Bassist extraordinaire Marcus Miller may have finally put out the disc everyone’s been waiting for. It’s got the mix of Soul Train funk along with some thoughtful and consistent compositions, and some impressive chops delivered by the leader and his team. When you’re one of the most important studio guys in the world, you can pick just about anyone you want to join in on the disc, and Miller gets the crème: Adam Rogers/g, Alex Han/as, Maurice Brown/tp, Sean Jones/tp, Louis Cato/dr, Kris Bowers/key are just a few of the participants, as well as guest vocals by Gretchen Parlato and Ruben Blades.
The catchy grooves of “Detroit” and “Redemption” feature some hot picking by the leader, and he creates rivulets of rhythmic grooves for the funky horns to deliver their riffs to . Soloing is not a problem here as well, as Jones’ trumpet is as sweet and spicy as pickled peppers her. A take of the 70s hit “Slippin’ into Darkness” is about as hip as you’re ever going to get without needing a chiropractor, while the multi-themed “Jekyll & Hyde” (a tribute to Miles Davis) is an exciting joyride of sounds.
The best thing about Miller is that he knows when to come out in front, and when to step back and let someone else take the spotlight; his support of Parlato and Blades on Ivan Lins’ “Setembro” is like reflected light. He shines just the right hues on these vocalists. Meanwhile, his other instrument, the bass clarinet, is I wondrous moan on the haunting and penetrating “Goree’, ” just before going into a nice little grooving piece like “Cee Tee Eye.” He closes the disc with a lovely solo take of the soul classic “I’ll Be There,” showing how, like the best of the redeemed, he can reconcile the most disparate of styles and types. This is a disc to be cherished on a plethora of levels. He’s coming to Catalina’s in early October, so check out www.catalinajazzclub.com and get your tickets NOW! NOW! NOW!
Concord Jazz
www.concordmusicgroup.com