Mark Christian Miller - Strange Meadowlark
(Sliding Jazz Door Productions, 2026)
Mark Christian Miller is part of a large and talented pool of jazz vocalists calling Los Angeles home. He rubs elbows with the likes of Mark Winkler. Cheryl Bentyne, Dolores Scozzesi, Judy Wexler, Robyn Spangler, Gary Brumburgh, Jeffery Gimble, Ada Bird Wolfe, and Lauren White. Miller releases his fourth album, Strange Meadowlark, which shows off his distinctive, warm, familiar voice and storytelling abilities. The release features material from composers including Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, and Oscar Brown Jr. This release follows Dreamer With a Penny (Self Produced, 2004), Crazy Moon (Self Produced, 2015), and Music in the Air (Self Produced, 2022). In 2011, Miller teamed with vocalist Betty Bryant (Lotta Livin’ (Bry-Mar Music, 2024 and Nothin’ Better to Do (Bry-Mar Music, 2026)) on Together (Self Produced).
An ensemble of noted musicians accompanies Miller: Chris Dawson on piano, Chuck Berghofer on bass, Joe LaBarbera on drums, and Robert Kyle on saxophone and flute, with Josh Nelson joining on one track. Miller produced the album and created its cover artwork, illustrating the singer’s long creative arm.
The album opens with Oscar Brown Jr.’s “Mr. Kicks” opens the recording, featuring Miller’s informed approach and Kyle’s sleek tenor work. The cheerful “You Make Me Feel So Young” with Kyle on flute, follows. The title track mashes up Dave Brubeck’s “Strange Meadowlark” with Hoagy Carmichael’s evergreen “Skylark” in what becomes the emotive heart of the album, magnifying Miller’s ability to inhabit lyrics and convey shifting moods from whimsical to melancholic. At this, he is unsurpassed.
Other songs include the after-hours environs of “Hello Love,” the comforting “Dream,” and the upbeat holiday piece “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.” The coda is “Sometimes,” where Miller accompanies himself on piano in a tender reflection on love and memory. Miller has his own established style and approach that clearly sets him apart from the pack.