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.”

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“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

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“…a special voice that makes you sit up and take notice…” NPR’s All Things Considered

With his breakthrough 2007 debut, Eyes Wide Open, vocalist/composer/arranger Sachal Vasandani established himself as one of the most promising voices in modern jazz. A 2010 DownBeat “Rising Star” poll winner, Vasandani showcased his distinctive blend of jazz and pop in his critically-acclaimed second recording, We Move, in 2009. Vasandani’s third Mack Avenue release, Hi-Fly, justifies the high praise  showered on its two predecessors and confirms that Vasandani is one of the freshest, most versatile artists to emerge in recent memory.

style: straight-ahead/contemporary vocal jazz

Upcoming Shows

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Set 1 – 7:30 pm
Always August - (Brad Mehldau)
High Court Jig – (Joshua Redman)
In Walked Bud – (Thelonious Monk)
Old West – (Brad Mehldau)
Easy Living – (Rainger/Robin )
Ornithology – (Charlie Parker/Bennie Harris)

Set 2 – 9:30 pm
Mehlsancholy Mode - (Joshua Redman)
To Hold On or To Let Go – (Brad Mehldau)
There Is No Greater Love - (Jones/Symes)
Lithium – (Kurt Cobain)
Let Me Down Easy - (Joshua Redman)
Soul Dance – (Joshua Redman)

If you do some digging on Google and want to support Jazz at the Bistro policy-breakers…you might be able to hear what you missed/re-live the entire show…..

Most nights had the same sets, with the 2nd set changing slightly from night to night. The week featured all original material, both old and new, from The Bad Plus, save for a single performance of Flim by Aphex Twin during Thursday’s 2nd set.

Set 1 – 7:30 pm

Photo by Stephen Gallagher

Wolf Out – Dave King

Who’s He? – Ethan Iverson

1979 Semi-Finalist – King

Rhinoceros is My Profession – Reid Anderson

For My Eyes Only – King

I Want to Feel Good, Pt. 2 – King

Never Stop -Anderson

2 PM – Iverson

Lost of Love – Anderson

Set 2 – 9:30 pm

Everywhere You Turn – Anderson

Knows the Difference – Anderson

My Friend Metatron – King

Sing for a Silver Dollar – Iverson

People Like You – Anderson

Cheney Piñata – Iverson

7 Minute Mind – Anderson

Re-elect That – Iverson

Pound for Pound – Anderson

Fresh off a performance at the White House for a State Dinner, New York based drummer and Grammy nominee Matt Wilson is one of today’s most celebrated jazz artists. He is universally recognized for his musical and melodic drumming style as well as being a gifted composer, bandleader, producer, and teaching artist. Matt’s positive energy, sense of humor and ability to explore a broad range of musical settings keeps him in constant demand. In addition, Wilson’s dedication to jazz has helped establish him as a beloved world ambassador for the music, on and off the bandstand.

“Matt Wilson–one of the most inventive and individualistic drummers in modern music.” – Chicago Reader

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Since they first performed together in the 1990s, Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau have earned international acclaim (and GRAMMY nominations) for their trend-setting, generation-topping creativity and charisma.  As a duo, they demonstrate that players who are powerful improvisers with their own voices can also collaborate masterfully, producing unforgettable music that blends tradition and innovation.

“Mr. Redman is a supremely affable and flowing improviser, at times a borderline brilliant one, working in a glow of clarity.” – The New York Times

“(Brad Mehldau is) Universally admired as one of the most adventurous pianists to arrive on the jazz scene in years.” – Los Angeles Times

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At the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Dianne Reeves is the pre-eminent jazz vocalist in the world today. As a result of her virtuosity, improvisational prowess and unique jazz and R&B stylings, Reeves received the GRAMMY for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings—a GRAMMY first in any vocal category.

To say that Ahmad Jamal has been an influence on modern music would be an understatement.  Every pianist of the last fifty years cites him as an inspiration.  Jamal has mastered the art of giving a small group the sweeping feel of an orchestra.  He continues to create some of the most exciting, vibrant music being recorded today.

BOTH ARTISTS WILL BE APPEARING WITH THEIR OWN ENSEMBLES AND WILL NOT BE PERFORMING TOGETHER.

This performance is a part of Jazz St. Louis’ Legends of Jazz series at the Touhill.