All of the tracks on "Vocation" are written, performed, and produced by Charlie Miller. On this album Charlie plays piano, electric piano, synthesizer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, trumpet, bass and drum samples, and sound effects. Charlie Miller has recently entered the music arena again after taking a 15 year sabbatical. He started playing music early in life under the tutelage of his mother who provided much inspiration and instruction in trumpet, piano, theory and classical music history. He studied music throughout his childhood and began performing professionally in high school and college with various classical, jazz, rock, and swingband groups. After completing a degree in music, Charlie set out for New York City. While living in Greenwich Village in the early 1990's, Charlie explored the jazz scene with his trumpet. He eventually moved back to Denver where he pursued a career in the high-tech industry. Charlie now has the freedom to work on developing the vision of music that he initially set out to create. He enjoys creating original music that is a mix of the various influences picked up over the years.... jazz, experimental, rock, classical, blues, folk, etc. His current focus is on putting together an improvisational group that will showcase an eclectic approach to jazz in the 21'st century. How to describe this music? You will have to be the judge. Charlie's compositional style is heavily influenced by Karlheinz Stockhausen and other 20th century composers who promoted sonic organization through aleatory and serialist means (Glass, Schoenberg, Stravinsky's late period, etc.). Although this describes his compositional methods, he is primarily focused on displaying his jazz and rock influences (Miles, Herbbie, Monk, Coltrane, Coleman, Hendrix). Regardless of what you might hear within this work and what you might think parts of it "sound like", Charlie hopes that above all this work holds something unique in that it is his own expression of his favorite idioms. A final comment by Charlie on the album art: "This is a sketch by my father, Terry J. Miller. He drew this after having brain tumor surgery in 1977. It represents (for me) the struggle that he went through during that time as well as the difficulty he has had with his physical and mental condition since. My dad has had quite a difficult time this past year with the passing of my mother, Linda E. Miller. This album is dedicated to both of my parents. They both showed me what it is to embrace one's vocation in life; The bad along with the good are both a part of it. Our vocation is what God calls us all to be and it is up to each of us to recognize this, embrace it, and give yourself over to it. This album is a musical interpretation of my own vocation. I hope you enjoy listening to it."