01 – Hylife
02 – B’s River
03 – Preacher’s Kid (Song For William H)
04 – We Were There
05 – Papa Was A Rolling Stone
06 – I Still Believe I Hear [feat. Ben Hong]
07 – Son Of Macbeth
08 – Prism (Interlude)
09 – Xtraordinary
10 – Water Dancer
11 – I Can’t Breathe [feat. Mocean Worker]

Marcus Miller - Bass (Acoustic), Clarinet (Bass), Fender Rhodes, Fretless Bass, Gimbri, Guitar (Bass), Kalimba, Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals
Adam Agati - Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
Ambrose Akinmusire - Trumpet
Cliff Barnes - Organ, Piano
Aline Cabral - Vocals (Background)
Louis Cato - Djembe, Drums
Etienne Charles - Percussion, Trumpet
Alvin Chea - Bass (Vocal), Choir
Adama Dembélé - Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Michael Doucet - Violin
Andrea Dutra - Vocals (Background)
Robert Greenidge - Steel Pan
Alex Han - Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
Lalah Hathaway - Scat, Vocals
Cory Henry - Organ
Lamumba Henry - Djembe, Percussion
Lee Hogans - Trumpet
Ben Hong - Cello
Munyungo Jackson - African Percussion
Keb' Mo' - Guitar
Guimba Kouyaté - Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background)
Marco Lobo - Percussion
Mocean Worker - Drum Programming, Fender Rhodes, Guitar, Guitar (Bass)
Roddie Romero - Accordion
Julia Sarr - Choir
Mamadou Cherif Soumano - Kora, Vocals (Background)
Michael "Patches" Stewart - Trumpet
Christiane Correa Tristao - Vocals (Background)
Alune Wade – Choir, Vocals
Wah-Wah Watson - Guitar
Brett Williams - Fender Rhodes, Piano

Afrodeezia is bassist Marcus Miller's debut for Blue Note Records. Produced by the artist, the 11-track set features his core band -- saxophonist Alex Han, trumpeter Lee Hogans, pianist Brett Williams, guitarist Adam Agati, and drummer Louis Cato -- with an international list of guests. The music was inspired by Miller's work as a UNESCO artist for peace, and as a spokesperson for the Slave Route project. Afrodeezia is a masterful contemporary reflection of transcontinental rhythms and melodies that have migrated through the bodies and spirits of African slaves as they were transported to South America, the Caribbean, and the United States before refracting back across the globe in the contemporary era through jazz, R&B, and hip-hop. "Hylife," the set's first single, reflects the long reach of Ghana's popular style grafted on to contemporary jazz-funk with a host of Senegalese musicians on percussion and backing vocals. Lead vocals are provided courtesy of Alune Wade, the great Senegalese bassist. Despite its intense dancefloor appeal, the players' sophisticated rhythmic and harmonic interplay is ferocious. On "B's River," kora player Cherif Soumano and guest trumpeter Etienne Charles solo with Miller on gimbri, bass, and bass clarinet. "Preacher's Kid (Song for William H)" melds modern jazz and American and African gospel. The bassist performs on upright, clarinet, and piano; Cory Henry guests with a gorgeous organ solo as Lalah Hathaway delivers wordless vocals supported by Wade, Dakar's mezzo-soprano Julia Sarr, and Take 6's Alvin Chea. "We Were There" celebrates the example of George Duke and Joe Sample and how their love for Brazilian sounds transformed modern jazz. Robert Glasper's Fender Rhodes is a nice foil for Miller's dominant bassline. Hathaway's scat vocals are appended by a Brazilian chorus with percussion from Marco Lobo. The cover of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" features guitarists Wah-Wah Watson (who appeared on the Temptations' hit), and Keb' Mo', whose blues approach arcs the lineage to the Delta. Patches Stewart adds his NOLA trumpet playing to emphasize that city's R&B groove in the heart of Northern Soul. Rightfully, this jam is ruled by Miller's bassline, which pays homage to the original while revealing how it influenced everything in popular music that came afterward. "Son of Macbeth" is another monster groover that re-links calypso to contemporary jazz. Just as Robert Greenridge's steel pan drums made Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers' "(Just) the Two of Us" so infectious, Greenridge appears to do the same here. "I Can't Breathe," with just Miller and Mocean Worker creating a wild meld of instrumental color, back Public Enemy's Chuck D in wedding hard funk, political hip-hop, and dance music, exhorting the listener to remember that the struggle for equality is not over. Miller's wide-angle view of jazz is extended further on the glorious Afrodeezia. It reveals in a sophisticated, exceptionally ambitious manner the labyrinthine interconnectedness of earlier sounds and rhythms -- which emerged from bondage and horrific suffering -- to new ones that bring the world joy. ---Thom Jurek, Rovi

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01. Trip Trap (6:59)
02. Que Sera Sera (6:04)
03. 7-T's (5:56)
04. Sublimity “Bunny's Dream” (6:44)
05. Untamed (4:48)
06. No Limit (5:36)
07. Someone To Love (4:42)
08. Keep 'Em Runnin (5:19)
09. Preacher's Kid (7:43)

Marcus Miller - Bass, Clarinet (Bass), Clavinet, Drums, Fretless Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Organ,
 Percussion, Sax (Alto), Synthesizer, Vocals, Wurlitzer Piano 
Alex Bailey - drums, percussion
Brett Williams - keyboards
Russell Gunn - trumpet
Alex Han - alto saxophone
+
Patches Stewart - trumpet 
Trombone Shorty - trumpet, trombone
Kirk Whalum - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Take Six - vocals
Jonathan Butler - guitar
Selah Sue - vocals

Miller Time, Marcus Miller’s three-hour exploration of the funky side of jazz, as the legendary bassist puts it, has become appointment radio for me. If I’m in my ride on a Sunday evening, I’m flipping over to Sirius radio station 67 to check out Miller Time.

Miller, who has worked with the likes of Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton and Meshell Ndegeocello, has view of jazz that is rangy and iconoclastic yet respectful to the art form’s traditions. He is after, all, the cousin of Wynton Kelly, who played the piano on “Freddy Freeloader,” the second song on Davis’ Kind of Blue. All of this explains why a Miller Time segment can include a hard bop classic such as Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father,” and then something straight funky from Incognito. Miller draws on his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop to educate listeners on how it all fits together. He’ll chuckle, ‘ha-ha’ when the tune ends if he’s really feeling it.

Miller chuckles at the end of “Trip Trap,” the live number that opens his upcoming album Laid Black. This cut finds Miller flipping the script on the hip-hop crowd by incorporating the percussive elements of Trap music - mainly its use of hi-hats, 808 kick drums into an improvised jazz setting. The cut features Miller showing why he remains one of the most creative improvisors on the bass and then ends with a freaky jam session between the keyboardist and horn player gives way to audience applause and Miller’s signature chuckle.

The second track on Laid Black, “Que Sera Sera,” is a tune Miller heard Doris Day sing both on the big screen and on her TV sit-com that ran from 1958 – the year before Miller was born – until 1973, when Sly and the Family Stone made the funkified cover version that the bassist reprises. Miller’s version finds the band wrapping a combination of slow driving blues funk, jazzy horns and sanctified backing vocals around Belgian singer Selah Sue’s wistful vocals.

Another remake finds Miller reimagining Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Runnin’,” an instrumental that served as a showcase for Verdine White’s bass work on that legendary band’s All ‘n All album. Miller transforms the track into a hip-hop cut where his percussive and percolating creativity on the bass serves as the focal point.

“Sublimity, ‘Bunny’s Dream,” finds Miller returning the theme of his 2015 project Afrodeezia, where he collaborated with musicians west and north Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean to honor the ancestors brought from the Motherland to these shores during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. “Sublimity” sports a gentle swing and finds Miller laying back and fitting in with west African styled percussion.

As is always the case with a Marcus Miller project, Laid Black reveals him as an artist as comfortable with a finger on the pulse of what is going on now as he is serving as caretaker of tradition. It’s another highlight in a career filled with highlights. Strongly Recommended. ---Howard Dukes, soultracks.com

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01. Detroit (05:46)
02. Redemption (06:10)
03. February (04:15)
04. Slippin’ Into Darkness (09:17)
05. Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song) (feat. Gretchen Parlato And Ruben Blades) (06:39)
06. Jekyll & Hyde (06:31)
07. Interlude: Nocturnal Mist (01:16)
08. Revelation (04:47)
09. Mr. Clean (05:01)
10. Goree (Go-ray) (05:39)
11. Cee-Tee-Eye (07:40)
12. Tightrope (05:47)
13. I’ll Be There (03:50)
14. Rebop (Japanese Bonus Track) (02:03)

Personnel:
Marcus Miller - fretless bass, bass clarinet, acoustic bass
Kris Bowers - piano
Adam Rogers – guitar
Adam Agati - guitar
Federico Gonzalez Peña - Fender Rhodes
Bobby Sparks - organ
Alex Han - alto saxophone
Sean Jones - trumpet
Maurice Brown - muted trumpet
Ramon Yslas - percussion
Louis Cato – drums
Gretchen Parlato - vocals
Rubén Blades - vocals

Marcus Miller's career as a sideman, composer, and producer in jazz, R&B, and pop has been prolific. He's continuously pushed boundaries in order to blur and integrate genres. Renaissance is his first studio recording in five years (Free was released in 2007 in Europe and Japan, then re-released in the United States as Marcus in 2008). Renaissance's title reflects the idea that music needs a rebirth to keep up with the creative possibilities afforded by technology, and to reflect the ever-shifting, politically charged cultural landscape. The manner in which he posits this is anything but theoretical, however. Renaissance may be the most emotive offering in Miller's catalog. Groove and firepower are near constants here. Jazz-funk, R&B, rock, post-bop, club-jazz, and more come together in a wide-ranging collection that is deeply focused and expertly sequenced. Using a revolving cast whose core is alto saxophonist Alex Han, guitarist Adam Agati, and keyboardist Federico Gonzalez Peña, guests include trumpeters Maurice Brown and Sean Jones, organist Bobby Sparks, and more. Things get off to a skittering start on "Detroit," with Miller's bass riding heard over a knotty jazz-funk groove. Louis Cato's drums accent breaks in key sections, the souled-out horns highlight the choruses, and Agati's guitar nastily accents it all while Han's alto solo is a monster. The cover of "Slipping Into Darkness" melds Kris Bowers' piano and Sparks' organ with hand percussion, both trumpets, and Miller's funky reggae groove. The melody accents syncopation on the backbeat before weaving Bob Marley's and Peter Tosh's "Get Up, Stand Up" in as a logical yet surprising extension. Bowers' knotty piano solo illustrates the wide possibilities for jazz improvisation. "Jekyll & Hyde" combines alternate passages of elegant, soulful contemporary jazz with riff-driven rock as Agati and Miller complement and push one another. "Revelation" is a rumbling modal jam with funky highlights and fine soloing by Han. "Gorée (Go-ray)," with Miller on bass clarinet, is a lilting, post-bop ballad with lovely melodic interplay. "Cee-Tee-Eye," while a thoroughly contemporary jazz tune, pays excellent tribute to the inspiration of Creed Taylor's label. The set closer, a simple reading of "I'll Be There," showcases the bassist's gift for lyricism and understatement. Renaissance is a lofty title, but the inspired performances Miller puts on offer get very close to delivering on the ambition it promises. –Thom Jurek, Rovi

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CD 1:
1. Tomaas (12:13)
2. Backyard Ritual (8:58)
3. Splatch (14:25)
4. Portia (9:20)
5. Jean-Pierre (13:23)
6. Aida ( 6:18)				play
7. In a Sentimental Mood (9:14)

CD 2:
1. Hannibal (11:28)
2. Don't Lose Your Mind (18:33)
3. Tutu (11:25)
4. Full Nelson / Perfect Way (8:15)
5. Human Nature / So What (13:40)

Personnel: 
Marcus Miller - bass, bass clarinet
Christian Scott - trumpet
Alex Han - saxophone
Federico Gonzalez Pena - keyboards
Ronald Bruner, Jr. - drums

Whenever I think of Marcus - my all-time music hero - I always get in a sentimental mood. I always feel like I am walking, drifting in an endless dream that has no heavenly destination because the musical journey that he takes you on is paradise itself! And Tutu Revisited is a magical carpet ride of a journey. Whilst many musicians are trying to revisit classical musical eras of yesteryears and failing miserably, Marcus - as always - succeeds and excels. He makes old music sound brand new. Like you have never heard it before. He always manages to deliver killer funky riffs and the finest example of this is "Splatch" probably the funkiest track on the album. Marcus also delves into a bit of reggae vibe with "Don't Lose Your Mind" proving once again that he has the midas touch and can do just about anything musically. But the ultimate track on this album is the best ever and finest ever rendition of an ageless classic "In A Sentimental Mood" and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It is so beautiful, it is like a dream within a dream.

Marcus isn't just a bass guitarist, he is a bass clarinetist and he gives one of his finest performances on this rarely heard and used instrument. In my opinion, it should be heard more often! Marcus's bass clarinet is perfectly complimented with a superb performance from a young alto saxophonist Alex Han - who is most definitely one to watch out for! Thanks Marcus for this latest offering of paradise. It is worth every golden coin I have hiding in my treasure chest! ---Hannah Trinnaman

This two-CD set is a better bet than last year's A Night in Monte Carlo: it celebrates the same creative funkiness of the mid-80s Miles Davis bands that bass guitar virtuoso and composer/arranger Miller had a big hand in, but here in more focused form, without symphony orchestras or singers. The canny Miller still goes for a soul-pop bravura and some technical posturings Miles would have avoided (hard to imagine the Prince of Darkness doing anything as uncool as swapping quotes from Sonny Rollins's St Thomas with his sidemen, or letting his bass guitarist acknowledge a sharp sax solo with a congratulatory sliding-note whoop) but there's a lot of very inventive jazz-making here, particularly from the gifted young partnership of trumpeter Christian Scott and saxophonist Alex Han. Powerful 80s Miles themes - notably Splatch, Portia, Tutu, Full Nelson and Human Nature - mingle with earlier jazz landmarks, like a tender bass clarinet account of In a Sentimental Mood, and a brisk So What that includes Miller playing the famous Miles 1959 solo as a bass guitar feature. It's as much a general jazz celebration for funk audiences as it is about Miles alone, but Christian Scott is the ideal bearer of the late trumpeter's legacy. ---John Fordham

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