"Not having had the benefit of any prior exposure to Jane's music, what first interested me in this CD when it appeared in the GMJM office was the cover.  Here's a female guitarist with the de riguere archtop, hmm?  I gravitate towards the electric acoustic sound.  Was this only a staged publicity photo, I wondered?  Was it a visual statement of credibility from a member of the under-represented, under-promoted female jazz musician community?  Had she paid the requisite dues?  I then opened the jewel case to see a photo of a small child, looking into the pocket of their jean overalls.  This child appears many times in other poses throughout the liner notes looking or placing things in different pockets, ergo the 'Secret Pockets' title.  In a visual sense I was immediately drawn in and then the audio delivered a subtle and sensitive repertoire of nine classics and two originals by Jane, which answered my questions unequivocally. And upon many replays I continue to find little gems of musicianship to savor inside its' secret pockets.Jane has played for close to twenty years, beginning with her education at Berklee College of Music, where she currently resides as a faculty member in high demand.  She also became a close friend of Emily Remler (my favorite guitarist with attitude,past tense!) who mentored her early in her career.  Jane has played around the New England area with her accompanists, bassist Bob Simonelli and drummer Don Kirby, for almost as long.This music evidences their long partnership.  There is an intuitive, right brained sense between all three, where the interplay and supporting lines belie having played many dates together.  All nine classics are inventive but recognizable departures from the originals.  I especially enjoyed the group's intros and endings, which are usually the bane of performance etiquette.Summertime" opens the set and is disguised, until the head, because of the unique drum and bass part which reappears later in the tune.  Jane's spacious and open chord voicings and solos leave ample room for constant interchange between the three and her melodic devices frequently outline this famous melody.  The trio also performs 'Body and Soul' in a Bossa context.  What a welcome remake of this pensive standard which has become one of many guitarist's SAT's.  Another of my favorites is 'The Days of Wine and Roses’ which is taken up tempo and demonstrates the trio's ability to 'swing hard and take no prisoners’. The best cuts are Jane's two originals, ‘Amigo’, and 'Secret Pockets’.  The measure of any musical composition is its ability to stay with you.  I found myself singing these melodies constantly as I went about my daily mundane tasks.  "Amigo" brings on board Jay Ashby on trombone and Bill O'Connell on piano.  Jay's haunting and melancholic extension of Jane's melody line launches one back to memories of love affairs dissolving, as one walks away with thoughts of what might have been, but also with the solace and optimism that new adventures await around the bend.  On 'Secret Pockets', Jane's last straight ahead chorus builds to a crescendo and then Bill O'Connell follows with his own legato improvisational restatement of the head.  Both originals are elegant and sophisticated compositions, not just a series of changes which the musicians blow over.Her chord melodies and solo lines continue throughout the eleven tunes which also include 'Pebble Beach’,  'Waltz New' (Jim Hall), ‘Footprints’, 'Dolphin Dance’, 'Stella by Starlight’, and 'Blue in Green’. Her style is an easy listen and allows for synergistic artistry by the other members of the group.The liner notes say that Jane started performing as a folk guitarist, which further explains her unselfish and supportive style and her gravitation to the archtop as her performance instrument.  This is a brilliantly composed, arranged, and performed assemblage of styles and content which teases you into listening for what's inside the next pocket. 'Secret Pockets' demonstrates that Jane Miller's playing is 'in the pocket' and it should be on everyone's CD rack.”

- Ernie Pugliese, Green Mountain Jazz Messenger

"...What a beautiful line-up of tunes with such brilliant treatment.  Jane Miller immediately won me over.. Be assured we're playing it here in Texas and Arkansas.”

- Jerry Atkins, KTXK Radio, Texarkana, TX

"..a joyful journey built on eloquent phrasing and imaginative arrangements.  She is a graceful performer with a calm presence in contrast to the player who seems to push the envelope both technically and musically.” 

- Richard Fox, WCUW radio, Worcester, MA

"...lots of music for the instrumentation.”

- Buddy Moreno, WSIE radio, St. Louis, MO

"Boston based Jane Miller, brand new to these ears, is a member of the faculty at the Berklee School of Music who plays a warm, vibrant guitar in the manner of a Jimmy Raney, Billy Bauer or Jim Hall (one of whose compositions, the digitally challenging 'Waltz New’, is included on her second recording, 'Secret Pockets'). As (I'm ashamed to say) most mainstream guitarists sound pretty much the same to me, the choice of music is of great interest, and Miller's choices are consistently rewarding. They encompass two of her own compositions, the insouciant ‘Amigo' and softly rockin' 'Secret Pockets’, jazz originals by Vince Guaraldi ('Pebble Beach'), Wayne Shorter (‘Footprints'), Herbie Hancock ('Dolphin Dance') and Miles Davis/Bill Evans ('Blue in Green') alongside the standards ‘Summertime' (whose natural warmth is enlivened by African rhythms), 'Body and Soul’, 'Stella by Starlight’, and a delightful uptempo reading of Henry Mancini's 'Days of Wine and Roses’. To add color and variety, trombonist Jay Ashby joins the trio on ‘Amigo' and adds percussion on 'Body and Soul’, while pianist Bill O'Connell sits in on ‘Amigo’, 'Days of Wine and Roses’, and 'Secret Pockets’. The finale, 'Blue in Green’, is a soft-flowing duo by Miller and bassist Simonelli (who is resolute throughout, as is drummer Kirby). This is an admirable trio date, and further convincing evidence that there's a wealth of unrecognized talent abiding in almost every nook and cranny in this wonderful country we call home."

- Jack Bowers, All About Jazz