Fretting for Fun

You won’t hear Mike Miller complain about his career.

The guitarist has toured with jazz giant Chick Corea; he and his wife, performer-writer Sandra Tsing Loh, have written and performed soundtracks for Oscar winner Jessica Yu’s documentaries “Breathing Lessons” and “The Living Museum”; and he’s a member of Banned From Utopia, a group that plays Frank Zappa’s music.

Still, Miller would like to spend more time exploring his varied original compositions with intrigued colleagues.

A series of Wednesday nights at the Baked Potato in North Hollywood should help. On Wednesday, Miller will appear with keyboardist Dave Witham, bassist Jimmy Johnson and drummer Joel Taylor. On Feb. 17, Miller will perform with Johnson and drummer Tom Brechtlein.

Miller, Johnson and drummer Ralph Humphrey will appear Feb. 24.

Miller writes all kinds of music, so expect almost anything, he said. “Some are blues tunes, others are weird and angular . . . with a dreamy quality, some are R & B,” said Miller, a Van Nuys resident.

These tunes aren’t necessarily a melange of styles. “I like to keep the different elements separate, using them as colors rather than mix everything together all the time,” he said.

Playing his music live is essential to Miller. “The musicians give me a lot of ideas,” he said. “The more we play the material, the more it takes shape.”

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BE THERE

* Mike Miller plays Wednesday (and Feb. 17 and 24), 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., at the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood. $10 cover, two drink minimum. Information: (818) 980-1615.

FRESH SOUND: Bass ace Dave Carpenter enjoys the openness of just playing with saxophone and drums, but he’s been looking for an instrument other than his usual acoustic bass for the job. His choice: the six-string electric bass. “With the electric, I can get a Hammond B-3 organ sound, playing chords and walking lines at the same time,” said Carpenter, who has just recorded with former Police guitarist Andy Summers.

* Carpenter, current Corea saxophonist Bob Sheppard and drummer Dave Weckl--a former Corea sideman--will perform Tuesday, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., at Rocco (2930 Beverly Glen Circle, Bel-Air; no cover, no minimum; (310) 475-9807).

LOCAL HERO: Ex-Woody Herman and “Tonight Show” trumpeter Sal Marquez, whose subtle, detailed playing moves listeners, is a top-drawer jazz musician. His warm sound, often sweetly colored by the use of a mute, makes his well-chosen notes even more pleasurable. Marquez puts a personal spin on chestnuts such as “You Go to My Head” and jazz classics like “Four.”

* Marquez will appear Thursday at 10 p.m., at Rocco Bel-Air, with a grand crew: saxophonist Doug Webb, pianist Theo Saunders, bassist Tony Dumas and drummer John Guerin.

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Zan Stewart writes about jazz for the Valley Edition. He can be reached at zansky@aol.com.