An album entitled Renaissance is the latest studio project for the highly acclaimed, two-time Grammy-winner and composer/producer/bassist Marcus Miller. He is a world-renowned electric bassist, and also highly accomplished as a keyboardist, clarinetist/bass clarinetist recording with musicians and in countries around the globe – from Frank Sinatra and Elton John to Bill Withers and LL Cool J with over 500 recording credits as a sideman on albums across a broad spectrum of musical styles: rock (Donald Fagen and Eric Clapton), Jazz (George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Sample, Wayne Shorter and Grover Washington, Jr.), pop (Roberta Flack, Paul Simon and Mariah Carey), R&B (Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan), hip hop (Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg), blues (Z.Z. Hill), new wave (Billy Idol), smooth jazz (Al Jarreau and Dave Koz) and opera (collaborations with tenor Kenn Hicks and soprano Kathleen Battle). Miller also wrote the go-go party classic ‘Da Butt’ for Spike Lee’s ‘School Daze’, As a producer, writer and player, he was the last primary collaborator of jazz legend Miles Davis, contributing the composition and album ‘Tutu’. His talents were best showcased in his work with the late, great soul man Luther Vandross, contributing to well over half of his albums as a producer, composer and/or player on a string of hits capped by ‘Power of Love/Love Power’ for which Marcus won his first Grammy, 1991’s R&B Song of the Year. And starting with David Sanborn’s 1980 album Hideaway and its follow-up Voyeur (for which the alto sax giant won a Grammy performing Marcus’ composition ‘All I Need is You’, Marcus not only left an indelible mark on Sanborn’s distinctive sound, he laid the often-copied blueprint for the coolest of contemporary jazz sounds.
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