Post Description

As a loving gesture toward his late mother, trumpeter Melvin M. Miller dedicates his latest release, I Hope You Dance,Melvin M Miller to her. The album is well-conceived and offers both a happy and poignant glimpse into Miller's heart and soul. His solid and emotional playing clues us in to how inspired and motivated he was to undertake this special project.

The album is a well-balanced mix of passionate covers and fresh originals. Integrating a bit of pop, funk, and soul with some traditional jazz leanings, Miller approaches eclecticism in such a pleasant manner with both his mom and fans in mind.

With contributions from his close friend, keyboardist/producer Phil Davis, and drummer Joel Flynn ("JFly"), as well as others moved to help Miller through his pain, the trumpeter delivers a powerful and heartfelt performance on each track.

Clearly choosing the very fitting title track to speak to his mom, one cannot help being touched by the moment. As one who is experiencing the same type of loss, the message rings clearly and oh-so-true.

You will find tight material throughout this project. The up-tempo tunes are infectious (like the cover of Michael Jackson's super-hot "Jam" which features on this version Toni Redd and Brent Carter on vocals and a snappy rap by Adam Donley -aka Pay Cheq) while the softer ones (e.g., "Tears of Joy" and the title track) easily find the very depths of your soul.

It just has to be a great form of consolation in difficult times to be able to place oneself in a happy frame of mind to pull off such poppin' grooves as the funky "Twine Time" and "Mama Said." Being able to smile through the pain with really good music as the vehicle - that is what it's all about, and Miller shows here that he knows full well the healing powers of music. The fact that he repeats "Jam" on track 11 (aka "Jam.sum Mo") shows that the trumpeter is doing his absolute best to give his mom all the more reason to dance - and I'll bet she's joyously doing just that, thanks to her devoted son, a more than capable artist with one phat project. - Ronald Jackson

Tracklist
-------------
01 - The Man With the Horn
02 - Don't Worry About Me
03 - Tears of Joy
04 - I Hope You Dance
05 - Hazel Eyes
06 - Mid-City Bounce
07 - Jam (Radio Edit)
08 - Twine Time
09 - Mama Said
10 - I Smile
11 - Jam sum Mo
12 - Don't Worry About Me (radio edit)