Marcus Miller… A Night in Monte-Carlo

Review by Editor Jake Kot –

A Night in Monte-Carlo represents Marcus Miller at his best, flaunting his multifaceted musical identity as bassist, composer, arranger, interpreter, and leader. A Night in Monte-Carlo is an evening of music featuring such greats as Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove, Raul Midon, Federico Gonzalez Pena, and Alex Han playing along with the very talented and inspired Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Compositionally, it features a tour-de-force genre splitting array of tunes from the pen of Marcus, jazz classics, and two styles of opera…a welcome 21st century musical approach from a true musical icon. A full listening to this concert put me through every conceivable emotion I could imagine, a hard find these days in my opinion. Add to that the level of musicianship offered from everyone involved and you have a rare musical moment in time that embodies in every sense the concept of music being the true universal language. Everyone’s more than inspired playing blends together to the greater good of the composition, and I’m driven to repeat yet another cliché in my phraseology as a reviewer, this is truly a music for music sakes endeavor.

A seriously high recommendation almost falls short of my need to have everyone consider taking the time to experience one of the best musical efforts I’ve heard in years. This CD will be available to the public on February 1st, 2011. Visit online at www.marcusmiller.com.

Jake Kot