Marcus Miller (born June 14, 1959) is considered to be responsible for developing on and innovating a whole a new way of playing the bass guitar, through a wide range of genres, and under the influence of great musicians like Jaco Pastorius and Miles Davis. From Jamaica, New York, Miller is classically trained as a bass clarinetist, and also plays keyboards, saxophone, and guitar, as well as being a talented vocalist.
Miller's arsenal of techniques on his main instrument, the electric bass, is as broad as they come. Not only has Miller pioneered the continuing development of a technique known as "slapping", but Miller's flawless fretless bass technique has also served as inspiration to many, and taken the fretless bass into musical situations and genres previously unexplored with the electric bass of any description.
Audible in Miller's playing, along with rich and undeniable originality, are the influences of some of the previous generation of electric bass players, such as Keni Burke and Jaco Pastorius, who himself was only born in 1951.
While Miller has an extensive discography and playing credits, most of which is listed below, he is forced often to tour in Europe and Japan because he does not receive the recognition he is due in the United States. As well as appearing on many people's albums, Miller currently leads his own band, which focusses on keeping the jazz tradition alive, not through mimicery of outdated idioms, but by faithfulness to the concepts of improvisation and innovation. Miller succeeds in avoiding any of the corny pitfalls of many other musicians that have tried to make improvising, jazz-based music that is perhaps more accessable to different audiences. His concerts and recorded works are intensely creative, and therefore, also very appealing to serious musicians.
Discography
Solo Period (1982-present)
David Sanborn period (1975-2000)
Miles Davis preriod (1980-1990)
The Jamaica Boys period (1986-1990)
Links
Marcus Miller's Homepage
