Mark Arthur Miller
Soul Searching: The Motown Story You’ve Never Heard
Catalina Jazz Club, Hollywood, CA, April 30, 2023
Reviewed by Clifford Bell
Mark Arthur Miller’s sizzling-hot concert experience, Soul Searching: The Motown Story You’ve Never Heard, arrived at Los Angeles’ premiere showroom, Catalina Jazz Club, as though it had been touring in Europe for six months and was heading to its Las Vegas residency. At first glance, the show was a Motown-inspired jukebox revue featuring a cavalcade of classics from the Golden Age of the hit factory. Closer examination revealed that it was a deeply personal story of a man’s coming to terms with the legacy of his largely absent father, who had cast an enormous shadow as one of the most prolific and admired songwriters of all time. Ron Miller, Mark’s father, in addition to having the distinction of being the first white songwriter to work at Motown, gave the world a mile-long list of enduring standards, including “For Once in My Life,” “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday,” “Touch Me in the Morning,” “Heaven Help Us All,” and “I’ve Never Been to Me” to name just a few.
What do you do when the father that you never knew during your childhood was a larger-than-life, certified creative genius who was also a hard-living, chaos-generating whirlwind? Miller’s solution was to create a larger-than-life vehicle of showstoppers that paid tribute to his father’s musical accomplishments and provided an insight into the complicated man behind the music. Framing the show with his life-long love of R&B music, Miller told the story of his growing up on the South Side of Chicago listening to crowd-pleasers such as “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “My Girl”/“Just My Imagination,” “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” and “Tracks of My Tears.” He also spoke of the powerful influence that The Temptations, Otis Redding, and Smokey Robinson had on his life.
While Mark Miller was a young teen, serendipity rather than intention brought his father back into his life. As fate would have it, he ended up living with his beyond-colorful father in Los Angeles and becoming a part of a world that included Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and all of his childhood heroes. Although the story took a few poignant twists and turns as he told about his unpredictable father, Miller kept the evening fast paced and vibrant and delivered soulful performances of hit after hit after hit. He filled the stage with an army of musicians: Josh Lopez on guitar, Jermone Randall on bass, Channing Cook Holmes on drums, Wes Smith on sax, and William Artope on trumpet. He also featured two gorgeous side vocalists, Kitten Kuroi and Jamila Ford in an homage to the ladies of Motown, and he gave each a spotlight in two duets–”Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” (Jamila) and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (Kitten). Each one tore the house down during their moments to shine.
Miller’s secret weapon in conceiving and executing the epic tour-de-force performance was his music director Peter Smith. The project began as a debut CD that the two co- produced, (also titled Soul Searching) and then morphed into a full-blown stage show. Smith’s fingerprints were on every aspect of the production, from collaborating with Miller on the extraordinary arrangements to conducting the wall-of-sound eight-piece band to participating in the intricate vocal harmonies and providing masterful accompaniment on both grand piano and electronic keyboards.
For me, the climax of the evening, both musically and theatrically, was Miller’s soul-stirring rendition of “God Bless the Child.” Not only was it a uniquely thrilling arrangement, but on a somewhat mystical level, the message seemed to be “honor thy father, but God bless the child that’s got his own.” Mark Arthur Miller does indeed seem to have his own. He possesses a sexy, rugged masculinity, stylish dance moves, and an exquisite, textured and distinctive singing voice. He has also followed in the footsteps of his famous father’s songwriting legacy by writing, with Peter Smith, two originals: “87th & King” and “I Don’t Have the Time.” Both were highlights of the show. If the theme of this show was “Soul Searching,” I think Miller has found the “soul” he was searching for, on so many levels.
The evening was directed by the critically acclaimed Glenn Casale. The lights and sound were beautifully designed by Paul Pegas, and the slick production values were supported by a fun visual slide presentation operated by Vanessa Smith. Miller ended the show with a moving dedication to Duane Poole, his close friend who had passed away three weeks previously. He was an accomplished writer for TV, film, and the stage, and Mark told us he had made invaluable contributions to the content and structure of the show.
