The Molly Miller Trio fits into that hip niche of Americana jazz, but also touches on surf/instro, spaghetti western, blues, and film-soundtrack textures. Like Julian Lage and Bill Frisell, Miller’s guitar work is both serious and playful, more intent on having an instrumental conversation with her bandmates than executing traditional solos. The trio’s latest is The Ballad of Hotspur and here, she talks to VG about the machinations behind the music.
“Americana jazz” is a guitar style that evolved through Metheny, Frisell, and Lage, among others. What does that phrase mean to you?
It blends jazz with Americana, folk, and country elements, but also adds storytelling; it could be heartbreak, love, murder, or what have you, but a tale is always present. Also, I don’t think Americana jazz means you need to take out traditional II-V-I jazz chords. Instead, I think about techniques like more sixths, slides into the thirds, bluesy lines, and double-stops. When I think of early jazz guitarists like Charlie Christian or Eddie Lang, they also had some of those same techniques in their playing.
On “Saddles Back,” we hear the trio communicating with each other through the music. How do you encourage this kind of non-verbal interplay?
Communication is the air needed for the music to survive; my trio is nothing without the conversations. In a trio setting, there is a ton of space, which makes every member so important. It gives us all room to use our voices. We’ve been playing as a unit for more than a decade, so it comes naturally now. I do write songs with my band members in mind; I wrote “Saddles Back” specifically for [drummer] Jay Bellerose to do his thing. He would sub on a Top 40 gig with me and his R&B groove would blow my mind. I encourage the personalities of each member to be fostered through my writing and arranging, which adds to the conversation because we can be ourselves.
Your bio says post-war gospel guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an influence.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe is my queen! She stole my heart, and her playing is so bold. I transcribed a bunch of her stuff and, after spending a lot of time with Sister Rosetta, I got more fire. I am so drawn to guitarists who put it all out there – not because they play a lot of notes fast or play wild scales. She made me more fearless.
Who are your other influences?
The first time I realized the power of guitar was when I learned “Wipe Out” by The Ventures – it was for my fifth-grade talent show. Then came Hendrix and Clapton. Grant Green was my gateway drug into jazz, and then the storm came with Wes Montgomery, Johnny Smith, Django, George Benson, Pat Martino, Barney Kessel, Anthony Wilson, Joe Pass, Julian Lage, and Peter Bernstein. I love Chet Atkins and Les Paul – they are so inspiring to me. When prepping for this record, I listened to a ton of Mickey Baker; he has that same boldness that Sister Rosetta does. Mickey doesn’t have to play that much, but damn, he says a lot. I love Steve Cropper – he is so groovy – and Booker T. & the M.G.’s is definitely an influence for my trio.
Which guitars and amps did you use on The Ballad of Hotspur?
I mainly used my ’78 ES-335 and Telecaster, which was originally a ’52 reissue with a new neck. I used my goldtop Les Paul for one tune, and was waiting for a Benson Nathan Junior amp I’d ordered, but it just missed the session. Now I use it all the time. So, for the album, I had two pedalboards and two amps – my Princeton ’65 reissue and a Vibrolux – and we were able to blend the sounds.
You like chorus-type modulation effects.
I used to be afraid of modulation, and now I just want to swim in it. I had my pedalboard and the engineer, Jason Wormer, brought his, as well. On mine, I mainly used the Warped Vinyl, by Chase Bliss Audio. On Jason’s board, we used the EHX Memory Man and a Monterey, by Keeley Electronics. I also love the Ripply Fall, by Jam Pedals, an Earthquaker Devices’ Pyramid, and Artificial Blonde by JHS. I am in a constant process of changing up my board.
Since you’re based in Southern California, is there a connection between your approach and jazz-pop session guitarists of the ’60s like Howard Roberts, Bob Bain, or Barney Kessel?
I grew up in a SoCal beach city and no matter where I am, that is home. I also love those players you mention and that connection rings true to my heart – so heck, yes.
This article originally appeared in VG’s August 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
