stltoday.com

September 7, 2012

It was only a matter of time before multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Marcus Miller released an album titled “Renaissance.”

The Grammy winner and renowned bassist’s credits spelled it out long ago from his composition of “Tutu” for Miles Davis, writing and producing a number of hits for Luther Vandross and David Sanborn, scoring numerous movies including “Boomerang” and even writing the party jam “Da Butt” for E.U.

“I remember reading stuff about myself, and they would always call me a renaissance man,” he says. “I was only 19. But I’ve always been involved in so many different things.”

“At one point, I had Luther, Aretha (Franklin), I was playing in Miles Davis’ band and I had a No. 1 jazz album with Sanborn at the same time,” Miller says. “That always felt natural for me — having 12 things happening at the same time.”

Miller only has about eight projects in the works today, he says, including a new radio show, various movie projects and, of course, his “Renaissance” album.

“I love taking advantage of everything the music world has to offer,” he says.

On “Renaissance,” which represents a new sound and feeling for Miller, he decided it was time to get back to basics with a core of great musicians.

“A lot of times when I make albums, I make them big with a bunch of guests, and they’re heavily layered,” he says. “This time I wanted to make it clear it’s about the basics of music.”

Many of Miller’s early albums, he says, were the result of being an intense studio rat. He says he used to live in the recording studio, spending up to 20 hours a day there and practically sleeping under the console.

“That was my life,” he says. “I really loved spending as much time as possible in the studio, experimenting with different sounds and studio effects.”

But since then, he’s more about fleshing out his live-performer side on the road. Being less studio-focused changes the music, he says.

“Before, I was making as much of a studio record as possible,” Miller says. “Now, I want it to reflect what I’m doing onstage. … I don’t want to spend that much time in the studio now. It’s a different mentality.”

Miller knew where he was going with “Renaissance” when he got to the song “Redemption,” which he considers the center of the album that represents a nice combination of classic and new sounds. From there, he went to the left and to the right of that sound, but “Redemption” remains the anchor.

On the album, Miller took on several stirring covers, including the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There,” which he performed at a bass clinic three years ago, shortly after Michael Jackson’s death.

He forgot about the song until his manager played it for him near the end of the recording of “Renaissance.” He felt the album needed this song from an act that was very influential in his childhood.

“I didn’t take music seriously until I heard Michael Jackson and his brothers,” Miller says. “I thought, ‘Wow, these brothers are my age, and they sound this good.’ I had to get serious.”

Miller also covers War’s classic “Slipping Into Darkness,” which he says plays into his basic bass nature and also goes back to his formative years.

“When I was coming up, there were bass lines that are still with me, like Chic’s ‘Good Times,’ Isaac Hayes’ ‘Shaft’ and the bass line from ‘Slipping Into Darkness,’” he says. “They weren’t complicated, but they were just so soulful. Sometimes that’s more important than the melody.”

But the biggest surprise on “Renaissance” might be Miller’s tackling of Janelle Monáe’s “Tightrope,” featuring Dr. John. Miller knew he had to include the song after he saw the video for the first time.

“I love it because it sounds new and it sounds old at the same time,” he says. “The bass line is like New Orleans. I said, ‘I wanna do a version of that and bring out the New Orleans,’ so I got Dr. John. His voice just sounds like New Orleans.”

Miller and his band are bringing six pieces to Jazz at the Bistro next week: two horns, guitar, bass, drums and piano. What’s not certain is whether he’ll bring the oddest song in his repertoire, “Da Butt,” still a favorite on old-school R&B radio.

He says that song, which is in stark contrast to the rest of his set, is only done sometimes, such as on some tour dates last year with David Sanborn and George Duke. It was initially performed impromptu, and Sanborn loved it so much he learned a verse.

“I gotta be careful,” Miller says. “That song overpowers everything else.”

Sponsored by Ted Wheeler

Andre Hayward is an extremely gifted trombonist with the sound and clarity reminiscent of the late J.J. Johnson. His gospel-tinged  approach is refreshing and will warm the hearts of anyone with whom he comes in contact.

One of the most in-demand pianists and educators in the country, Reggie Thomas’s soulful, hard-swinging brand of piano immediately grabs an audience and assures them that a swinging time is set to be had by all.

A veteran of the bands of Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, Terell Stafford, and countless others, saxophonist Tim Warfield delivers a powerful, unapologetic sound that is among the finest in jazz today.

Rodney Whitaker is one of the leading performers and teachers of jazz double bass in the United States. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and received national recognition performing with the Terence Blanchard Quintet. Whitaker has also toured internationally  as a featured performer with the Roy Hargrove Quintet.

style: straight-ahead jazz

Christian McBride, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chris Potter, Benny Green, Lewis Nash, & Ambose Akinmusire

Part of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival

Sponsored by

The Monterey Jazz Festival, the longest continuously-running jazz festival in the world, has presented nearly every major jazz star—from  Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong to Esperanza Spalding and Trombone Shorty—since it was founded in 1958. World-renowned for its artistic excellence, sophisticated informality, and longstanding mission to create and support year-round jazz education and performance programs, the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 55th Anniversary Celebration continues this commitment in 2013 with its third North American Tour. Featuring critically acclaimed, Grammy-winning jazz artists, this all-star band consists of bassist and musical director Christian McBride, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, saxophonist Chris Potter, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Benny Green, and drummer Lewis Nash. Embracing the past, present, and future of jazz, the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 55th Anniversary Celebration will perform an assortment of classic jazz repertoire as well as original compositions.

style: straight-ahead / vocal jazz

“…an incredibly resourceful display of devices and strategies…he just burned.”

For over 30 years the cornerstone of Scofield’s music has been found in the John Scofield Trio. The group includes old friends and longtime  musical partners, bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Stewart – three great musicians hitting their stride through invention, playing tight jazz standards, and savvy original compositions. Their music embodies the spirit that has kept jazz vigorous and visceral since its birth. One of the “big three” of current jazz guitarists (along with Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell), Scofield’s influence has been ever-present for three  decades. Possessor of a very distinctive rock-oriented sound that utilizes overdrive, Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser whose music  generally falls somewhere between post-bop, fusion, and soul jazz.

style: modern jazz

Welcomed by KDHX.

Exclusively sponsored by

“Miller is a sophisticated musical thinker as well as a finger-busting virtuoso…” The Guardian (London)

Marcus Miller’s combination of soulful groove and astounding technical ability has made him one of the jazz/R&B world’s preeminent  virtuoso bassists, to say nothing of his long and impressive list of credits as a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer. Miller’s powerfully musical bass playing is familiar to many through his seminal work with Miles Davis, David Sanborn, and Luther Vandross. Born into a musical family in 1959 – his father was a church organist and choir director and his cousin is legendary jazz pianist Wynton Kelly – Miller was proficient on clarinet and piano by age 13. Miller took up bass on his own initiative when he joined a neighborhood dance band because it was the instrument “that seemed most interesting.” He was not formally trained as a bassist, and has remarked that he simply started by transferring his knowledge of clarinet to bass.

style: funk/contemporary jazz

Exclusively Sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. William C. Rusnack

“John Clayton is a phenomenon.” Los Angeles Times

“(Gerald) Clayton is showing all the signs of becoming one of the most significant young jazz artists to emerge…in recent years.” Los Angeles  Times

The remarkable music they make together tells it all: bassist John Clayton loves playing jazz with his son, pianist Gerald Clayton, and Gerald  is inspired by his virtuosic father. Seven-time Grammy-nominated bassist/composer/conductor John Clayton is highly sought after for his playing and arranging, but he is also a world-renowned educator. His ability to walk the line between stage and classroom puts him in a class  by himself.

At 27, Gerald Clayton has two albums under his own name and three Grammy nominations, including one for Bond as “Best Instrumental Jazz Album of the Year.” A 2010 Downbeat Critics Poll “Rising Star,” Gerald has been honing his craft steadily since high school as a brilliant player and composer.

style: straight-ahead jazz

Welcomed by KDHX

“One of the jewels of the jazz world.” The New York Times

The sound of a Dave Holland bass line compels attention. A master of tone, rhythm, and note choice, the bassist, composer, and bandleader is now in his fifth decade as a performer with the highest of musical aspirations:  As he once told a radio interviewer, “I’ve tried to find a way to build a vehicle which lets me utilize the full spectrum which includes the tradition, playing the blues, and improvising freely…there’s been a desire to reconcile all those areas, to make them relevant, hopefully, in a contemporary context, as one music.”

Featuring trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and drummer Nate Smith, the Dave Holland Quintet is widely considered the premier acoustic group in jazz today.  For this engagement, SAXOPHONIST MARK TURNER WILL BE REPLACING CHRIS POTTER.

style: modern jazz

Rare Deparuture is an all-new, fusion supergroup comprised of St. Louis’ best players. Bassist Zeb Briskovich is joined by Adaron “Pops” Jackson (keyboards), Rick Haydon (guitar), Jason Swagler (saxophone) & Miles Vandiver (drums) to create this explosive quintet. Citing Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Yellowjackets, and Return to Forever as musical influences, this show is sure to electrify audiences!

Part of the 9th Annual UMSL Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival,

If there’s any side or scene of jazz that the still-under-forty Christian McBride hasn’t mastered yet, just wait–he will undoubtedly get around to it, and do it masterfully.  Bassist extraordinaire, band leader, composer, arranger, educator, administrator, curator (he’s co-director of Harlem’s National Jazz Museum),  Grammy-award-winning, “mind-bogglingly busy” (All about Jazz) McBride has worked as a sideman with artists as diverse as Freddie Hubbard, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, James Brown, Sting, Queen Latifah, and Kathleen Battle, and has lead a variety of brilliant smaller ensembles.  Now hear him at the helm of a rocking big band that will excite and satisfy as only great big band music can.  For one night only, presented by the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

“Bassist Christian McBride comes out swinging.” – Detroit Free Press

The 9th Annual UMSL Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival brings more than 50 collegiate and high school big bands and combos to St. Louis to learn from some of the biggest names in professional jazz, top educators, and each other.