In
1981, he joined his boyhood idol Miles Davis and spent two years on
the road with the fabled jazzman. "He didn't settle for anything
mediocre," Miller recalls. "And this helped me develop my style. I
learned from him that you have to be honest about who you are and what
you do. If you follow that, you won't have problems." Miller
subsequently turned his attention to producing, his first major
production being David Sanborn's Voyeur, which earned Sanborn a Grammy
and turned out to be the beginning of a career-long partnership with
the alto saxman. Miller later produced various other top selling
albums for Sanborn, including Close Up, Upfront, and 2000 Grammy
winner Inside. For more than twenty years, Miller has also enjoyed a
musical relationship with R&B legend, Luther Vandross. "We met in 79
in Roberta Flack's band and instantly connected because we were both
so serious about music," Miller recalls. Over the years, Miller has
contributed countless hits to Vandross repertoire both as a producer
and writer. Those songs include "Till My Baby Comes Home," "It's Over
Now," "Any Love," "I m Only Human," and "The Power of Love," which won
the 1991 Grammy for R&B Song of the Year. In 1986, Miller collaborated
again with Miles Davis, producing the landmark Tutu album, the first
of three Davis albums he would produce. He has also produced Al
Jarreau, the Crusaders, Wayne Shorter, Take 6, Chaka Khan, and Kenny
Garrett among others, and Luther Vandross. After spending many years
as a producer and session musician, Miller focused on his solo career
in late 1993 with the release of The Sun Don't Lie. 1995's Tales found
Miller re-imagining the landscape of Black music and its evolution
over the past three decades. After years of touring and in response to
Miller fans pleas, Live & More was released in 1997. M2 ("M-squared"),
his first release of the new millennium, won the 2001 Grammy for Best
Contemporary Jazz Album and was selected by Jazziz as one of the 10
Best CDs of the Year. 3 Deuces Records now debuts The Ozell Tapes: The
Official Bootleg, a live double CD. The Ozell Tapes is Miller's
compilation of the best of his 2002 tour dates. It's raw,
unadulterated, pure funk as only Marcus can do it. In the past several
years, Miller has also turned his attention to film scoring, composing
for House Party (Martin Lawrence), Boomerang (Eddie Murphy and Halle
Berry), Siesta (Ellen Barkin), Ladies' Man (Tim Meadows), and The
Brothers (Morris Chestnut and D.L. Hughley) and Deliver Us From Eva
(LL Cool J). He wrote and produced the old school hit, "Da Butt" for
Spike Lee's School Daze soundtrack. Miller further surprised people by
composing and performing the score to E.B. White's The Trumpet of the
Swan. "I loved getting the opportunity to use jazz to tell a story to
kids. Children have much more sophisticated ears than people give them
credit for. You really don't have to play down to them. Just keep the
music real."Whether he's making music for kids or longtime fans,
keeping it real is the criteria that steers all of Marcus Miller's
music. "I like to keep things balanced, combining R&B, jazz, funk and
movie stuff to help reflect what's happening in our world. I just try
to keep challenging myself to continue to grow and get better."
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