Timothy Lee Miller

Oboe, Clarinet, Percussion, Piano, Violin, and Cello

Composer's Note:

The title of this piece comes from a book of the same name by the Christian writer Catherine Marshall. A quote from the foreword of the book in particular was my inspiration in writing the music: “When the Spirit of Truth is come, He will reveal all” (John 16:13). It's talking about the enfluence of the Holy Spirit, and it is with that hope and knowledge that I live out each day of my life, knowing that I have a companion in my heart to help guide my thoughts and decisions.

The title also comes to mean that there is so much more to life than meets the eye. With the current state of conflict that exists in our world, one would think that we were at war with each other, and yet that is precisely what is happening to us. We are being divided and driven at each other's throats because of differing opinions, and backgrounds, and skin colors, and yet none of us is all that different from each other. Our basic needs are all the same, and not one of us will escape this world with anything that we have in it. What we have, what we gain, what we possess is far less important than how we treat others - people and animals alike. The Golden Rule comes to mind when contemplating how to treat other people: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: do ye even so to them" (Matt. 7:21).

The current direction of my writing is to try to create a new strand of musical DNA, as it were, something you might call “jazzical” (although Joel Martin already seems to have that trademarked). It is certainly nothing new, as many composers have combined and crossed the lines of different genres for many years, but in the case of my music, I am attempting to create a fusion of classical and jazz elements that goes beyond just combining the styles, but more to the point of blurring the lines so much so that the two individually no longer exist, instead giving way to something else entirely. Something More is a step in that direction.

Musically, Something More begins with a very simple melody that floats unrestricted by time and space over the top of an ostinato pattern in the piano that eventually yields to a bossa nova in 5/4. The bossa beat has its own melody that fits out of time in a polymetric pattern (6/8+8/8+6/8+4/4), which ultimately takes over as the form evolves into a waltz-feel, albeit with that extra lilt as it hits the 8/8 or 4/4 bar. The whole pattern is one of twenty pulses (or eighth notes) per cycle. In 5/4 meter, that's a two-bar pattern, and in the 6/8+8/8, or 6/8+4/4 pattern, it's a little more comlpex, equaling two measures of 6/8 plus a measure of 8/8, and then the next cycle is two measures of 6/8 plus a measure of 4/4. While 4/4 and 8/8 are essentially the same number of pulses, or eighth-notes (8), the way they are generally subdivided is different: 2+2+2+2 = 4/4, and usually 3+3+2 = 8/8.

Originally written in 2016 as more of a purely jazz composition, it was produced as the title track of my 2018 Ansonica Records release Something More: Jazz Music of Timothy Lee Miller (AR00006). In this concert version, there are no improvised elements, or solos; however, the chord structures and voicings, as well as the percussive patterns are most certainly borrowed from the jazz idiom. The original version included extensive improvised solos for each of the members of the ensemble, which included soprano saxophone, electric guitar, piano, bass and drums. This rendering is more melodic in structure, but it does include a through-composed piano solo based on the original melody that explores the underlying intrinsic theme of the work, which, although is very subdued, to me is the highlight of the piece.

At the end of the day, how we construct music is left for the critics and academians to ponder, but what happens to us when we hear the music played or performed is the ultimate goal of the composer. As we all wrestle with our own personal daily struggles and challenges, there is always something more that we can do to make things just a little better for the people around us. There is always room for kindness. There is always room for hope. It is my hope then that Something More ultimately creates in you the desire to search for and find the true meaning in life.