Renaissance Man (Concord Jazz, 2012)
A new album by Marcus Miller is always a good cause for celebration. Although he is one the finest electric bassists in the world, his solo career is not very prolific. Renaissance Man is his 8th solo album in a long notable musical career.
With Renaissance Man, Marcus Miller continues his fusions of funk and jazz with other musical elements, such as Latin jazz and rock.
The album contains some of his signature funk jazz pieces with fabulous rhythmic and solo bass lines. On ‘February’ he ventures into flamenco jazz with Spanish bass melodies, percussion that recalls palmas (handclap percussion) and brass solos that seem inspired by Jorge Pardo’s work.
‘Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)’ combines Brazilian jazz with Afro-Latin rhythms and Spanish salsa vocals by none other than the legendary Panamanian vocalist Rubén Blades. Other guest appearances include Dr. John and vocalist Gretchen Parlato.
The line-up on the album includes Marcus Miller on bass and clarinet; Alex Han on saxophone, Lewis Cato on drums, Adam Rogers and Adam Agati on guitars, Federico Gonzalez Peña and Kris Bowers on keyboards, Sean Jones and Maurice Brown on trumpet, Bobby Sparks on organ, and Ramón Yslas on percussion.
Renaissance Man will not disappoint electric bass fans. It’s full of superb bass solos by one of the great masters of our time, accompanied by an excellent combo of musicians.
Buy Renaissance Man