13 QUESTION METHOD: SAM MILTICH

Samuel "Sammo" Paul Miltich was born on March 12, 1985. He grew up in Northern Minnesota and has lived there his whole life. His entire family is musical. Family gatherings in the Miltich home consist of family members and friends sitting in a circle playing and singing. Sam began showing his musical aptitude at an early age — first with the piano, later playing bass and tuba for school bands.
At age 14 Sam began to study the guitar seriously. When he was 15, Sam heard the music of Django Reinhardt for the first time. He knew then that he would dedicate his life to the music of the great gypsy-jazz guitarist and the art of the gypsy-jazz guitar. Sam's mentor is Paul “Pazzo” Mehling of the Hot Club of San Francisco. Paul gave Sam a Maurice DuPont guitar after the two met in San Francisco. Sam has played in and around the state of Minnesota, as well as around the world.

1. Which was the first record you bought with your own money?
I think it was Gorilla, by James Taylor.

2. Which was the last record you bought with your own money?
The Cats and the Fiddle — That Killin' Jive.

3. What was the first solo you learned from a record — and can you still play it?
"I'll See You in My Dreams" by Django Reinhardt — and still I play it every gig.

4. Which recording of your own (or as a sideman) are you most proud of, and why?
As a leader, May Rain by Sam Mltich and the Clearwater Hot Club. It was my second self-produced album, and I am proud of it because of the whole process — picking songs, practicing them, getting the musicians together, making honest decisions in the studio, keeping only the best, throwing stuff out, editing, making the finances work, and in the end creating. I have always felt no regret whatsoever, and am proud of every note I played and every decision I made.
As a sideman, most definitely The Hot Club of San Francisco’s Postcards from Gypsyland, because throughout the whole session — from the musicians, to the producer, to the engineers — there was nothing but pure musicality. We all strived for that goal, I believe we reached it.

5. What's the difference between playing live and playing in a studio?
I find that in live performance almost anything can happen, and if you loosen up the "chains" and become open to "mistakes," that’s when some of the most interesting and hippest moments happen — especially in a ensemble setting. I both fear and love that feeling of playing on the edge, because you know you might just fall off. But, man, when you are soloing and you can ride that thin line, and pull it all back together at the end — Jesus, what a high!
In the studio, I find myself listening to every minor detail. The squeaks, the scratches, the fretboard noise. So I find it hard to really hear the music. I need a day or two away from it to really decide if a take is worthy, unless you know — and we all know — when something just doesn't fly. However, listening to the those details really helps you grow also.
I think Louis Armstrong really figured out in the early days of recording that if you record yourself you become immortal. You’d better make sure that when people are listening long after you’re gone that you left something great behind. I try to record music that is timeless — music that could be listened to 100 years down the line and still touch people’s hearts.

6. What's the difference between a good gig and a bad gig?
How many girls are in the audience. Ok, that’s only half the truth! A good gig is when you are playing for just the sake of the music. It shouldn't matter if you have one person in the audience or ten thousand.
A bad gig is when I become too self-conscious and can't dig my own playing in that given moment. I guess it’s that thing of truly concentrating and putting every fiber of your being into the music.

7. What's the difference between a good guitar and a bad guitar?
A good guitar has good tone, and stays in tune. Also, I think a guitar needs to be played a lot before it gets its true character. Especially acoustic guitars. If it’s well crafted by a luthier, that determines a lot too. But, then again, Willie Nelson digs his ax! In the end, all that matters is if you can make it sing.

8. You play electric and acoustic. Do you approach the two differently?
Yes. It’s all in the right hand. Your tone on an acoustic guitar absolutely depends on your right hand technique. I always feel that if you don't have your right hand together, you might as well chop your left hand off, because no one will be able to hear it anyway!
I find with electric, I tend to play faster, just because I can. Don't know if that’s is a good thing though!

9. Do you sound more like yourself on acoustic or electric?
I approach the instruments differently, and I think I have two voices. I play more acoustic, so people would probably recognize that more as "my sound."

10. Do you sound like yourself on other people's guitars?
Not as much. I find that I play my best on my Maurice DuPont guitars. I just am so used to it, I am not as conscious of the guitar. When I am not so conscious about the guitar, I am more conscious about the music.

11. Which living artist (music, or other arts) would you like to collaborate with?
Evan Price. He is the shit. He is the best jazz violinist I have ever heard, and I always feel that when I am playing with him we are coming at the music from a similar place. I get to play with him in the HCSF, but I also dream of doing a record with him where I get to be the lead guitarist and band leader.
Beyond music, maybe Stanley Tucci or Woody Allen. I would love to do a Django/New Orleans thing with Woody in one of his movies! Or maybe do a Hot Club/trad-jazz score for a Stan Tucci comedy!

12. What dead artist (music, or other arts) would you like to have collaborated with?
Lester Young, or Django Reinhardt — though I think I wouldn't want to as much with Django, because I would be so intimidated by him that I couldn't play my best.

13. What's your latest project about?
I am dreaming of two records I want to do. One, I want to do a solo acoustic-guitar record. Solo pieces by Django, and contemporary gypsy guitarists, also pieces by Carl Kress, Oscar Aleman, and Garoto. Such soulful music that comes out of a solo guitar. I want to do a gypsy-jazz album with two kick-butt rhythm guitarists, Ari Munkres on bass, and then have Clint Baker play trumpet, have Evan Price and Olivier Manchon play violin, and have singer Regina Pontillo sing on it.
I also want to record duets, à la Kress/McDonough, with Paul Mehling. I wouldn't want to do just the standard gypsy-jazz repertoire. We’d do stuff that would fit into the repertoire, like a Hot Club-style arrangement of "Tickle Toe" by the Basie band, maybe some Sydney Bechet tunes — "Georgia Cabin" perhaps — maybe do some gypsy jazz standards, some Brazilian choros in a gypsy-jazz style, maybe some Oscar Aleman stuff with those crazy string arrangments, and maybe do a Django tune as a tango. Something nutty! I would try and stay true to the style, but do something different then all the standard tunes that just seem to get redone ad nauseam. But this is all just a dream, not a latest project — something I hope to be an upcoming project!

Web site: http://www.clearwaterhotclub.com/