Marcus Miller
M2

Directly from the splendid world of exceptional musicians and great talents, destined to become illustrious personalities of that beautiful and colorful chromatic table known as "fusion"-"jazz-rock", and who in the eighties collaborated with the precursor of electric jazz, Miles Davis, the central pivot of a musical movement that, over the years, entered history indelibly, the bassist and multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller also made his appearance back in 1981 alongside Mike Stern (guitar), Bill Evans (sax), and Al Foster (drums), guided by the master and with the support of other excellent musicians, giving life to "The Man With The Horn", one of the most beautiful and important sessions of that period.

Despite Miller's work alongside the jazz musician being so appreciated even in the following sessions that he was entrusted with almost the total realization of his last two publications, "Tutu" (1986) and "Amandla" (1989), works certainly more "cold" and "artificial" than the previous ones but nonetheless truly enjoyable, from which some compositions categorized among the classics of the late Davis like the same "Tutu" or "Mr Pastorius" were born, his complete maturation as an artist and musician was yet to come and is detectable in the first half of the 90s, a period immediately following the collaboration with Davis, when the bassist releases some finely crafted albums that definitively highlight his qualities as a sensitive and profound artist, a musician with high technical skills and with a very solid preparation deeply rooted in jazz.

M2, an album released in 2001, winner of a Grammy award, represents the pinnacle of Miller's most mature and prolific phase; in this beautifully played album, the bassist throws in the face of his listeners the fruit of years of experience alongside great musicians, he throws his love for jazz, funk, and blues with a unique taste and sensitivity, throws the love for his African American origins and for his people while winking at musical trends and fashions closer to this generation. Forget the virtuosity and hyper-technicalities present in so much fusion music, Miller is not a simple performer, everything you will find in this record, first and foremost the warm sound of his Fender Jazz, the funk accompaniments often invigorated by samples and a fair dose of electronics, the use of strings and wind instruments in the arrangements to enrich the compositions, the presence of excellent musicians in the sessions are means he uses to touch the soul and human sensitivity.

Let this suffice to make us realize how the bassist is keen not to overdo it, leaving room for good taste with the awareness that his instrument is a means of expression and only that. "Power", the track that will start as soon as you insert the CD into the player will immediately make us realize the stylistic choices of this musician: the slapped bass line, warm and vigorous, will make its appearance supported by drums, keyboards, and the "water" effect, soon the bass line will transform into the melancholic main theme, sublimely enriched not only by the keyboards but also by the appearance of strings used more than appropriately; the beautiful solo is composed of a few notes wanting to be "essential" but absolutely not banal. Worth mentioning is also the beautiful "Cousin John", along the lines of "Power", a "fake" ballad in a funk key splendidly supported by a Wayne Shorter on soprano sax in a state of grace, by the already mentioned strings, flute, and oboe. There are also reinterpretations of some jazz standards, "Lonnie's lament" by John Coltrane and "Goodbye Pork Pye Hat" by Charles Mingus to be exact, revisited by the bassist in an enjoyable and personal manner.
To finish, I want to mention "Your Amazing Grace" where Miller temporarily abandons the electric bass as a solo instrument and takes up the bass clarinet played in this piece in an excellent manner, supported by Chaka Khan in the sung interpretation of the main theme and by an excellent Kenny Garrett in the exchange of phrases between clarinet and soprano sax supported by the vocalizations of Chaka's warm voice.

What else can I add except that if you already know Marcus Miller this is an album you absolutely must have, if you don't know him, you might start with this splendid album.