Marcus Miller + Ashley Henry Trio @ London Jazz Festival, Royal Festival Hall November 12

Marcus Miller (bass/vocal); Alex Han (alto); Marquis Hill (trumpet); Pasquale Styrizzi (keys); Alex Bailey (drums).
(Review by Jude)

Anyone who knows me and my obsession with Mr Miller will expect more objectification than objectivity from this review, however, I’ll try to keep a cool head.

Blown away by Marcus Miller’s visit to Sage Gateshead, on the Afrodeezia tour, and only one night after seeing Pat Metheny’s storming 2.5 hour slot in Hull, could this live up to our expectations?

Indeed it could. Starting the set with a new and funky tune, Marcus was in upfront mood from the off, rapping on the mic, slapping and soloing as superbly as you would expect. The band, a quintet, is slightly sparser than on the previous British tour, but the groove is, if anything, even more impressive. This was clearly demonstrated in several tracks from the previous album – Hylife (again with Miller vocalising in places), B’s River and the astounding cover of Papa Was a Rolling Stone.
These retained Miller’s and (superb) altoist Alex Han’s soloing, with fiery trumpeter Marquis Hill echoing Hugh Masakela lines on the afrobeats of Hylife, and keyboard player Pasquale Strizzi adding unsettling harmonic undertones via his heavily modulated keyboard sound.  Drums from Alex Bailey were powerful and funky, with the beat always developing, never static.  The arrangements were harder and edgier than previously, and the tunes took on a new life.

The gospel-inflected Preacher’s Kid featured a touching introduction from Miller, reflecting on how his father (the eponymous preacher’s kid) is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, but can still recognise his son as they look so alike. It also brought forth reminiscences of his father’s pride when Marcus first got the call to join Miles Davis at the age of 21. And we thought that 26-year-old Ashley Henry, from the support set, was a young lion! Rich, sonorous bass clarinet from the band leader, and a stunning reworking by the horns of the vocal harmonies of the original recording made this an incredibly moving performance: they literally took it to church.

Aside from new pieces and selections from Afrodeezia, there was a superb reinvention of the chord structure for Night in Tunisia, and a searching, eerily reharmonised, version of Tutu, the tune Miller wrote for Miles Davis back in the 1980s. Again, Strizzi’s heavily phased keyboard sounds, moving in and out of pitch, added an extra layer of tension and power to this majestic piece of music.

A triumphant set, leading to an inevitable encore.  Miller returned to the stage alone, to sit atop a monitor and perform a transcendent solo version of the Jackson Five’s I’ll be There (as first heard on the Renaissance album but, as always, with fresh and astounding improvisational lines throughout).  Joined again by the band, Miller rounded off a truly stunning evening with the storming, flamenco-esque Blast.  The only regret is that the Royal Festival Hall isn’t all that well set up for dancing. I, and my companions on the balcony, did our best with space between the rows of seats.  

Jude.

This Sunday evening performance also featured an impressive support slot by up and coming young British pianist, Ashley Henry (with a storming trio). Poised and powerful, there were times when Ashley Henry reminded me of Robert Glasper; at other times, the woman sitting next to me commented that there were echoes of Ahmad Jamal. Impressive.