Sam Miltich is a jazz guitarist born and raised in the woods of northern Minnesota. He is a musician by profession and plays regularly in the Upper Midwest as a soloist and with his bands the Clearwater Hot Club and Big Dipper Jazz Band. In addition to gypsy swing and traditional jazz his musical interests include bluegrass, Brazilian choro, French musette, tamburitza, and other forms of traditional folk music.
While Sam was growing up, music was always a part of the gatherings of his large extended family. At age fourteen he began playing folk and bluegrass guitar. He'd been playing piano since age four when his favorite musicians were Duke Ellington and George Gershwin, but in guitar he found his true passion. At a screening of Woody Allen's movie "Sweet and Lowdown," Sam heard the music of the late gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt for the first time. The combination of acoustic instruments, driving rhythm, and the swing feel sounded like a melding of his favorite genres of music into one. Sam decided to dedicate himself to the study of gypsy jazz. By the time he was eighteen he was touring with the Robin Nolan Trio in the U.S. and Europe. He would later join the Hot Club of San Francisco for two years before starting his own band, the Clearwater Hot Club. In 2010, he fulfilled a dream he’d had since he was five years old and started the Big Dipper Jazz Band -- a traditional six-piece jazz band.
In addition to promoting his bands, Sam is always seeking out new musical connections. His recent musical collaborators have included mandolin virtuoso Peter Ostroushko, legendary Twin Cities saxophonist Dave Karr, and Dutch jazz violinist Tim Kliphuis.
Sam continues to live in northern Minnesota where he gardens, hunts, and roots for the Minnesota Twins.
Family HistorySam's paternal great-grandfather Andro Miletic was born in Dalmatia in 1887. In 1904 he emigrated to the United States. He worked in the iron mines of Virginia, Minnesota, and married Mary Papa, also from Dalmatia. In 1922 he moved his wife and 9 children back to Dalmatia. However, the family was unable to support themselves so they returned to Minnesota. Sam's grandfather Matthew Miltich (the spelling of their name was changed) studied at the Univeristy of Minnesota and eventually opened a jewelry shop in Grand Rapids, MN. He and his wife Jean raised 10 children. The oldest boy, Matthew, is Sam's father and the bass player in his band.
DiscographyNote: All CDs may be purchased via PayPal at
www.sammiltich.com.
Links to additional purchase options below.
Louisiana Fairy Tale (
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/louisiana-fairy-tale/id353006519?uo=4) (
CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/clearwatertimk)
Darn That Dream (
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/darn-that-dream/id312979408?uo=4) (
CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/militchkarr)
Just You, Just Me (
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/just-you-just-me/id299966237?uo=4) (
CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/clearwater4)
Some of These Days (
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/some-of-these-days/id295008409?uo=4) (
CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/clearwater3)
May Rain (
CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/clearwater2)
Contact and BookingSam Miltich
326 NE 8th Street
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
218-326-2046 (h)
218-244-4089 (c)
sammiltich@gmail.com
Formatted for CROWN by Marko Puljić
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