Marcus Miller | A Night In Monte-Carlo
Album Review: Marcus Miller – A Night in Monte-Carlo
By Peggy Oliver
(Advance Review: Re-Release on Feb. 1st, 2011)
(Advance Review: Re-Release on Feb. 1st, 2011)
Marcus
Miller has worn many musical hats through his established career.
Besides being one of the most in-demand studio musicians, especially for
Luther Vandross, David Sanborn and Miles Davis, Miller is one of the
master bass guitar technicians. From the slap style to gorgeous melodic
washes, Miller has furthered the cause for contemporary urban bass
players; certainly through the inspirations of other bass greats Stanley
Clarke and Jaco Pastorius. But there is much more to his multi-gifted
musician. Miller is a proficient multi-instrumentalist with the bass
clarinet and keyboards. His production savvy and instrumental skills
have graced many R&B and jazz recording sessions, which has won him
numerous Grammy awards. And the longevity of Miller’s career is a
testament to his devotion to making music in various urban formats.
While playing with Davis, he wrote or co-wrote and produced the
soundtrack for Siesta (1987) plus arranged and
wrote almost all tracks for the whirlwind project (from go-go to zouk
to swing jazz), Amandla in 1988. His funky and rumbling R&B bass
lines played a huge role on several Vandross’ recordings (“Never Too
Much,” “Power of Love,” “Dance with My Father”) until the R&B
superstar’s death in 2007. His collaboration with Sanborn lasted
twenty-five years from 1975 to 2000, including two Grammy winning discs Voyeur and Inside. Then there is the power bass guitar triumvirate of Miller, Clarke and Victor Wooten, who teamed in 2008 for Thunder under the moniker SMV.
At times, jazz purists would criticize Miller for incorporating too much
high tech like drum machines and sampling. Yet he was not afraid to
utilize the technology as long as the musicianship was credible. But no
one could dispute Miller’s attention to improvisation and innovations
that continued to stretch the boundaries of modern jazz music during his
solo concerts. His latest project takes him to A Night in Monte-Carlo (recorded in 2008), accompanied by his Davis’ ensemble (Federico
Gonzalez Pena on keyboards and percussion, horn player Alex Han and
drummer Poogie Bell) and L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. The
integration of orchestral arrangements with jazz musicians is not
exactly a revelation (think most of the Miles Davis and Gil Evans as a
prime example). But Miller’s extensive knowledge of fusion music and his
association with Davis certainly fuel a lot of the material on A Night in Monte-Carlo.
Tracks:
The
bouncy opening – Blast! - is an oriental slanted extravaganza with
fluid bass guitar lines meshing with the orchestra on the melody. A
glorious alto sax solo by Alex Han follows mid way before segueing into a
turntable solo by DJ Logic (instantly jogging memories of Herbie
Hancock’s “Rock It”) and Miller turning on the popping the bass jets for
the climax.
Who could imagine a Miller concert
without Miles’ jazz masterpiece - So What? Davis’ trademark bop classic
from the late fifties receives a funkier edge and pays much respect to
Davis as this arrangement includes the original Bill Evans’ intro.
A
phenomenal vocalist and guitarist in his own right, guest Raul Midon
takes over the show on “State of Mind” (also the title track of Midon’s
solo disc from 2005), executing a pretty mean mouth trumpet while
playing guitar.
Not everything is funky jazz fresh on A Night in Monte-Carlo. “I Loves You Porgy” from George & Ira Gershwin’s opera Porgy & Bess
finds Miller bringing out his fretless bass guitar to explore his more
melodic and gentle side. His interaction with the orchestra and Han adds
more tenderness to this haunting romantic ode.
Miller
steps aside and lets the horn section explore their solo territory on
“I’m Glad There Is You,” especially multi-dimensional jazz trumpeter Roy
Hargrove, who reinterpreted this big band hit by Jimmy Dorsey on his Moment to Moment disc.
The
Miller composition, “Amandla”, written for Davis, successfully molds
modern jazz and orchestra. The horns come through once again as Han
oozes a soulful underpinning on sax and Hargrove’s dynamic trumpet
reflects Davis’ colorful imprint.
The Medley: “O
Mio Babbino Caro (Oh My Dear Papa)” & “Mas Que Nada” goes from one
extreme to another. First, there is an excerpt from one of Giacomo
Puccini signature operatic arias sensitively played by Miller, and then
Midon’s vocals rips into a Jorge Ben samba favorite - also a smash hit
for Sergio Mendes’ & Brasil 66.
“Your Amazing
Grace,” a classic soul reconstruction of Amazing Grace, took awhile to
grow on me but Middon’s vocal fills and Miller on bass clarinet
reflected an impressive musical diversity of A Night in Monte-Carlo.
The
closing piece is a studio track as pianist Hancock accompanies Miller
playing a melancholy bass clarinet for Billie Holliday’s equally dark
themed, “Strange Fruit.”
Those are all the aforementioned reasons why this Night in Monte-Carlo was
an electric night for jazz and orchestra musicians who were all
clicking, and an enthusiastic audience who was treated to a special
night indeed.
Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene
Posted by Administration at 1/25/2011 12:00 PM 
Categories: Jazz Fusion, Jazz, Video
Tags: Jazz Music Videos
Categories: Jazz Fusion, Jazz, Video
Tags: Jazz Music Videos
Comments