Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Marcus Miller was a teenager when he decided to break free of what’s expected from a bass guitar player, a role not always associated with being the driving force or center of attention.
The two-time Grammy Award winner credits keyboard player Denzil Miller, a band mate in 1970s New York group Harlem River Drive, for encouraging a comprehensive approach to music.
“He said to me, ‘You’re not a complete musician unless you’re composing and you’re arranging and doing the whole picture,’” Marcus Miller said during a video interview. “Whether that’s true or not, I didn’t judge. I accepted it as the truth and I started composing my tunes.”
Now 65, Miller will bring a world-class resume to Indianapolis for his Sept. 28 appearance at Indy Jazz Fest. He wrote most of the songs on “Tutu,” a 1986 album by Miles Davis, and he co-wrote dozens of songs with Luther Vandross. Miller co-wrote 1988 party anthem “Da Butt” for Spike Lee film “School Daze” and Miller paid tribute to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall by scoring 2017 film “Marshall.”
In 1982, David Sanborn won the Grammy Award for best R&B instrumental performance for the song “All I Need is You.” Miller wrote the song and played bass on the recording.
Saxophone player Sanborn, who died in May at age 78, and Miller forged a friendship when they played together in the “Saturday Night Live” band in the late 1970s.
Miller’s Indy Jazz Fest performance at Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park is scheduled the same night as the first episode of the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live.”
The bass player was part of the “SNL” band during two transitional seasons. The first, 1979-80, was the final year for original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner.
Miller’s second season, 1980-81, was notable for the debut of Eddie Murphy.
“They make the rookies warm up the audiences before the cameras roll,” Miller said of the live show’s traditions. “To see this kid get up there and have the audience cracking up was a treat. You thought, ‘Man, this guy is going to go far.”
Miller wrote the score for Murphy’s 1992 film “Boomerang,” and the pair reunited when Miller wrote the score for Murphy’s 2023 holiday film “Candy Cane Lane.”
In the 1980s, a sports agent introduced Miller to Indiana Pacers forward Wayman Tisdale. Before his death in 2009, Tisdale recorded nine albums as a smooth jazz bass guitarist.
“It was a beautiful relationship,” Miller said of his friendship with Tisdale. “All he wanted to do was ask me about playing with Luther or playing with Miles or playing with Sanborn. All I wanted to do was ask him about Jordan and Magic. We just entertained each other.”
This year’s edition of Indy Jazz Fest will be presented Sept. 17-28 at three Indianapolis venues.
Miller will perform on the Sept. 28 “grand finale” bill headlined by “I Feel For You” singer Chaka Khan. Smooth jazz pioneer Michael Franks and the Indianapolis-based Steve Allee Magic Hour Band also will perform.
Actor-musician Malcolm-Jamal Warner, known for his work on 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show,” will play bass guitar and showcase his spoken-word poetry Sept. 21 at the Cabaret, 924 Pennsylvania St.
The Cabaret and the Jazz Kitchen, 5377 N. College Ave., will host Indy Jazz Fest performances Sept. 17-25. For more information, visit indyjazzfest.net.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.