ECM Dominic Miller - Silent Light

Dominic Miller - chitara, bas electric
Miles Bould - tobe, percutie

Born in Argentina to an American father and Irish mother, guitarist Dominic Miller was raised in the U.S. from age 10 and then educated there and in England. Now he lives in France, though he has toured the globe for the past three decades. Aptly, Silent Light – Miller’s ECM debut, featuring him solo and with percussion accompaniment – has a very international feel, with the Latin influence strong in such pieces as “Baden” (dedicated to Brazilian guitarist-composer Baden Powell). “Le Pont” has an early 20th-century Parisian air, while “Valium” evokes Celtic tunes in the vein of Bert Jansch and “Fields of Gold” is a hushed instrumental take on one of Sting’s best-known ballads. Miller has long been known as Sting’s right-hand man on guitar – and co-writer of the worldwide hit “Shape of My Heart,” among others. Miller has also worked with the likes of Paul Simon, The Chieftains and Plácido Domingo. The guitarist’s playing has prompted praise from Simon, who points out, in a liner note to the album, that Miller “has a beautiful touch, with a fragrance of jazz and English folk.”

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Miller's ECM label debut offers a pleasant spin through some colorful tones of the places his travels have taken him. […] Silent Light is a recording as peaceful and evocative as its title suggests: exotic motifs convey moods from several continents, chord structures can be left ambiguous or implied rather than stated, and extra sounds are sprinkled around with a light touch only where they're judged to add something.
Geno Thackara All About Jazz

Miller's debut for ECM features mostly Miller's steel and nylon-stringed acoustic guitars and the occasional percussion of his childhood friend Miles Bould. It's an intimate and extremely appealing statement that touches on many of the places Miller has been, and much of the music he's played over time. […] his ability to express emotion through the strings of a guitar is unparalleled—it's amazing to hear. Bould's percussion is unfailingly tasteful, in the background and yet an integral part of each of the five tracks he plays on. The balance between guitar and percussion is absolutely right throughout, and Bould adds tasty flavors to the moods Miller sets. Moods, atmosphere, and an overall wistfulness that's uncommonly sensitive for a guy who's spent much of his career playing electric guitar in rock bands pervade ‘Silent Light’. […]Miller's distinctive warm, round tone, his touch on the strings, and his senses of timing and phrasing are nothing short of stunning. […]The gorgeous sound, and the glorious empty spaces between the guitar chords, serve to make listening to Miller's playing an even more intimate experience.
Robert Baird, Stereophile


The ECM debut of guitarist and composer Dominic Miller, ‘Silent Light’ plays like a celebration of sound, silence and those mysterious spaces between them. […] Miller is best known for his 20-plus-year-collaboration with Sting. Yet the guitarist is not out to impress but to tell stories […] Miller unfolds his wordless songs deliberately, suggesting melodic possibilities discreetly, letting the stories play out at their own pace.
Fernando Gonzalez, Jazziz