Customer Reviews

Live & More

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Live & More" is a tough one-- if I had reviewed it when it first came out, I think I would have rated it higher than I do now, but in light of the vastly superior releae, "The Ozell Tapes", this one seems a bit less essential.

The first eight tracks are live from various show (mostly in Japan), the last two are studio recordings appended to the end. The live show is ok, the performance is pretty hot at time, but being culled from different sources, there's a bit of a lack of continuity that can actually be felt in it, and the band is largely uninteresting, Kenny Garrett puts forth a good performance throughout, and Hiram Bullock gets some good licks in, but beyond that and Marcus' unnervingly brilliant bass playing, the musicianship is passable but not superb.

Still, Marcus' bass solo on "Panther" is monsterous (although this one seems to inspire him constantly, every performance I've heard of it is amazing), "Tutu" and "Funny" get the best playing from the support cast, and are both rather extended pieces, and while "People Make the World Go 'Round" delves into pretty straightforward funk, the band cooks on this one as well. Less can be said for "Strange Fruit", "Summertime", or "Maputo", none of which seems particularly inspiring.

Of the studio material, "Sophie" is a pretty if somewhat straightforward and unengaging ballad, but "Jazz in the House" just irritates me to no end.

If you want to check out a live Marcus Miller record, look at "The Ozell Tapes" first, its vastly superior.

Recorded at the 1996 Montreux Jazz Festival and in several venues in Japan that year, released in March 1998 and nominated in 1999 for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, this live set - with two studio cuts - is a very good & very frustrating listen.

Miller, who tours extensively in Europe and Japan - and is only 47 years old, as of early 2007 - has made a legendary mark for himself in popular music as a producer, bassist, composer and arranger. But there is something missing in this critically-acclaimed set.

The live cuts have the feel of a "studio" CD being cut "live" due to most being faded out before completion, with the crowd noise negligible in the mix, almost as if they are part of the song's sound and not actually in the venues for a concert experience.

Kenny Garrett - soprano and alto saxophones - and guitarist Hiram Bullock have surprisingly subdued roles in the music, which is dominated by Miller bouncing from funk to smooth jazz sounds on the bass. Well, it is Miller's band after all, but Garrett and Bullock have defined themselves as some of the best soloists for this generation's jazz artists.

Intro finds Miller carrying the beat in a funky mode, but it is his weaving into Panther's quirky rhythm that is nothing short of brilliant. Though his brief bass solo on Tutu adds nothing to one of his most famous collaborative efforts with Miles Davis, Michael Stewart on trumpet turns in a solid performance in a role that is virtually impossible to fill.

Vocalist Lalah Hathaway adds new meaning to the standard, Summertime, and People Make The World Go Round is a nice send-off, though each musician receives so little solo space. Out of the pair of studio tracks, the Donald Fagan-like groove on Jazz In The House is clearly the best.

What makes for a truly great live show is equal parts of heart & soul from the musicians and the audience. Live & More - though outstanding musically - has a disconnect in that equation which musicianship alone cannot overcome.

Marcus Miller is one of the best bass players and producers around. He's huge in Japan for those who know their jazz. This recording was done mostly in Japan and the sound quality is fantastic. The second song on this album is astounding, easily the best bass work since Jaco Pastorius. For his versatility in producing see Luther Vandross latest album I Know, the song I'm only human.

You love smooth jazz, with a lot of funky bass then look no further to this smooth jazz bassist Marcus Miller, also along side with vocalist Lelah Hathaway (daughter of the late great Donnie Hathaway), this is an awesome CD, real music to get your foot tappin' and head bouncin' and with the crowd in the background applaudin' it feels as if you're at a niteclub, real and all live.

Until I heard Tales, this was my favourite Miller album. For somebody who started playing bass after hearing Marcus, I consider this album quite important. Admittedly the recording quality is generally poor, but the music really has form. After seeing MM live a few weeks ago I can say that this really is a good example of him live, (altho the audience when I saw him was much more enthusiastic than the ones on this CD!).

For me the highlights of this album are a stunning 10 minute live rendition of 'Tutu', which MM origonally wrote for miles in '86, and 'Funny'. Marcus' Bass Clarinet work on tracks such as 'Maputo' is flawless and shows what a highly versatile multi-instrumentalist he is.

The session musicians are excellent all-round and Hiram Bullock's wailing guitar solos really add a vibrant contrast to marcus' bass. Patches manages to get the Miles feel across well in tracks like 'Tutu' whilst incorporating his own highly articulate style. Poogie's drumming is also flawless, if a little unimaginative at times.

To be honest, the two bonus studio tracks aren't really worth listening to, and are reminisent of some of the highly over-produced material like some of the tracks on 'The Sun Dont Lie'.

If you are Marcus Miller fan, with out a doubt - buy it. And if you are new to MM, you should buy it just because it is a brilliant example of Jazz, Funk, and Fusion.

A must for anyone who plays the BASS or thing about playing the BASS. Marcus Miller is a gifted artist and producer. Check out his work for Luther Vandross and David Sanborn.

I've seen him twice at European Jazz Festivals. This is, alas, the one and only live album I have found. YET, this is the real caricature of Marcus Miller. This is definitely what he sounds like in concert.

I had huge expectations for this album, especially after the two exceptional earlier studio albums. They were great productions and recordings, especially 'Tales'. This live album is over-indulgent and there are some over-the-top long & dull bass solos here. The music sounds like it was played very loud and the recording is pretty average - not much of the subtle stuff comes out. Its a shame, because Marcus normally only deals in quality stuff. My advice; Stick to the studio albums. This is not enought to put me off though, & I'll buy the next album he releases!

There are a lot of superlative musicians out there who add flavor to other people's albums, but the problem is that all those people want them and they never get around to their own creative impulses (as witness Greg Phillinganes). The best they usually do is a studio effort or two, and those widely separated. Marcus Miller was the rock on which the great Miles Davis built his latter-day "church" (hear Miller's own version of "Tutu", which he wrote for Miles--it's on this album), but two studio albums of his own ("The Sun Don't Lie" and "Tales") is all we have from him so far. Not much to build a live album on; maybe that's why a rather weak version of the Beatles' only legitimate funk number, "Come Together", is included here. As well as "People Make the World Go Round", a number that was lame right from jumpstreet. You should have given us at least one more studio album first, Marcus. Then this disc would have been all you as well--no filler.