks of pre-recorded and live improvisational structures based on some renaissance tunes and techniques. I will leave it to the listener to read through the technical details but the result is a pretty entertaining piece of music.

Zeitgeist does a wonderful job here playing with passion and dedication. I can only hope that we hear more from both Zeitgeist and Mr. Miller.

The recording done at Wild Sound Recording Studio in Minneapolis (Mark Zimmerman, master engineer on tracks 1 and three; Steve Kaul, master engineer on tracks 2 and 4-6) is lucid and warm. The art and design by Raul Keller makes for an attractive product. This release from New Focus Recordings belongs in the collection of any new music fan and certainly every Zeitgeist fan.

-- Allan Cronin, New Music Buff, 11.9.15

Scott L. Miller describes himself, on his website, as a “composer of music for humans, instruments, and things you plug in.” In other words, his compositions often feature both human performers (singers or instrumentalists) and electronics. My last exposure to him was on a Music from SEAMUS CD (Volume 24, to be specific) where his work Contents May Differ explored real-time interactions between a bass clarinet, multiple microphones, and electronic amplification. (SEAMUS is the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, and Miller was its president between 2014 and 2018.)

Miller is a professor at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, where he teaches composition, electro-acoustic music, and theory. He is a three-time McKnight Composer Fellow, and recently has been working with VR (virtual reality) applications in live concerts, as documented on his 2018 New Focus Recordings release Raba.

All of the works on this CD, with the exception of Katabasis, combine electronic sound with non-electronic instruments. However, in this work, Miller still applied the techniques that he uses in working with electronics: “I often manipulate recordings using multiple streams of windows slowly moving along a melodic line, the musical material in each window looping back on itself, gradually progressing along the melodic path.” The eerie Katabasis (a Greek word denoting descent...such as into an underworld) is an open score, scored for “Four Instruments, More or Less,” here including a singer, who sings only vowel sounds. The first movement, in which long-held notes serve as musical phrases, opens with an extended duet for voice and violin, to which the other instruments eventually contribute. The second movement, which follows without pause, starts with the voice (and the other musicians) becoming more expressive, as the individual notes evolve into short melodic fragments. In the last movement (“Brittle and Delicate, With Precision”), the long-held notes return but with a richer texture and darker coloration. This 15-minute piece is not built on melody, harmony, and rhythm, in the traditional sense of those words. It still holds my attention.

Eidolon (the Greek word for “phantom”) was inspired by the composer's (probably at least partly hypnagogic) experience, on a transatlantic flight, of observing his brain create a “phantom film score” out of the plane's cabin noises and sound system. Anyone who has taken a red-eye flight will, I'm sure, relate to this work. The instrumentation includes flute, clarinet, and violin, but these instruments melt into and meld with the electronics most compellingly. Chimera No. 2, for violin and electronic sound, also straddles the conscious and the subconscious, and the real and the perceived.

Miller seems to be drawn towards semi-corporeal things that go bump in the night. The CD's title is Ghost Layers, and it ends with Lovely Little Monster. In this work, the busiest on this CD, in terms of sound events, conventional instruments (flute, clarinet, and percussion) are used, but they are altered in real time with “Kyma” sound design software. In the composer's words, “Straining to be heard, yet frustrated by attempts to articulate complex thoughts, the physical gesture is found to be the most direct means of communication. Ultimately, peace.”

New York-based TAK Ensemble is Laura Cocks (flute), Marina Kifferstein (violin), Charlotte Mundy (voice), and Ellery Trafford (percussion). (Clarinetist Madison Greenstone does not participate on this CD. Guest artists are cellist Meaghan Burke, pianist Tristan McKay, and clarinetist Joshua Rubin.) I don't know when they were founded, but their website's list of concerts goes back to 2013, so let's go with that. Miller does not write music that is easy to communicate through recordings, but TAK Ensemble plays it with a directness and honest passion that both attract and convince the home listener. Unlike some other groups who devote themselves to modern classical music, TAK Ensemble eschews silliness and trendiness, and gets right to the point in this recording. What composer could reasonably ask for more?

The studio studio is ideally crisp and clean, ensuring that no musical nuance is lost.

— Raymond Tuttle, 7.18.2020

The jazzy rumble which precipitates Accretion suggests we’re in for a bout of routine 21st-century finagling, but electronics soon make a subtle presence, and the ensemble pares away to reveal the gentle processed sound of moving water and melting ice. The work ends quietly, but with startling command. Miller had recorded the natural sounds and then analyzed them to produce a map for the opening bustle.

Eidolon means phantom, and this ensemble plus electronics piece recreates music Miller thought he heard while airborne. The instruments pass gently through a gentle roar simulating the plane’s hum, and there’s even an imitation of the fasten-seatbelt chime. Chimera No. 2 balances a wispy electronic surface against solo violin. This is not a work of sparks or heroics, but one of glimmers and slowly churning coarseness. Katabasis contains no electronics but adds a wordless soprano to flute, bass clarinet, violin and percussion. The effect is not unlike Feldman, although if there is repetition then it is not obvious, and Miller’s timing produces delicate tension. The title signifies a planned descent or retreat.

Like Accretion, Lovely Little Monster unleashes a bang and then fizzles out intently. A non-pitched percussive shake may intersect with a taped sound, a fluttering wind tone may melt into an electronic rattle. There’s an artful balance between purposeful kinetic energy and tense neutrality, and then the piece stops.

— Grant Chu Covell, 7.16.2022