Miles Davis: “Mr. Pastorius” featuring Marcus Miller

[Dr. Cheese]

I remember when a pretty snarky newbie posted asked if Marcus Miller could walk through the changes. Me and many other people replied that he certainly can although most of his music is Funk based and does not swing with walking bass the way Jazz usually does. I remember posting several clips that this person dismissed because they weren't Ron Carter or Paul Chambers style walking. I forgot the video that was posted that eventually silenced his skepticism. That said asking questions and debate is a big part of learning if we do it with an open mind. I just wish I had known to post the video above where Marcus Miller goes through a nice segment of walking on his fretless Fodera.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Here is another version without the banter .

 

[DWBass]

Awesome tune

 

[Auer]

Monumental

 

[ThomAudubon]

This was unbelievable! This was the greatest post ever! There should be an annual award around here on TB to acknowledge killer posts like this! Maybe call it a 'TeeBee' nominated for, say, '2024's Most Interesting and Informative Video Post'. The mind boggles at the thought! (Grazie anchora al Dottore di Formaggio!!)

 

[Dr. Cheese]

This was unbelievable! This was the greatest post ever! There should be an annual award around here on TB to acknowledge killer posts like this! Maybe call it a 'TeeBee' nominated for, say, '2024's Most Interesting and Informative Video Post'. The mind boggles at the thought! (Grazie anchora al Dottore di Formaggio!!)

That was a night when a group of great musicians were at the top of their game. I'm happy to share the video. Miles' tone was incredible. Remember that he only had two more years to live. Kenny Garrett sounded like a worthy successor to John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. Marcus Miller was the composer and the glue that held it together. The drummer and keyboards were on point too.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Here is PDbass playing the melody on acoustic.

 

[ThomAudubon]

Here is PDbass playing the melody on acoustic.

I'm gonna try to transcribe and/or memorize this. Thanks again.

 

[ThomAudubon]

I'm gonna try to transcribe and/or memorize this. Thanks again.

[EDIT] Ummm, after further consideration the above is hereby rendered inoperative until further notice!

 

[faulknersj]

That was fantastic! Thank you for posting!

 

[JRA]

posers have a difficult time acquiescing...it would spoil the game they're trying to play in everyone else's head!


thanks for the post, doc, those guys were on fire! marcus miller was/is irrepressible...obviously.

 

[RodneyM]

Such a great show. SNL and Night Music were great resources for non cable music on TV.

And the newbie who asked if Marcus could walk through the changes...deserves to be publicly chastized.

 

[logdrum]

If it was a newbie, it was a valid question and it is your duty to educate and show examples. Even if Marcus can't walk, Miles always evolved and he always chose the right musician for the the music he is playing at that time. Marcus is great whetehr he could walk or not. And if he can duplicate himself and played a bass clarinet solo instead of Kenny, it will be equally genius. He is one of my favorites bass clarinet player.

Almost everyone who played with Miles became leaders and he encouraged every one to leave the nest. There lies his greatness, much more than any of the music he composed or recorded. Not so many of the great leaders did what Miles did in developing these geniuses.

 

[DWBass]

Such a great show. SNL and Night Music were great resources for non cable music on TV.

And the newbie who asked if Marcus could walk through the changes...deserves to be publicly chastised.

Agreed. So many slag on Marcus because he slaps more often than not but he's a great all around player and multi-instrumentalist who has written some great music over the years. A true contemporary and legend.

"Laughs"@ Marcus can't walk!! Did you see Miles' face when they went into the walking section?? I'm betting he was impressed!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

If it was a newbie, it was a valid question and it is your duty to educate and show examples. Even if Marcus can't walk, Miles always evolved and he always chose the right musician for the the music he is playing at that time. Marcus is great whetehr he could walk or not. And if he can duplicate himself and played a bass clarinet solo instead of Kenny, it will be equally genius. He is one of my favorites bass clarinet player.

Almost everyone who played with Miles became leaders and he encouraged every one to leave the nest. There lies his greatness, much more than any of the music he composed or recorded. Not so many of the great leaders did what Miles did in developing these geniuses.

The question was fair, but the tone of the questioner seemed demeaning. If Jaco didn't look down on Marcus, Joe Zawinul wanted to hire him at 17, and Miles did hire him, you better be phenomenal if you are questioning his skill.

 

[StatesideRambler]

I remember when a pretty snarky newbie posted asked if Marcus Miller could walk through the changes. Me and many other people replied that he certainly can although most of his music is Funk based and does not swing the walking bass in Jazz usually does. I remember posting several clips that this person dismissed because they weren't Ron Carter or Paul Chambers style walking.

One of my least favorite things about the TB forum is the frequency of disparaging comments about successful players by, shall we say, less successful players. Many of the big name popular music players have serious music education, including from big name schools (e.g. Berklee, New England Conservatory, Juilliard, U of North Texas) and schools of hard knocks (house musicians in clubs, studio musicians, sidemen for such as Miles, Zawinul, Blakey). These folks are successful not due to the chops they have but in their understanding of the music they're playing and knowing when to apply their chops vs. when to lay back.

 

[climber]

Love that tune and that era of Miles.

 

[ole Jason]

More to the point, the way he's playing that walking line displays a pretty deep understanding of how to swing and outline the changes in a way that makes sense and meaningfully contributes to the music. It's definitely not something he just sort of memorized to play on that specific tune even though it isn't the way he normally plays.

I'd love to hear him play that style more, really killer stuff.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

More to the point, the way he's playing that walking line displays a pretty deep understanding of how to swing and outline the changes in a way that makes sense and meaningfully contributes to the music. It's definitely not something he just sort of memorized to play on that specific tune even though it isn't the way he normally plays.

I'd love to hear him play that style more, really killer stuff.

That is why I shared this. Miller's walking swings as well as any double bassist who does this every day. I would love to hear him swing and walk more often too.

 

[MrB64]

Awesome, thank you for posting this!