History
I was only eight years of age when I first met John Miller. Becoming an avid fan of Glenn Miller and his music, I remember my mum coming home from work with a newspaper cutting of a concert to be given by the Herb Miller Orchestra - playing the music of Glenn Miller - at The Embassy Theatre, Skegness.
Thrilled at the prospect of seeing a big band live, it's fair to say that I was in my element at the thought I might meet a living relative of Glenn Miller!
After the concert had finished and the audience were wending their way out of the theatre, I vividly remember John stood on the steps of the theatre, hands on hips, looking at me and beckoning me over to him. With a firm hand shake, John asked me: "Hey kid! Do you play an instrument?" Nervously (and completely star-struck) I replied: "No...but I want to play trombone like your uncle Glenn!"
From this moment, little did I realise that it was to be the start of a friendship that lasted over 30 years.
After seeing that concert in Easter 1991, I went to school the next week and demanded the music teacher to teach me the trombone. There were no trombones available and I was offered the choice to play either euphonium or trumpet. Not happy with this (as Glenn didn't play either), the school managed to find an old trombone for me to start lessons.
The school didn't have a specialist brass teacher. The music teacher who I remember to this day - Ian Otley - was a saxophone player, but he agreed to learn enough of the instrument to be able to teach me. Weekly trombone lessons began for me, and I soon joined the local brass band as well as a small dance band in Nottingham playing Jimmy Lally arrangements! Forever inpatient I wasn't too happy with this as I wanted to be playing the music of Glenn Miller. One of the members of the band advised me that it was probably a big band I needed to join rather than a small dance band.
A year after or so learning this battered trombone, my music teacher entered me for my ABRSM grade 5 exam and after passing with flying colours, my dad bought me a brand new trombone as it was clear to him that my "fad" was obviously becoming something serious.
I was, of course, a fully paid-up member of the Glenn Miller Society in London. They'd have meetings every few months and I was lucky to be able to attend some of their meetings. My mum took me down one Sunday afternoon, and who should walk through the door, but John Miller.
John remembered me from the concert and asked me how I was doing. On a folded up napkin - complete with his coffee stain - he scribbled down his address. The next day I wrote to him, and you can imagine how excited I was when he'd called me to speak to me. We had a good chat on the 'phone - I probably made very little sense feeling star-struck yet again - and a few days later, he sent to me an old trombone stand that belonged to none other than his dad, Herb Miller. I still have it to this day proudly in my office.
The Herb Miller Orchestra were to appear in concert again, only this time on the doorstep at the DeMontfort Hall in Leicestershire. I remember going backstage to ask for John and he spent some time with me. It was the first time I got to meet the musicians from the band and now John knew that I had started playing trombone. He made it clear that he never wanted to see me at any of his concerts without my trombone!
Following "orders" from John, the next time I was to see the band was only a few months later, this time at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham. With trombone firmly in hand, I met with John backstage again. John asked: "Do you know 'Tuxedo Junction'?" "Yes!" I replied. "Well, when the trombones do the walk-about in the theatre, tag along on the back and join them!" At this stage of learning trombone, I didn't own any mutes to be able to play the 'doo-wah' sound, so John found me an old plastic cup, disregarded the coffee dregs and voila! I had a perfect plunger to do the job!
After leaving school I went on to attend the local sixth-form college in Nottingham to study A-Level Music. In any spare time I had, I would be travelling the length and breadth of the country to spend time with John and the band. I was in contact with John regularly, chatting the hours away on the 'phone about anything to do with music, Glenn Miller or life! John would always encourage me and ask how the music studies were going and what bands or ensembles I had been playing with. One of the best pieces of advice that he ever gave me to do with trombone playing was: "Every note is a song". Whenever I turned up to see the band in concert I would always be there playing trombone, joining the trombone section on what was called "The Tuxedo Walk-about". By the age of 16 I was proudly lead trombone with a local big band in Nottingham, as well as principle trombone with the local youth orchestra. I was doing gigs most weekends with the big band and was lucky enough to earn a few quid in the process!
In 2002 I was offered a place as an undergraduate to study trombone at one of the country's music conservatoires: the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. In my first year of study I was awarded the "Stan Barker Memorial Prize" for jazz improvisation and playing in the RNCM Big Band. Although I was now well on the road to becoming a professional full-time trombonist, I was still making time to see John and the band. The 'phone calls between John and me were still regular and every Sunday evening we'd chat. I'd always be asking about the band and for me, the band still had a special place in my heart. It was still magical. John also told me that he'd renamed the band: it was now the John Miller Orchestra.
While still in my first year of music college, John called me at the usual time one Sunday evening and asked me to cover for a trombonist who wasn't able to make one of the concerts. Of course, I was there, and from then on I was playing with the band regularly as well as studying music full-time at college.
John and me were spending more and more time together on the road travelling the length and breadth of the country, as well as concerts overseas. I remember when I met John's mum - Glenn's sister-in-law - and would sit and listen to many stories about Glenn and Herb. One particular occasion stands out, and that was reading the last letter Glenn Miller sent to Herb before he went missing in 1944.
John and the band still meant so much to me of course, and with the ever evolving digital age John asked me to build and maintain the band's website as well as social media pages. I was also asked to re-write parts of the music that had been well-worn on the road to preserve the band's library.
In 2004 John encouraged me to form my own big band, and it consisted of my fellow colleagues at music college. John gave me a small library of music to start me off, and more often than not, John would end a call with: "Watch the post!" I knew what it meant: another big band score was on the way to add to my library!
I graduated in 2006 from the Royal Northern College of Music with a BMus (Hons) degree. I had studied not only tenor trombone but also bass trombone at the college's request. I once asked John if I should learn bass as well as tenor, and of course, John was more than encouraging. He even used to ask me to play bass as well as tenor trombone in his band. Some of the most notably places I've played with John and the band is Guernsey, Blenheim Palace and the China Tang Restaurant for the Chinese New Year. I was lucky to meet Sarah Ferguson (the Duchess of York), Michael Caine, and Jools Holland who also turned out to be a good friend of John's.
While John was not only instrumental in developing and encouraging my career, I was lucky to meet so many musicians who played with the Herb Miller Orchestra. When I graduated I was already known by musicians in the field I wanted to work in. I became close friends with several members of the band including trombonist Ric Kennedy who had worked with the Ted Heath band. Through him I was lucky to meet trombonist Don Lusher, OBE. You can imagine John's delight for me when I said I spent my 18th birthday with him. But that's another story...
During the early hours of the 11th June 2021 I was woken to be told the news that my mentor, teacher, life-coach, but above all, friend, had passed away. It was - and still is - like a nightmare that you never wake up from. I felt numb and for some time, lost. Words can't express how 'painful' it feels that at 6pm on a Sunday evening my 'phone won't light up and the call I always looked forward to won't be there.
A day after John's passing I received an envelope in the mail. It was from John. Confused, I read the letter that he'd obviously written when he knew his time on earth was coming to an end. It simply read:
"Sorry guy, this is as far as I can go. I always knew where the real talent was. It's been a pleasure".
I have a huge amount to thank John for. I have been lucky to have worked with many of the country's professional big bands and still continue to do so to this day. I have been lucky to have travelled the length and breadth of the country playing my trombone, as well as overseas, in many different musical genres. Through music, I've made so many friends I'm proud to call my colleagues.
A few months after John's passing I received a letter from John's solicitor. While still very much trying to come to terms with the loss, I was 'floored' yet again by its contents. The letter was very specific in that John wished to bequeath me quite a few items in relation to the John Miller Orchestra.
With the letter was an itemised list - that amongst many other things - clearly outlines that John has left in my hands the exclusive rights to use the Herb Miller Orchestra and John Miller Orchestra names, the orchestra music library, as well as naming me the owner of the orchestra's recordings. I feel it an insurmountable honour and even to this day, one that I still feel immensely proud.
I still miss John of course. I still miss our chats, but, life has to go on. I hope that I can, in some way, make John proud and carry forward all that he's left me, and carry the orchestra on as he wished.
I know what he'd say if he were here: "Peachy".
"I have known young Pearce since he was a lad. In an amazingly short time he has reached a high professional standard. How high I hear you ask? High enough that I gladly pay for his services in the John Miller Orchestra..."