Executive Overview
In the contemporary landscape of creative improvised music, few releases manage to balance intellectual rigor with visceral, unadulterated enjoyment quite like SPIT!, the sophomore album by alto saxophonist and composer Nicola Miller. Released under the moniker Nicola Miller’s Living Things, the record arrives as a striking evolutionary leap following her celebrated 2024 debut, Living Things.
Where the debut album established Miller as an uncompromising voice stretching the boundaries of traditional jazz composition, SPIT! serves as an interrogation of how humans transmit meaning, emotion, and data. Across six meticulously crafted yet wildly adventurous tracks, Miller and her ensemble—featuring Doug Tielli on trombone, Nicholas D’Amato on bass, Nick Fraser on drums, and Miller’s mentor, renowned woodwind virtuoso Frank Gratkowski on bass clarinet and alto saxophone—interrogate the paradox of modern communication.
By contrasting the clinical, hyper-efficient digital transmission of the 21st century with the raw, spiritual, and guttural mechanics of acoustic improvisation, Miller has constructed a sonic document that challenges post-bop purists while inviting open-eared listeners into a world of controlled musical anarchy. The album is anchored by a three-part conceptual centerpiece, the "Telecommunications" suite, alongside standout individual tracks like the Mingus-evoking title track and the cheekily titled "Drummers are Bad." Ultimately, SPIT! is not merely an exercise in technical proficiency or avant-garde abstraction; it is a masterclass in ensemble telepathy, proving that the outer limits of jazz remain a deeply human, deeply joyful frontier.
Detailed Chronology: From Living Things to the Genesis of SPIT!
The Groundwork: The 2024 Debut
To understand the profound stylistic leaps demonstrated on SPIT!, one must examine the trajectory set in motion by Nicola Miller’s 2024 debut album, also titled Living Things. That initial release introduced the jazz world to a distinctive compositional voice that kept the parameters of the classic jazz combo at arm’s length. Rather than relying on standard head-solos-head formats, Miller utilized her ensemble to create shifting sonic textures, integrating freeform structural elements with tightly wound thematic motifs.
The core personnel assembled for that first outing—Tielli, D’Amato, Fraser, and Gratkowski—demonstrated an immediate, intuitive chemistry. Frank Gratkowski, a towering figure in European improvised music and Miller’s artistic mentor, brought a wealth of extended-technique mastery, while the rhythm section of D’Amato and Fraser provided a robust yet flexible foundation.
The Evolution of the Ensemble
Rather than treating the debut as a one-off studio experiment, Miller recognized the latent potential of this specific quintet. Officially coalescing under the banner of Nicola Miller’s Living Things, the group entered the creative process for their follow-up with a shared musical vocabulary already deeply established.
This pre-existing rapport allowed Miller to push her compositional boundaries further on SPIT!. Released on August 7, 2026, the album represents a natural progression: the friction between written arrangement and spontaneous improvisation is sharper, the tonal palette is broader, and the thematic underpinnings are significantly more ambitious. The album does not discard the traditions of post-bop; instead, it uses them as a springboard, launching the listener into realms where traditional metric stability dissolves only to be triumphantly reconstructed moments later.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Conceptual Framework of SPIT!
The Philosophy of Transmission
At the heart of SPIT! lies a compelling conceptual exploration: the nature of communication in an era dominated by digital connectivity. In her liner notes and conceptual statements accompanying the release, Miller posits that musical communication is an inherently abstract, highly spiritual endeavor.
"I find it very interesting to think about what is gained and lost in the transmission of a message in both technology and music," Miller writes. "It could be observed that music is the opposite of these technological advances since the message is delivered in a spiritual and guttural manner."
This thematic focus manifests structurally across the album’s runtime, most notably in the three-part suite comprising "Telecommunications I," "Telecommunications II," and "Telecommunications III." In these pieces, Miller investigates the static, the interference, and the emotional resonance that occur when a message travels from a source to a receiver—whether that source is a fiber-optic cable or a vibrating reed.
Track-by-Track Breakdown: Anatomy of an Avant-Garde Masterpiece
1. "SPIT!" (The Title Track)
The album opens with its incendiary title track, beginning with Nicholas D’Amato utilizing extended bass techniques that instantly evoke the earthy, menacing resonance of classic Charles Mingus recordings. As the tension mounts, Nick Fraser enters with an earthy, unhurried shuffle, setting a groove that is simultaneously grounded and precarious. This rhythmic bedrock allows the frontline horns to engage in intense, adventurous soloing. A pivotal moment arrives in the center of the piece: a cathartic alto saxophone solo delivered entirely unaccompanied by Miller. This bold structural choice highlights her technical authority and adds immense gravitas to the composition, proving her capability to command a listener’s absolute attention with pure tone and phrasing.
2. The "Telecommunications" Suite (Parts I, II, and III)
Spanning the core of the album, this three-part movement allows the ensemble to shift gears dynamically and temporally.
- Part I establishes the thematic motifs, with horn arrangements taking on a majestic, composed feel that flirts with chamber jazz before dissolving into free improvisation.
- Part II introduces some of the album’s most surreal textures, highlighted by an odd, almost underwater-sounding trombone solo from Doug Tielli. Tielli’s use of mutes and extended breath techniques embraces the group’s avant-garde sensibilities without sacrificing melodic integrity.
- Part III features intense percussive clatter from Nick Fraser, pushing the rhythmic envelope.
Throughout this suite, the risk of total musical anarchy is ever-present. Yet, no matter how far off the rails the sound ventures, Miller exercises masterful control, reining in the combo with precise compositional anchors before the chaos threatens to swallow the form whole.
3. "Where’s the Line"
Providing a necessary moment of atmospheric decompression, "Where’s the Line" is a languid, deliberately paced composition. It offers beautiful moments of unhurried, telepathic interplay between the rhythm section and the horns. The track is particularly notable for some truly inspired, liquid-toned bass clarinet work from Frank Gratkowski, whose mastery of multiphonics and register shifts adds an organic, almost vocal quality to the proceedings.
4. "Drummers are Bad"
Carrying a cheekily provocative title, "Drummers are Bad" offers a direct nod to the history of tongue-in-cheek jazz nomenclature while delivering serious musical execution. The track opens with an extended, refreshingly unconventional solo from Nick Fraser, subverting expectations right out of the gate. Once the rest of the band joins, the piece oscillates between long-sustained, meditative notes and fiery, aggressive bursts. Musically, this track serves as a bridge, successfully translating the edgy, intellectual free-jazz New York scene—historically populated by groups like the Lounge Lizards—into the expansive, untamed creative wilds of the Canadian contemporary scene.
Official Statements and Artistic Vision
The creative ethos driving Nicola Miller’s Living Things is rooted in a deliberate rejection of creative stagnation. Speaking on the collaborative dynamic within the quintet, the project’s members have consistently emphasized trust as the primary vehicle for their sonic explorations.
In interviews surrounding the release of SPIT!, Miller has elaborated on the title’s metaphorical weight. Beyond the visceral imagery of physical breath and saliva required to play wind instruments, "spit" represents the unvarnished, unedited expulsion of human emotion into the acoustic space. In an increasingly sanitized, digitalized world where communication is filtered through screens, algorithms, and compressed audio files, Miller’s music champions the imperfect, the immediate, and the bodily.
Frank Gratkowski, reflecting on his role as both mentor and ensemble member, has noted the rare alchemy present in Miller’s writing:
"Nicola possesses a singular vision that honors the historical lineage of creative music while completely ignoring its boundaries. It is a rare joy to step into compositions that demand both absolute intellectual focus and complete emotional abandonment."
Furthermore, the integration of rhythm section veterans D’Amato and Fraser ensures that this high-concept philosophy never drifts into cold academicism. Their rhythmic elasticity provides a pulsing, human heartbeat that grounds Miller’s abstract explorations in the foundational tradition of groove and swing, albeit heavily refracted through a contemporary lens.
Future Outlook: The Trajectory of Nicola Miller’s Living Things
As SPIT! establishes its place as one of the standout jazz releases of 2026, industry observers and fans alike are casting their gaze toward the future. The critical reception of the album cements Nicola Miller’s status not merely as a promising newcomer, but as a formidable compositional force and bandleader capable of steering the trajectory of modern creative music.
Critical Implications for the Jazz Landscape
The success of SPIT! highlights a broader shift in the contemporary jazz ecosystem. Audiences are increasingly fatigued by safe, overly nostalgic retro-swing acts, craving instead music that reflects the complexity, anxiety, and dynamism of modern life. By channeling these themes through the conceptual lens of telecommunication and digital transmission, Miller has positioned her work at the intersection of art, philosophy, and sociology.
What Lies Ahead?
Looking forward, the primary question for followers of Nicola Miller’s Living Things is whether this specific quintet will maintain its collaborative configuration for subsequent projects. The telepathic interplay demonstrated across SPIT! suggests an ensemble operating at the absolute peak of its powers—a chemistry that cannot be easily manufactured in ad-hoc studio settings.
Plans for live touring in support of SPIT! are anticipated to showcase the ensemble’s legendary improvisational fluidity on international stages, bringing their brand of controlled chaos to festival audiences worldwide. If the leap from the 2024 debut Living Things to this masterclass in avant-garde composition is any indication of Miller’s creative velocity, the future of her musical journey promises to be nothing short of breathtaking.
For now, listeners are left with an album that demands endless repeat listens—a thrilling, boundary-smashing testament to the power of acoustic human connection. One cannot help but cross their fingers and hope that Nicola Miller’s Living Things will continue to broadcast their vital, spiritual message for a long, long time.
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