Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller (born June 14, 1959 in New York) is a jazz musician and composer, perhaps best known as a bass guitarist with Miles Davis and David Sanborn. Miller is classically trained as a clarinetist, and also plays bass clarinet, keyboards, saxophone, and guitar, and is a capable singer.
Miller's proficiency on his main instrument, the electric bass, is generally very well regarded. Not only has Miller pioneered the continuing development of a technique known as "slapping", but his fretless bass technique has also served as an inspiration to many, and has 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 the rich and undeniable originality, are the influences of some of the previous generation of electric bass players, such as Keni Burke and especially Jaco Pastorius (who himself was only born in 1951). Early in his career, Miller was being accused of being simply imitative of Pastorius (note that Miller was not alone in this regard; Pastorius' influence was — and remains — immense), but has since more fully integrated the latter's methodology into his own sound.
Miller has an extensive discography, most of which is listed below, and tours frequently and widely in Europe and Japan. Along with appearing on many albums as a sideman, Miller currently leads his own band, which strives to faithfulness to the concepts of improvisation and innovation in jazz-based music that is perhaps more accessible to different audiences. His concerts and recorded works are often regarded as intensely creative and therefore appealing to serious musicians.
Discography
Solo Period (1982-present)
David Sanborn period (1975-2000)
Miles Davis period (1980-1990)
The Jamaica Boys period (1986-1990)
