Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Marcus Miller: The Ozell Tapes

Marcus Miller: The Ozell Tapes

By C. Michael Bailey
April 8, 2003
View read count

Marcus Miller is the Paul Chambers of the electric bass. His recordings possess the same bass- leadership as Mr. PC, reflecting the spirit in the title of one of Chambers’ 1950s Blue Note releases, Bass on Top. Miller mixes a potent brew of originals and modern jazz classics to produce a sumptuously funky meal of what is certainly not smooth jazz. To my conservative ears, Miller simply picked up where he left off with Miles on Tutu. He is most certainly a virtuoso, but not so troublesome as Jaco Pastorious. Miller is a traditionalist in that, like Jaco, he never abandoned the modest four-string electric bass for its sexier multi-string cousins. More than that, Miller continues to use the Fender Jazz flavor. I would simply define Mr. Miller’s musical approach as no bullshit.

The Ozell Tapes is a double live recording seductively subtitled "The Official Bootleg." That is a nice marketing touch, even with minimal editing and remixing, but this recording is every bit as slick as Miller’s last two live recordings. His formula remains constant: funky modern jazz classics and some quasi-traditional vocals (here it is Lalah Hathaway singing). Make no mistake, Miller is front and center in this effort, where he should be. Listen to "So What" followed by "Lonnie’s Lament," and you'll immediately recognize that Marcus Miller is not Boney James or Kirk Whalam (not that there is anything wrong with smooth jazz; everyone needs to start somewhere to get to the Source).

In the meantime, check out this set and Miller's previous record M2. And listen to what Miles had in mind when he veered off into hip-hop prior to his death.

Track Listing

CD1: Introduction; Power; So What; Lonnie?s Lament; Cousin John; Scoop; I Loves You Porgy; Panther. CD2: Three Deuces; Your Amazing Grace; Nikki?s Groove; When Your Live WasLow; Burning Down The House; People Make The World Go ?Round; Killing Me Softly; Hannibal/Amandla/Tutu.

Personnel

Marcus Miller

bass

Marcus Miller: bass, mass clarinet, soprano saxophone, keyboards; Poogie Bell: drums; Dean Brown: guitars; Roger Byam: tenor And soprano saxophones, flute; Bruce Flowers: keyboards; Lalah Hathaway: vocals; Michael Stewart: Trumpet; Leroy Taylor: keyboards.

Album information

Title: The Ozell Tapes | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Telarc Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

In Touch
< Previous

Ginsberg's 'America' and Jazz
Next >

Marcus Miller Concerts

Sep 10 Wed

Marcus Miller, Craig Robinson

Hollywood Bowl
Los Angeles, CA

Oct 10 Fri

Marcus Miller

Stockholm Concert Hall
Stockholm, Sweden

Oct 11 Sat

Marcus Miller

Cosmopolite Scene
Oslo, Norway

Oct 19 Sun

Marcus Miller

De Oosterpoort
Groningen, Netherlands

Oct 20 Mon

Marcus Miller

Paard
Den Haag, Netherlands

Oct 21 Tue

Marcus Miller

Ancienne Belgique
Bruxelles, Belgium

Oct 23 Thu

Marcus Miller - Ikony Jazzu

Cavatina Hall
Bielsko-Biała, Poland

Oct 25 Sat

Marcus Miller

Expo-aréna
Bratislava V, Slovakia

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.