Bass great Marcus Miller brings the influence of modern
urban music to his trademark sound on his highly-anticipated, genre-defying new
album Laid Black on Blue Note Records
It’s been three years since Miller’s last album, Afrodeezia,
which The New York Times called “vibrant and expressive… music that frames his
playing beautifully.” Miller says: “Afrodeezia was like a musical voyage
through my history. I followed the journey of my ancestors by collaborating
with musicians along the African Slave route – musicians from West Africa,
North Africa, South America and the Caribbean. With Laid Black, I decided to bring
the music right up to the present - using elements from what’s happening in
urban music today. So you’ll hear hip-hop, trap, soul, funk, R&B and jazz
on this album. The music is calm but also powerful and funky, drawing on the
black musical experience. Laid Black.”
Miller recorded most of the nine tracks on Laid Black with
his band in a New York studio and also recruited guest artists Trombone Shorty,
Kirk Whalum, Take Six, Jonathan Butler, and Belgian singer Selah Sue. Of his
band, Miller says: “My guys are incredibly talented. They play everything from
bebop to hip-hop. All of the special guests I called have the same vision about
jazz, which made it possible to create this mix of music. Oh and if you like
bass, there’s plenty of serious bass work on this album too!”
Anyone who has listened to Miller’s music or experienced his
concerts live knows that they are in for quite a treat. Miller’s powerful,
jazz/funk bass playing is out in full force with this album – pushing
boundaries and taking jazz to new levels. Miller, along with his incredible
band of young musicians, will be sure to excite, challenge and transport
audiences.
Miller has one of the most enviable and expansive musical
careers in the industry. He is a two-time GRAMMY Award winner, winner of
Holland’s Edison Award for Lifetime Achievement In Jazz (2013), winner of
France’s Victoire du Jazz (2010), and he was appointed a UNESCO Artist For
Peace in 2013.
Born and raised in New York to a musical family (legendary
jazz pianist Wynton Kelly is a cousin), Miller’s characteristic bass sound can
be heard on a limitless catalog of hits including Bill Withers’ “Just The Two
Of Us,” Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much,” Aretha Franklin’s “Jump To It,”
Snoop Dogg’s “Gz and Hustlas,” and Jay-Z’s “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” and
Beyoncé’s “All Night.” to songs from Chaka Khan, Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton,
Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Elton John, and Bryan Ferry, to name a few.
With his distinctive style—a unique combination of funk, groove, soul and pure
technical skills—Miller has been referred to as one of the most significant
bass players in jazz, R &B, fusion and soul.
Miller’s rich resume of collaborations include a 15-year
songwriting and production partnership with Vandross which resulted in 13 consecutive
platinum albums (of which Miller co-produced seven), as well as partnerships
with artists as varied as David Sanborn, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan,
Eric Clapton, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter, to name a few.
Most notable, after several years of touring in Miles Davis’ band in his early
20’s, Miller composed, produced and arranged the ground-breaking album and
title song Tutu, which won two GRAMMY Awards and is considered one of the
definitive late Miles Davis albums.
Miller has an endless list of film and television credits to
his name. Most recently, he composed the music for the Oscar nominated film
Marshall (2017) directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Chadwick Boseman as a
young Thurgood Marshall and Emmy award-winning actor Sterling Brown. Miller
composed the soundtrack to the now classic sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris,
created by Chris Rock. Miller is also responsible for the soundtracks on
landmark cultural classics such as Boomerang (featuring Eddie Murphy and Halle
Berry), House Party (featuring Kid N’ Play), and he wrote “Da Butt,” the song
that inspired the national dance craze from Spike Lee’s 1988 cult classic
School Daze.
Miller broadcasts two weekly radio shows, Miller Time With
Marcus Miller on SiriusXM which airs on Sunday evenings and Transatlantic Jazz
With Marcus Miller which broadcasts each Wednesday in the UK on Jazz FM.
Miller is also the official host of several sold-out jazz
cruises each year, put on by Entertainment Cruise Productions, including Blue
Note at Sea, which sails next on January 26, 2019 featuring a stellar line-up
including Miller, Robert Glasper, Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, and more.
Miller has a global tour planned behind the release of Laid Black with concerts
scheduled worldwide. Visit marcusmiller.com for more details.
MARCUS MILLER – TOUR DATES:
June 1 – Capital Jazz Festival @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
– Columbia, MD
June 11 – SFJAZZ – San Francisco, CA
June 15 – Pittsburgh International Jazz Fest – Pittsburgh,
PA
July 1 – Eddie Rosner Stage – Lviv, Ukraine
July 3 – Theatre Antique – Vienne, France
July 5 – Open Air Stage Jacka Hotel – Wadowice, Poland
July 7 – Ulmer Zelt – Ulm, Germany
July 8 – Prairie Du Bois D’Hyver – Fontainebleau, France
July 10-12 – Ronnie Scott’s – London, UK
July 13 – North Sea Jazz Festival – Rotterdam, Netherlands
July 15 – Dracula Club – St. Moritz, Switzerland
July 17 – Scala Ludwigsburg – Stuttgart, Germany
July 19 – La Pinede Gould – Antibes, France
July 20 – Cour D”Honneur Du Chateau Des Ducs De Savoie –
Chambery, France
July 21 – Anfiteatro – Pompei, Italy
July 24 – Castello Di Udine – Udine, Italy
July 25 – Anfiteatro Del Vittoriale – Gardone, Italy
July 26 – Piazza Napoleone – Lucca, Italy
July 27 – Jardin Christian Dio – Granville, France
July 28 – Parc De L’Abbaye De Leffe – Dinant, Belgium
July 30 – Circus Tent on the Rugby Stadium – Marciac, France
August 9 – BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech – Brooklyn, NY
August 11 – Long Beach Jazz Festival – Long Beach, CA
September 2 – Detroit Jazz Festival – Detroit, MI
November 8 – Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
November 9 – Exit Zero Jazz Festival – Cape May, NJ
November 10 – NJPAC – Newark, NJ
November 27 – Poznan Congress Center – Poznan, Poland
November 28 – Arena Sports – Gdynia, Poland
November 29 – Torwar – Warszawa, Poland
November 30 – Orbita Sports Hall – Wroclaw, Poland
December 2 – Opera House – Monaco, Monaco
December 3 – Palais Des Sports – Paris, France
December 5 – Salle De La Madeleine – Brussels, Belgium
December 7 – Thonex Live – Geneva, Switzerland
January 26-February 2, 2019 – Blue Note at Sea
February 2-9, 2019 – Smooth Jazz Cruise 2019
February 23-March 2, 2019 – Smooth Jazz Cruise 2019
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