Marcus Miller: America's AmBASSadoor

AAJ: Cats like you and Mike Stern are the last ongoing connection to Miles and that distinct John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Tony Williams jazz culture. It must be rewarding and inspiring to carry that torch and move it forward.

MM: Well, I will tell you without trying to put myself on the same level as John Coltrane or Tony Williams that it is nice to be part of that family. I'm quite sure Mike Stern feels the same way. Its nice to sit with Herbie Hancock and be able to share stories and just the realization that he was the same cat in 1965 that he is now. To be able to tell those stories and share a laugh and really be a part of that humanity is pretty amazing. In talking about educating, most young jazz musicians have studied jazz history in college. So they are mostly good about knowing who the artists were and the history lesson that goes with it. So the part that I try to impart on them is the humanity. What it was like to be a jazz musician back then. We did a tribute to Miles with Sean Jones on trumpet in 2011, twenty years after Miles had passed. So we had Herbie and Wayne in the band. It worked out real well.

AAJ: You're referring to Shorter? Wayne Shorter?

MM: Yes, Wayne Shorter. The spirit of what they were all doing had an impact on the younger Sean Jones. He later said that what he had in mind as to what they were doing on improvisation was completely different than what he had thought. The spirit of improvisation mixed in with traditional was a huge component. I try to educate in regard to that balance. Being a part of it for that evening had a big impact on Sean's playing. There was also sometimes a thug mentality going on that the academic approach isn't going to cover. Elvin Jones played the drums with a very aggressive attitude. He came at it like a thug. Almost more like a hip-hop thing even though it was back in the 50's. There was street sensibility there combined with the studious approach. There are so many things to consider. How to support someone else's solo, how to kick a solo's ass, what makes people dance, how to create energy, and so may other things like that.

AAJ: Their classrooms were their gigs.

MM: Exactly right. Makes me think of Freddie Hubbard. You got to know Freddie, right?

AAJ: Next to Miles, Freddie has always been my favorite horn player. Talk about kicking an instrument's ass.

MM: Freddie would call you out DURING a gig. He would be insulting you while you are playing a solo. He would tell you that you ain't playing shit. But you know, its all part of your development as a jazz musician.

AAJ: That's hysterical. Now I remember some truly magical jazz moments on the Night Music TV show on Sunday nights in the late eighties. An eclectic assortment of jazz and fusion artists that you would otherwise never see on television from Sonny Rollins to Jean Luc Ponty, from Joe Sample to Randy Brecker, from Koko Taylor to Donald Fagen, and so many more. It must have been a kick, as the musical director, to be able to connect with so many influential artists.

MM: David Sanborn and his manager, Patrick Raines, who also happened to be my manager at the time, had the idea to create a musical version of Saturday Night Live. The same environment, but with the focus just on the music. Part of the idea too was to bring in artists that had never been on television before. It was produced by Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels. It indeed was very cool and a lot of fun. The problem was that it took a lot of time to do it. But it was beautiful while it lasted. A problem was that it came on at weird hours. People would try to record it at 1am but they would end up with the 1am that was 24 hours too late or too early. .

AAJ: Ah yes, the VCR.

MM: The VCR days yes. Unlike now you had to set it yourself and get it just right. One thing I really recognized from that show was that the blues are everywhere. We had Dizzy Gillespie playing the blues. Slim Gaillard playing the blues, Bootsy Collins playing the blues, Jeff Healey playing the blues, and Hank Ballard & The Midnighters came out playing the blues. It was all these different styles of playing the blues. But it was all blues. Makes you realize that the blues are at the base of American music.

AAJ: In addition to your upcoming performances on the high seas, where does your upcoming tour take you? Perhaps I should be asking where will you be playing on land?

MM: We'll be playing in Philly at the Ardmore Center this month and also at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Another October gig is in Clearwater, Florida. Then in November we are off to Poland. Don't ask me why Poland in November. I just know I'll be bringing an extra pair of gloves. Then we move on to Paris and maybe to Japan. That will take us up to January, and the Blue Note at Sea Cruise. Then we will start another US tour in the spring.

AAJ: Hopefully that will include a few shows at the Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles. I saw you there two or three years ago. Your show was super powerful in a small club like that.

MM: We might play a bigger place but I like playing a week at the Catalina and just hanging out. I live in LA now so it's a nice way to finish a tour.

Photo credit: Michael Sauvage