Marcus Miller at Royal Festival Hall (Review)

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Marcus Miller Royal Festival Hall

“I didn’t remember I did all that stuff,” remarked Marcus Miller after being introduced to the stage with a preamble referencing just some of the legendary artists he has played with over the decades: Luther, Aretha, Chaka, Miles. But the bassist, songwriter, and producer has headlined his own shows for some time, giving his sold-out London Jazz Festival audience a night of cosmic jazz-fusion with no shortage of funky backbeat and terrific brass. A cool but commanding presence, Miller was always keen to carve out space for his formidable band members to shine, including support act and saxophonist Camilla George. Their exchanges were telepathic. Played with characteristic panache and jaw-dropping skill, the ferocity of Miller’s headier numbers was tempered by the mellowness of tracks like ‘Sublimity “Bunny’s Dream”‘ (from 2018’s Laid Black). The piece ‘Gorée’, inspired by Miller’s trip to the Senegalese island, paid homage to the fortitude of his enslaved African ancestors and journeyed from melancholy to euphoria (featuring Miller on the bass clarinet). Likewise with his tribute to bassist Jaco Pastorious (who died in 1987) on ‘Mr Pastorious’, eagerly snapped up by Davis for the 1989 Amandla album. Davis’ ‘Tutu’ triggered a frisson of delighted recognition from the audience of jazz heads.

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