M2
If you have any pop, soul, or jazz CDs, the ubiquitous bassist and multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller is probably on some of them. From Luther Vandross and David Sanborn to Miles Davis, Miller has been making cutting-edge music with the greatest stars of the past three decades. OnM2, which includes a stellar array of musicians from Wayne Shorter to Maceo Parker, Miller unveils the full range of his eclectic musicality. On the funky, uptempo "Power," the Talking Heads's "Burning Down the House" (featuring alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett), and "Nikki's Groove," Miller displays his powerful thumb-plucking Larry Graham-derived licks. On Charles Mingus's moody tribute to Lester Young, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," Herbie Hancock tickles the ivories in his trademarked impressionistic style, which complements Miller's Jaco Pastorius-like bass lines. Miller's arranging genius transforms John Coltrane's ballad "Lonnie's Lament" into a head-bopping hip-hop groove Dr. Dre would like, thanks to his soul-searing bass clarinet, and Branford Marsalis's and Hubert Laws's soprano sax and flute lines. Raphael Saadiq, the Brazilian superstar Djavan, and the legendary Chaka Khan lend their distinct vocals to the quiet-storm vehicles "Boomerang," "It's Me Again," and the spiritual "Your Amazing Grace." With a firm grasp of the jazz tradition and a broad knowledge of popular musical idioms, Marcus Miller is in the center of everything, laying down the groove.--Eugene Holley Jr.