Marcus was born to a musical family in Brooklyn and was raised in Jamaica, NY on Long Island. He took after his father, an amateur jazz pianist and church organist and at the age of ten he picked up the clarinet, later adding piano and bass to his musical arsenal. At age 15, he secured his first professional gig with the New York club band, Harlem River Drive, before discovering jazz, by the age of 16, and joining forces with flautist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith.

Marcus spent the next few years as a studio musician in New York, making sessions with Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, David Sanborn and others. In 1980 he joined Miles Davis and went on to spend two years with the fabled jazzman. "He (Davis) didn't settle for anything mediocre, which helped me develop my style," Marcus says. "I learned from him that you have to be honest about who you are and what you do, If you follow that, you won't have problems."

Following his stint with Davis, Miller produced his first major album, Sanborn's "Backstreet" and issued his own debut record, "Suddenly (on Warner Bros. Records). In 1986, he produced the legendary "Tutu" for Davis, followed by his second solo album, "Marcus Miller." In 1991 Marcus won a Best R&B Song Grammy for "Power of Love/Love Power," a song he co-wrote with Teddy Vann and Luther Vandross.

In the past several years, Miller has also turned his attention to film scoring, composing for House Party, Boomerang (Eddie Murphy and Halle Berry), Siesta, Ladies' Man, and The Brothers as well as contributing to Spike Lee's School Daze soundtrack. He has also produced albums for the likes of Wayne Shorter and Chaka Khan.

Miller's latest album, The Essential Marcus Miller, is out now on Dreyfus Jazz

Official website:
www.marcusmiller.com

Line-up:
Marcus Miller - bass
Poogie Bell - drums
Patches Stewart - trumpet
Keith Anderson - saxophone
Bobby Sparks - keyboards
Gregoire Maret – harmonica