Marcus Miller
Born June 14, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York
Marcus was
brought up in nearby Jamaica, Queens. His father played organ and directed a
choir. With his first instrument being the clarinet, he did not pick up the bass
until he was 13. But by the time he turned 15, Marcus was already making money
playing in a band he put together with friends. He was enjoying mainly R&B
and funk until he entered New York’s High School of Music and Art (where
he was a classmate of Omar Hakim) and discovered jazz. While enrolled at the
school, Marcus became acquainted with Lenny White, Lonnie Liston Smith and other
outstanding musicians, and performed at concerts and recordings with them.
A fixture on the NY music scene while still a teenager
After graduation from high school, Marcus entered the music world in earnest. He was a staff musician for GRP Records (with Dave Grusin, Tom Brown, Lee Ritenour, etc.), which at the time was a driving force behind the fusion movement, and his freshness and proficiency on the bass soon made him a much sought-after session man who worked on recordings by the likes of Grover Washington Jr., The Brecker Brothers, and Elton John. He was also selected by none other than the great Miles Davis to join the band for his comeback in 1981 after a six-year musical hiatus. At little over 20 years of age, Marcus had risen to the summit of the jazz-fusion world.
At the same time, Marcus vaults into action as a producer and arranger
From 1982, Marcus went beyond playing the bass and began tapping his overall musical abilities. Starting with Lonnie Liston Smith’s Dreams of Tomorrow and David Sanborn’s Backstreet, he went on to produce and arrange for powerhouse stars such as Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Teddy Pendergrass and Dizzy Gillespie. He then decisively established himself as a superior producer with his work on Miles Davis’ Tutu (1986), Music from Siesta (1987), and Amandla (1989).
Release of first solo album Suddenly in 1983; Inception of J-Boys
The multi-instrumentalist’s first album as a leader was 1983’s Suddenly. The next year, the follow-up Marcus Miller was released (both from Warner Brothers). On both recordings, Marcus played multiple instruments in his approach to black urban expression of the times. Then, as if to engage in self-examination at a time when he had established his standing as a producer, he assembled the Jamaica Boys, a funky band he put together with some of his old friends to have some fun. They put out two CDs, Jamaica Boys in 1987, and J-Boys in 1990.
Offering wholehearted assistance on hundreds of albums
Marcus has produced albums for a truly diverse collection of artists that includes Roberta Flack, Natalie Cole, The Crusaders, Najee, The Temptations, Chaka Khan, Wayne Shorter, France Gall, and Take 6. He has also worked on several film soundtracks, including those for House Party and Boomerang. And of course, the self-acknowledged bass lover has distinguished himself on scores of recordings as a bassist with the likes of Brian Ferry, Scritti Politti, Boz Scaggs, Mariah Carey and Paul Simon.
The early 90s: Marcus takes a giant step as a solo artist
As incredibly active as he was as a producer and bassist, Marcus had been consciously avoiding making a pure solo album after his 1984 solo debut. He revealed his true motive as thus: “After releasing Marcus Miller, I felt that it wasn’t quite it. In the ensuing nine years, I tried to find out what kind of person I was and thought long and hard about what I should try to create next. In 1991, when Miles Davis, a person who occupied an important place in my heart, passed away, I thought that now is the time for me to make a record. I felt that the time was ripe and I was fully prepared.”
Taking the helm of America’s jazz and R&B legacy and guiding it to the now
With this firm conviction, Marcus made what could be considered his first solo album in his new direction, 1993’s The Sun Don’t Lie. He commented, “I know the great old jazz classics and I also know the way it’s being done today. I thought my role would be to creatively connect the two.” He followed this up with two polished studio recordings, Tales (1995) and the Grammy Award-winning M2 (2001). Later, he released the mainly live Live and More (1997) and The Ozell Tapes: The Official Bootleg (2002), which vividly convey the live performances that are the bread and butter of his current solo work.
Creating profound, hip and integrated American music
Marcus believes music has great power and is a living thing. “The questions of whether music is alive or not, or has authenticity or not, depend on whether or not it relates to something. It doesn’t have to be something political; it can be anything. That’s why music is so full of power, as entertainment.” He possesses rich musical knowledge, outstanding skills, and a well-founded point of view. Marcus Miller is a proud African American, a loving family man and a sophisticate. He is a person who loves music above all and confidently continues to pursue the music of his mind.
At age 45, exciting days and a new album
Marcus is now a ripe 45 years of age. “I believe I am a very lucky person. A lot of people this age look back at their lives until now and think how great it was at 23, but I feel like I have had a wonderful life all the way from the past up to now. Even now, there are so many things I would like to do, and that I am excited about. And I’m discovering new things even now and gaining new fans!” The product of this fully lived daily life is Marcus’ new album Silver Rain.
