Marcus Miller

Marcus Miller, winner of the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album of 2001, was born in Brooklyn in 1959 and raised in Jamaica, New York. He came from a musical family and was influenced early on by his father, a church organist and choir director, as well as his musical extended family (which included the extraordinary Wynton Kelly, jazz pianist for Miles Davis during the late fifties and early sixties!). He displayed an early affinity for all types of music. By the age of thirteen he was already proficient on the clarinet, piano, and bass guitar and had begun composing music. The bass guitar, however, was his love and by the age of fifteen, he was working regularly in New York City with various bands. Soon thereafter, he was playing bass and writing music for flutist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith

Miller spent the next few years as a top call New York studio musician, working with Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Grover Washington Jr., Bob James and David Sanborn, among others. He has appeared as a bassist on over 400 records including recordings by artists as diverse as Joe Sample, McCoy Tyner, Mariah Carey, Bill Withers, Elton John, Bryan Ferry, Frank Sinatra, and LL Cool J.

In 1981, he joined his boyhood idol Miles Davis and spent two years on the road with the fabled jazzman. "He didn't settle for anything mediocre," Miller recalls. "And this helped me develop my style. I learned from him that you have to be honest about who you are and what you do. If you follow that, you won't have problems."

Miller subsequently turned his attention to producing, his first major production being David Sanborn's Voyeur, which earned Sanborn a Grammy and turned out to be the beginning of a career-long partnership with the alto saxman. Miller later produced various other top selling albums for Sanborn, including Close Up, Upfront, and 2000 Grammy winner Inside.

For more than twenty years, Miller has also enjoyed a musical relationship with R&B legend, Luther Vandross. "We met in 79 in Roberta Flack's band and instantly connected because we were both so serious about music," Miller recalls. Over the years, Miller has contributed countless hits to Vandross repertoire both as a producer and writer. Those songs include "Till My Baby Comes Home," "It's Over Now," "Any Love," "I m Only Human," and "The Power of Love," which won the 1991 Grammy for R&B Song of the Year.

In 1986, Miller collaborated again with Miles Davis, producing the landmark Tutu album, the first of three Davis albums he would produce. He has also produced Al Jarreau, the Crusaders, Wayne Shorter, Take 6, Chaka Khan, and Kenny Garrett among others, and Luther Vandross.

After spending many years as a producer and session musician, Miller focused on his solo career in late 1993 with the release of The Sun Don't Lie. 1995's Tales found Miller re-imagining the landscape of Black music and its evolution over the past three decades. After years of touring and in response to Miller fans pleas, Live & More was released in 1997.

M2 ("M-squared"), his first release of the new millennium, won the 2001 Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album and was selected by Jazziz as one of the 10 Best CDs of the Year. 3 Deuces Records now debuts The Ozell Tapes: The Official Bootleg, a live double CD. The Ozell Tapes is Miller's compilation of the best of his 2002 tour dates. It's raw, unadulterated, pure funk as only Marcus can do it.

In the past several years, Miller has also turned his attention to film scoring, composing for House Party (Martin Lawrence), Boomerang (Eddie Murphy and Halle Berry), Siesta (Ellen Barkin), Ladies' Man (Tim Meadows), and The Brothers (Morris Chestnut and D.L. Hughley) and Deliver Us From Eva (LL Cool J). He wrote and produced the old school hit, "Da Butt" for Spike Lee's School Daze soundtrack. Miller further surprised people by composing and performing the score to E.B. White's The Trumpet of the Swan. "I loved getting the opportunity to use jazz to tell a story to kids. Children have much more sophisticated ears than people give them credit for. You really don't have to play down to them. Just keep the music real."

Whether he's making music for kids or longtime fans, keeping it real is the criteria that steers all of Marcus Miller's music. "I like to keep things balanced, combining R&B, jazz, funk and movie stuff to help reflect what's happening in our world. I just try to keep challenging myself to continue to grow and get better."
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Revenge of the Son of Rule of 3

by Patrick Burnette
October 31, 2024

Podcast 301 picks up where 300 left off, looking at albums from 1993, 2003, 2013, and 2023. Jazz trends get a little harder to pick out once the new millennium begins, but at least our 1990's selection is REALLY 1990's, right down to the haircut and clothes colors. In Pop Matters, Pat discusses seeing Ben Wendel live at the Jazz Kitchen. Look out--that saxophonist has effects pedals!Playlist Discussion of Marcus Miller's album The Sun Don't Lie (PRA) 5:06 ...

In Pictures

Marcus Miller At The Meritage 2024

by Walter Atkins
September 16, 2024

The magnificent composer/bassist/producer Marcus Miller performed in front of a jubilant and full house at the luxurious Meritage Hotel & Spa in pleasantly pastoral Napa, California.The August 30, 2024 date was part of a fantastic musical weekend. His torrid set opened with an arrangement of the Dazz Band's 1982 Grammy-winning track “Let It Whip" and closed with the 1988 go-go party pleaser “Da' Butt" written by Miller, and originally performed by Experience Unlimited (E.U.). The song was part of the ...

Live Review

San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2023

by Walter Atkins
November 1, 2023

César Chávez Square San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2023 San Jose, CA August 11-13 2023 This year's 2023 edition of the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest was a magnificent presentation of different musical genres, ranging from local to international artists. Each day of SJZSF 2023 offered a robust and extensively varied program of: jazz, world music, Hip hop, salsa, soul, blues, NOLA, swing and so much more. The Fest's rich programming featured: Marcus Miller, Gregory ...

Album Review

M. E. B.: That You Not Dare To Forget

Read "That You Not Dare To Forget" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
May 8, 2023

With all due respect to Lettuce's A Tribute to Miles Davis--Witches Stew (Self Produced, 2017) and the all-star ensemble dubbed Bitches Brew Revisited, M.E.B. (formerly known as Miles Electric Band) is an inordinately creative homage to Miles Davis. And given the continually experimental path The “Man With The Horn" chose to follow throughout his career, it is no doubt one of which he would approve. That You Not Dare To Forget is a slightly less than half-hour audio ...

Radio & Podcasts

Gabor Szabo, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Jens Johansson and Tom Coster

by Len Davis
March 4, 2022

We feature Gabor Szabo from his album Macho (1975), Herbie Hancock, Intergalactic Maiden Ballet, Jens Johansson and Tom Coster. Playlist Gabor Szabo “Macho" from Macho (CTI) 00:00 Marcus Miller} Jean Pierre" from <em>Tutu Revisited</em> (CNLMUSIC) 09:18</li> <li>Herbie Hancock Just Around The Corner" from <em>Mr Hands</em> (Columbial) 18:45</li> <li>{{m: John McLaughlin “The Unknown Dissident" from Live In Belgrade (Abstract Logix) 28:01 Intergalactic Maiden Ballet “Exit" from Gulf (Tiptoe) 37:28 Jens Johansson “Crowd Tektonics" from Fission (Heptagon) 46:54 Tom Coster ...

Radio & Podcasts

Dean Brown, Alain Caron, Tom Coster, Vital Information, Tribal Tech and Marcus Miller

by Len Davis
October 29, 2021

Funky jazz from Dean Brown, Canadian bassist Alain Caron, Vital Information, and power bassist Marcus Miller.Playlist Dean Brown “Take This" from Here (ESC) 00:00 Alain Caron “Slam The Clown" from Rhythm'n Jazz (Cream) 05:51 Tom Coster “Welcome To My Chambers" from Let's set The Record Straight (JVC) 11:42 Vital Information “HighWire" from Come On In (Intuition)17:32 Gambale, Hamm & Smith “Yang" from The Light Beyond (Tone Centre) 23:15/li> Tribal Tech “Face First" from Face First (Blue Moon) 29:05 ...

Live Review

Marcus Miller at Academic Community Hall of Hong Kong Baptist University

by Rob Garratt
September 18, 2019

Marcus Miller Academic Community Hall of Hong Kong Baptist University, Jazz World Live Series Hong Kong September 12, 2019 You gotta feel for Russell Gunn--the trumpet player employed to spend around a half-hour every night being Miles Davis. Of course, as a member of Marcus Miller's band, it's not unreasonable to expect a nightly run through “Tutu," the title track of Davis' 1986 Warners debut--widely dismissed at the time, now held up as an ...

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