This thread has been prompted by listening to a mid-nineties album by Wayne Shorter called "High life" which I had initially missed at the time as tge saxophonist's name was then synonomous with fusion. Somehow, I always felt that Shorter was behind the curve in the 1990's. Part of the attraction of this record is a track called "On the Milky Way Express" which I think is one of Shorter's most appealing compositions.
The album is a curious mix of edgy- fusion and orchestral writing and, as ever, the main draw is the exceptional quality and originality of Shorter's writing. However, I never appreciated that the bass on the record was played by Marcus miller who also directed the orchestra which appears on the most "outside" recordings. Despite not being quite the masterclass in music making that the subsequent quartet turned out to be, this is an pretty under-valued record which features Shorter's idiosyncratic approach to improvised lines and the wlaking on egg shells kind of harmony at which he excels. The orchestral charts were all orchestrated by Shorter too.
The surprising thing about the record is the bass playing of Marcus Miller, a musician whose place in the pantheon of more FM-friendly jazz is assured following the success of Miles' "Tutu" but his appearance on this record is a master-class whereby he eschews the easy option of easy-on-the-ear funk for some amazingly snaky lines. this is a more representative track:-
Listening over and over again to this record, the importance of Miller in this sound of the group seems to be integral in why the music works. There is a version of his celebrated "children of the night" where Miller's bass playing is terrific and the re-working of the arrangement definately improves the composition to my ears.
I think that Marcus Miller has always been a good draw whenever i have heard him perform live. This year he more than held his own amidst the fast company of Wayne , Herbie and John Scofield as they toured Europe. I think that fans who only knew Miller from his work on "tutu" would have been surprised just how outside his playing could be whilst always maintaining a serious groove. However, because he plays a bass guitar and not the more highly considered acoustic bass he isn't taken quite as serious by some jazz fans. However, I really think that Miller should be considered far more seriously and given his due as a musician who is as important and readily identifiable in his own way as someone like Paul Chambers. As far as I am concerned (and speaking as somone who is usually a sceptic with more "fusion" related jazz) Miller is an absolute monster of a player.
The album is a curious mix of edgy- fusion and orchestral writing and, as ever, the main draw is the exceptional quality and originality of Shorter's writing. However, I never appreciated that the bass on the record was played by Marcus miller who also directed the orchestra which appears on the most "outside" recordings. Despite not being quite the masterclass in music making that the subsequent quartet turned out to be, this is an pretty under-valued record which features Shorter's idiosyncratic approach to improvised lines and the wlaking on egg shells kind of harmony at which he excels. The orchestral charts were all orchestrated by Shorter too.
The surprising thing about the record is the bass playing of Marcus Miller, a musician whose place in the pantheon of more FM-friendly jazz is assured following the success of Miles' "Tutu" but his appearance on this record is a master-class whereby he eschews the easy option of easy-on-the-ear funk for some amazingly snaky lines. this is a more representative track:-
Listening over and over again to this record, the importance of Miller in this sound of the group seems to be integral in why the music works. There is a version of his celebrated "children of the night" where Miller's bass playing is terrific and the re-working of the arrangement definately improves the composition to my ears.
I think that Marcus Miller has always been a good draw whenever i have heard him perform live. This year he more than held his own amidst the fast company of Wayne , Herbie and John Scofield as they toured Europe. I think that fans who only knew Miller from his work on "tutu" would have been surprised just how outside his playing could be whilst always maintaining a serious groove. However, because he plays a bass guitar and not the more highly considered acoustic bass he isn't taken quite as serious by some jazz fans. However, I really think that Miller should be considered far more seriously and given his due as a musician who is as important and readily identifiable in his own way as someone like Paul Chambers. As far as I am concerned (and speaking as somone who is usually a sceptic with more "fusion" related jazz) Miller is an absolute monster of a player.
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