Marcus Miller

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Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller at Stockholm Jazz Fest 2009.jpg
Miller performing in July 2009
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Henry Marcus Miller Jr.
Born (1959-06-14) June 14, 1959 (age 64)
New York City, U.S.
Genres Jazz, jazz fusion, R&B, rock, funk, smooth jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Bass, guitar, vocals, saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, recorder
Years active1975–present
Website marcusmiller.com

William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sanborn, among others. [1] [2] [3] He was the main songwriter and producer on three of Davis' albums: Tutu (1986), Music from Siesta (1987), and Amandla (1989). His collaboration with Vandross was especially close; he co-produced and served as the arranger for most of Vandross' albums, and he and Vandross co-wrote many of Vandross' songs, including the hits "I Really Didn't Mean It", "Any Love", "Power of Love/Love Power" and "Don't Want to Be a Fool". He also co-wrote the 1988 single "Da Butt" for Experience Unlimited.

Contents

Early life

William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on June 14, 1959. [4] He grew up in a musical family; his father, William Miller, was a church organist and choir director. Through his father, he is the cousin of jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. [5] He became classically trained as a clarinetist and later learned to play keyboards, saxophone, and guitar.

Career

Miller in 2007 MarcusMillerParadiso.jpg
Miller in 2007

Miller began to work regularly in New York City, eventually playing bass and writing music for jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith. Miller became a session musician. Miller's earliest influences include James Jamerson and Larry Graham. [6] He spent approximately 15 years performing as a session musician. During that time he also arranged and produced frequently. He was a member of the Saturday Night Live band between 1979 and 1981. [7] He co-wrote Aretha Franklin's "Jump To It" along with Luther Vandross. [7] He has played bass on over 500 recordings, appearing on albums by such artists as Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Herbie Hancock, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, The Crusaders, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Frank Sinatra, George Benson, Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Joe Walsh, Jean-Michel Jarre, Grover Washington Jr., Donald Fagen, Bill Withers, Bernard Wright, Kazumi Watanabe, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J and Flavio Sala. [2] [8] [9] He won the "Most Valuable Player" award (given by NARAS to recognize studio musicians) three years in a row and was subsequently awarded "player emeritus" status and retired from eligibility.

In the mid-1980s, Miller began a solo career as a funk/R&B singer, with the albums Suddenly (1983) and Marcus Miller (1984). He was the main songwriter, producer and instrumentalist on these albums. He has since then released ten more solo albums, although he has only occasionally sung on these subsequent albums.[ citation needed ]

Between 1988 and 1990, Miller was the musical director and house band bass player (in the "Sunday Night Band") during two seasons of the late-night TV show Sunday Night (also known as Night Music) on NBC, hosted by David Sanborn and Jools Holland. [10] [11]

As a composer, Miller co-wrote and produced several songs on the Miles Davis album Tutu , including the title track. [12] [13] He also composed "Chicago Song" for David Sanborn and co-wrote "'Til My Baby Comes Home", "It's Over Now", "For You to Love", and "Power of Love" for Luther Vandross. Miller also wrote "Da Butt", which was featured in Spike Lee's School Daze . [2] [8] In addition, he composed and provided spoken vocals on "Burn it Up", which was featured on Najee's 1992 album Just An Illusion.

In 1997, he played bass guitar and bass clarinet in the supergroup Legends, featuring Eric Clapton (guitars and vocals), Joe Sample (piano), David Sanborn (alto sax) and Steve Gadd (drums). [2] It was an 11-date tour of major jazz festivals in Europe. In 2008 Miller formed another supergroup, SMV, with fellow bassists Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten, for a world tour lasting 18 months. [14] He produced SMV's first release, Thunder. [15] In the summer of 2011, Miller toured alongside Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter celebrating Miles Davis on the 20th anniversary of his death.

In 2017, Miller, along with Common, headlined the Playboy Jazz Festival. [16]

Miller hosts a jazz history and influences show called Miller Time with Marcus Miller on the Real Jazz channel of Sirius XM Holdings satellite radio system. [17] In addition to his recording and performance career, Miller has established a parallel career as a film score composer. He has written numerous scores for films, including films directed by Reginald Hudlin and Chris Rock. [18] [19]

Awards and honors

Miller has been nominated for numerous Grammy Awards as a producer for Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chaka Khan and Wayne Shorter, and has won two Grammys. He won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1992, for Luther Vandross' "Power of Love" and in 2001 he won for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his seventh solo instrumental album, . [20] His 2015 album Afrodeezia earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. [21] [22]

Miller in 2017 Marcus Miller - Leverkusener Jazztage 2017-7051.jpg
Miller in 2017

In 2012 Miller was appointed a UNESCO Artist for Peace, supporting and promoting the UNESCO Slave Route Project.

In December 2021, Bass Player magazine awarded Miller a Lifetime Achievement Award. [23]

Instruments

Miller plays a transparent blonde finish 1977 Fender Jazz Bass that was modified by luthier Roger Sadowsky with the addition of a Stars Guitar and later a Bartolini preamp [24] so he could control his sound in the studio. [25] Fender started to produce a Marcus Miller signature Fender Jazz Bass in four-string (made in Japan) and five-string (made in U.S) versions. [26] Later, Fender moved the production of the four-string to their Mexico factory [27] and discontinued both four- and five-string models in 2015. DR Strings also produced a series of Marcus Miller signature stainless steel strings known as "Fat Beams", which come in a variety of sizes. [28] In 2015, Dunlop began producing Marcus Miller Super Bright bass strings which Miller switched to. [29]

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitle US

Pop

[30]

US

R&B

[30]

US

Jazz

[30]

US

C. Jazz

[30]

US

Indie

[30]

UK

Jazz

Label
1983 Suddenly Warner Bros.
1984 Marcus Miller
1993 The Sun Don't Lie 93107 Dreyfus Jazz
1995 Tales 1272 [31]
2001 21276 [32] Telarc
2002 The Ozell Tapes Dreyfus Jazz
2005 Silver Rain 5215 Koch
2007 Free Dreyfus Jazz
2008 Marcus 1912973 Concord
2008 Thunder with SMV Heads Up
2012 Renaissance 1701117 [33] Concord
2015 Afrodeezia 316 [34] Blue Note
2018 Laid Black 1112 [35]

Live Albums

YearTitle US

Jazz

[30]

US

C. Jazz

[30]

UK

Jazz

[30]

Label
1994Dreyfus Night in Paris

with Michel Petrucciani, Biréli Lagrène, Kenny Garrett and Lenny White

Dreyfus Jazz
1996 Live & More 8610 [36] GRP
2002 The Ozell Tapes Live: The Official Bootleg 26 [37] Telarc
2009A Night in Monte Carlo – Live 20091610Dreyfus Jazz

Singles

YearTitle US

R&B [30]

US

Jazz

[30]

US

Dance

[30]

US

Adult

R&B

[30]

1983Lovin' You55
1984My Best Friend's Girlfriend5336
2008Free feat. Corinne Bailey Rae 919
2012Detroit14
2018The City That Never Sleeps

Philippe Saisse featuring Marcus Miller

18
2019Korogocho

Kirk Whalum Featuring Marcus Miller & Barry Likumahuwa

5

Live DVDs

Tutu Revisited – Live 2010

As a member

The Jamaica Boys

As sideman

Film scores

Media appearances

In 2017, Miller appeared on the Armenian talk show Nice Evening .

Related Research Articles

<i>Suddenly</i> (Marcus Miller album) 1983 studio album by Marcus Miller

Suddenly is the debut studio album by American jazz bass-guitarist Marcus Miller, released in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Clarke</span> American bassist (born 1951)

Stanley Clarke is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fusion bassist to headline tours, sell out shows worldwide and have recordings reach gold status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luther Vandross</span> American singer (1951–2005)

Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Throughout his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA-certified platinum albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide. Known as the "Velvet Voice", Vandross has been recognized as one of the 200 greatest singers of all time (2023) by Rolling Stone, as well as one of the greatest R&B artists by Billboard. In addition, NPR named him one of the 50 Great Voices. He was the recipient of eight Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year in 2004 for a track recorded not long before his death, "Dance with My Father". In 2021, he was posthumously inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

<i>Tutu</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Miles Davis

Tutu is an album by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released in 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded primarily at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and Clinton Recording in New York, except the song "Backyard Ritual", which was recorded at Le Gonks in West Hollywood. Davis received the 1986 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist Grammy Award for his performance on the album.

<i>Dance with My Father</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Luther Vandross

Dance with My Father is the thirteenth and final studio album by American R&B/soul singer Luther Vandross. It was released by J Records on June 10, 2003 in the United States and served as the follow-up to his self-titled studio album (2001). The album, especially its title track, was dedicated to Vandross's late father and features production credits from Nat Adderley Jr., Shep Crawford, and Marcus Miller as well as guest appearances by singer Beyoncé, R&B trio Next, and rappers Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, and Busta Rhymes.

<i>The Night I Fell in Love</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Luther Vandross

The Night I Fell in Love is the fourth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on March 8, 1985, by Epic Records. In 1986, Vandross garnered a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and two American Music Awards, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album. The first single "'Til My Baby Comes Home" is notable for featuring Billy Preston on organ.

<i>Songs</i> (Luther Vandross album) 1994 studio album by Luther Vandross

Songs is the ninth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on September 20, 1994. The album, a collection of cover versions, produced the singles "Endless Love", "Always and Forever", and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". According to an interview both Vandross and Mariah Carey gave in Japan following the release of their duet "Endless Love", there was mention that Carey had given advice as to what songs Vandross would cover on this album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Too Much (song)</span> 1981 single by Luther Vandross

"Never Too Much" is the debut song written, composed, produced, and performed by Luther Vandross. The R&B song was released in 1981, as the lead single from Vandross's debut album of the same name. The title track hit number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reached number four on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, and peaked at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Never Too Much</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Luther Vandross

Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer Luther Vandross, released on August 12, 1981, by Epic Records. Mostly composed by Vandross himself, the album reached number 19 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Never Too Much earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982, including Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.

<i>Give Me the Reason</i> (Luther Vandross album) 1986 studio album by Luther Vandross

Give Me the Reason is the fifth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on September 26, 1986, by Epic Records. The album earned Vandross an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and a nomination for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album" in 1988, while the title track was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the 29th Grammy Awards.

<i>Any Love</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Luther Vandross

Any Love is the sixth studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on September 20, 1988, in the United States. Produced by Vandross and Marcus Miller, the album features a cover of Major Harris' hit single "Love Won't Let Me Wait" as well as "The Second Time Around," a re-recording of a song featured on Vandross's band Luther's 1976 album of the same name.

<i>Your Secret Love</i> 1996 studio album by Luther Vandross

Your Secret Love is the tenth studio album by American R&B recording artist Luther Vandross, released by Epic Records in October 1996. The album's title track won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and was nominated for Best R&B Song at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997. The album served as Vandross's final album under Epic Records after being part of the record label for fifteen years.

<i>Never Let Me Go</i> (Luther Vandross album) 1993 studio album by Luther Vandross

Never Let Me Go is the eighth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on May 26, 1993, in the US by Epic. It was his first studio album not to debut at #1 on the R&B Albums chart.

<i>The Ultimate Luther Vandross</i> 2001 greatest hits album by Luther Vandross

The Ultimate Luther Vandross is a greatest hits album by American R&B/soul singer Luther Vandross, released in 2001. The compilation was re-released in 2006 with a different track listing, along with two previously unreleased songs. The unreleased cut "Got You Home" which appears on the 2006 edition of the compilation, earned Vandross a posthumous nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards in 2007.

<i>Backstreet</i> (album) 1983 studio album by David Sanborn

Backstreet is a 1983 album by David Sanborn. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Traditional Jazz albums chart on January 27, 1984.

"So Amazing" is a 1983 song by Dionne Warwick. It was written by Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller and produced by the former for her studio album How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye (1983). Three years later, Vandross himself covered the song for his fifth studio album Give Me the Reason (1986). Released as a single, it entered the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart and earned a Soul Train Music Award nomination in 1988.

<i>Love Language</i> (Teddy Pendergrass album) 1984 studio album by Teddy Pendergrass

Love Language is the eighth album by R&B/soul singer Teddy Pendergrass. It was his first record for Asylum Records after being a longtime artist on Philadelphia International Records. It did much better on the Billboard 200 than his last two records, peaking at number 38. He had not reached the top 40 on the album charts since 1981's It's Time for Love. The album was composed and produced by Michael Masser, with the exception of the track You're My Choice Tonight , which was produced by Luther Vandross and featured Cissy Houston on background vocals and as "Solo Female Voice".

<i>Objects of Desire</i> 1982 studio album by Michael Franks

Objects of Desire is a jazz vocal album by Michael Franks, released in 1982 with Warner Bros. Records. It was Franks' seventh studio album.

Charles Bell Jr., better known by his stage name Poogie Bell, is an American jazz drummer, composer, band leader and producer. Bell is best known as a drummer, working extensively with bassist Marcus Miller and as a sideman for other artists such as Erykah Badu, Victor Bailey, David Bowie, Stanley Clarke, Randy Crawford, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Angelique Kidjo, Joe Sample, David Sanborn, John Scofield, Stanley Turrentine, Luther Vandross, Vanessa Williams, and Victor Wooten.

Jason Miles is an American jazz keyboardist, composer, and record producer. Throughout his career, he has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, bassist Marcus Miller, and singer Luther Vandross, as well as maintaining a successful solo career.

References

  1. "Marcus Miller, Live In Concert: Newport Jazz 2013". NPR.org. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Marcus Miller". Hollywood Bowl. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  3. "home". Marcusmiller.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  4. Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1694. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
  5. "Paul Chambers/John Coltrane: High Step (1956)" (March 2009) Down Beat. p. 34.
  6. Shepherd, Rob (February 24, 2021). "Moving Foward [sic]: A Conversation with Marcus Miller (Part One)". Postgenre.org. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Hunt, Dennis (May 20, 1990). "Marcus Miller Is Flying High as the 'Superman of Soul'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Bio | Marcus Miller". Marcusmiller.com. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  9. "The Crusaders – Healing The Wounds". Discogs . 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  10. Sunday Night episodes No. 104 (1988), No. 121 (1989)
  11. thebeijinger (October 20, 2014). "Interview: Jazz Bassist Marcus Miller Maps His Musical History". Thebeijinger.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  12. Larkin, Cormac. "Marcus Miller: 'I came of age during black power. I had no sense of inferiority'". The Irish Times. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  13. Chinen, Nate (June 23, 2010). "Getting More From an Electric Miles Davis Model". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  14. "Stanley Clarke/Marcus Miller/Victor Wooten: The Thunder Tour". LA Phil. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  15. Jazz, All About (September 16, 2008). "S.M.V.: Thunder album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  16. "Common, Marcus Miller and Bobby Hutcherson tribute lead Playboy Jazz Festival lineup". Los Angeles Times. March 7, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  17. "Marcus Miller – Host". SiriusXM. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  18. See also interview on ABC Radio National Music Show with Andrew Ford Nov 2010
  19. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  20. "Marcus Miller". GRAMMY.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  21. "UNESCO | Marcus Miller". Marcusmiller.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  22. "Grammy Nominations 2016: See the Full List of Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  23. "Buy Bass Player UK Single Issue from MagazinesDirect".
  24. Bradmanpublished, E. E. (January 8, 2020). "The story behind Marcus Miller's 1977 Fender Jazz Bass". guitarworld. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  25. January 2020, Bass Player Staff08 (January 8, 2020). "Marcus Miller: keep 'em running". Bass Player. Retrieved February 26, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. Heckman, Don. "Marcus Miller: New York State of Mind". JazzTimes. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  27. "Fender,com". Fender.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  28. Marcus Miller Fat Beams at Drstrings.com. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  29. Marcus Miller Super Bright Strings and Dunlop.com Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Marcus Miller | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  31. "Marcus Miller - Tales". Official Charts . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  32. "Marcus Miller - M2". Official Charts . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  33. "Marcus Miller - Renaissance". Official Charts . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  34. "Marcus Miller - Afrodeezia". Official Charts . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  35. "Marcus Miller - Laid Black". Official Charts . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  36. "Marcus Miller - Live and More". Official Charts . Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  37. "Marcus Miller - The Ozell Tapes". Official Charts . Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  38. "Marcus Miller Scoring Reginald Hudlin's 'Sidney' | Film Music Reporter" . Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  39. "Marcus Miller Scoring Reginald Hudlin's 'Candy Cane Lane'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved November 4, 2023.