About Me

      Currently working as composer/producer for Milomon Studio in Los Angeles and music director/keyboardist for Joe Cocker. If you are interested in music production, composing and arranging for scores and songwriting, please contact me. Joe will be touring in July and August 2012 Stateside. (Please see Calendar page.)


Started with Joe in 2001.
http://www.cocker.com/us/home Joe tours extensively in Europe, Russia, Australia & New Zealand, the United States & Canada, Northern and South Africa, and earlier this year in South America. Keyboards for Tower of Power, 1988—1999, recording, touring and writing. '86-'87 in the illustrious Bonnie Hayes's band. http://www.bonniehayes.com/main.html And prior to that, two years touring with Maria Muldaur, who took me to Europe for the first time and sat me at the Steinway at Ronnie Scott's in London for two weeks at a time, two shows a night. Stories to come... (My early days with Tower, doing two shows a night, five nights at a time at the now gone, Bottom Line on 4th and Mercer in New York City with the likes of comedians, and still unknown, Chris Rock or the One-and-Only Bill Hicks, opening each show!...)


      Graduated in Music Composition, University of Illinois, Bachelor of Fine Arts, cum laude, minor in Ethnomusicology. Worked with the Martha Graham and Jose Limon Dance Companies and had an original score commissioned by the Mary Anthony Dance Company in New York. 
Was on staff at San Francisco State University, 1980-88 as accompanist and composer for the dance department under Nontsizi Cayou who established the first accredited Afro-Haitian dance curriculum. 


     Nick composed for various television gigs over the years including series composer for "Cinema Secrets" (AMC, 2002) and film scores for Discovery Channel, including "Rites of Passage", Gabriel Films in collaboration with Marco Franzoni.  Worked with Mike Melvoin as his assistant and collaborator on various shows in the '90s and early 2000s, a highlight in his education and inspiration, including "CBS 50th Anniversary Special" and episodes of "Early Edition".


     Started playing the piano in earnest at age four by learning "Alley Cat" and "The Pink Panther". Been a fan of Henry Mancini ever since. Started composing at age ten. McCoy and Chopin, Chick and Lizst, Herbie and Bach. Figured out he could speed things up and skipped the last year of high school upon acceptance at the university in composition. "Funny how as I get older, I wish I could slow things down."


Nick writes:

Life is Music

Music manifests universally in Nature.

Harmony and dissonance,

rhythm and breath,

melody and accompaniment

realize the Interactions

of physical elements, 

social ties

and emotional paths.

 

Life's activities rest in musical currents—

ordinary, like work songs and lullabies,

or extraordinary, like multi-media orchestrations 

for film or dance theater.

 

Music is Action.

The Rock&Roll requiring intention from the body.

Music is Thought.

The Symphony conveying architectural meaning.

Music is Emotion.

The Blues of Primal Vibratory Force.

 

Music soulfully achieved can reveal

an underlying unity.

 

Music for music.

Music for film.

Music for dance.

Music for work.

Music for play.

Music for contemplation.

 

For me, Life is Music.

 -Nick Milo