Independent Lens: We Want the Funk

It is not a coincidence bass players are so well represented in this documentary. Funk would not be funk without those funky bass lines, so naturally bassists like Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Michael Veal, and Carlos Alomar are happy to talk about the groovy music. McBride is best known for jazz and Miller has played just about everything, but they were all influenced by funk greats like Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins. Of course, everyone was also influenced by James Brown, who continues to shape music, particularly hip hop, as the most sampled recording artist of all-time (unless you count Clyde Stubblefield, the actual drummer on Brown’s “Funky Drummer” track). Regardless, filmmakers Stanley Nelson & Nicole London chronicle the incredibly danceable music in “We Want the Funk,” which airs tomorrow on PBS, as part of the current season of Independent Lens.

As the battery of bassists explain, funk was built on a deceptively simple sounding groove. However, really locking into the rhythmic patterns required a lot of rehearsal. Alomar would know, because he was hired (and fired) by James Brown. Funk decidedly contrasted with the more “genteel” and scrupulously non-political Motown, as the somewhat polemical opening explains. (However, nobody mentions James Brown’s later endorsement of Richard Nixon).

Nelson, London, and their cast of expert musicians do a nice job explaining how innovators like George Clinton of Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly Stone developed the sounds that became funk, while the messages of James Brown’s anthems such as “Say It Loud” captured the zeitgeist of their era. Brown also became an international sensation, who was beloved throughout the newly independent African nations.

Similarly, Nelson and London explain how African artists like Fela Kuti and Manu Dibango (who also sounded pretty “jazzy”) synthesized American funk, fused it with their Afrobeat and “Makossa” styles, and then successfully re-imported their funk back to American listeners. There is also some nice coverage of Afrofuturistic expressions in funk, which references the great avant-garde jazz bandleader (and self-proclaimed Saturn resident) Sun Ra.

Marcus, on OVID.tv

Marcus Miller is probably the top electric bassist currently performing in jazz, funk, or soul. His closest competition would likely be Stanley Clarke, who performed with Miller in a bass trio (rounded out with Victor Wooten). Regardless, Miller has recorded (and often produced) some of the most popular jazz of his era, including some of the best regarded late-period Miles Davis. The bassist takes stock, while he keeps moving forward in Patrick Savey’s documentary Marcus, which premieres Thursday on OVID.tv.

Late in Marcus, Miller describes his music as “funk on the bottom and jazz on top.” That is rather apt. Although he has played with “smooth” musicians like David Sanborn and Kirk Whalum (who duly appear in Marcus), he has also performed and recorded with legends like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter (who are also celebrated alumni of Miles Davis’s bands). They two discuss Miller and Davis at length throughout Savey’s film. Yet, the first musician we see and hear in Marcus happens to be Ahmad Jamal, which is saying something.

Frankly, the music Davis recorded on Warner Brothers, after he left Columbia, is a bit hit-or-miss, but most critics and fans have a lot of respect for Tutu, which Miller composed and largely structured in the studio in much the same way Two Macero did with Bitches Brew. Frankly, just hearing Miller discuss this process will be enough to satisfy most jazz fans. Then, listening to him revisit this music live, for the first time, with Christian Scott on trumpet, is quite a bonus.

Arguably, Miller has the chops and the depth to make fusion respectable for old school jazz fans, while his funk sensibility remains accessible to mainstream pop audiences. Nobody really says that outright in Marcus, but the gist of it comes through loud and clear.

Marcus Eponymously

Marcus
By Marcus Miller
Concord Records

Marcus Miller is part of the exclusive “Sons of Miles” fraternity of former Davis sideman. Miller was in fact, the unofficial music director and composer for the group during his tenure with the legendary trumpeter. Yet, those Warner Brothers years remain controversial with Davis fans. That combination of jazz, funk, and pop sensibilities that marked Miller’s collaborations with Davis is also in evidence on Miller’s latest, simply titled Marcus.

Miller has worked with jazz artists like McCoy Tyner, the Breckers, and Lenny White, as well as pop figures, including an important association with Luther Vandross, so he is comfortable continuing to mix genres. In truth, Marcus could be divided into two records, a bass dominated jazz-funk record and a set of pop vocals featuring famous guest stars, including Corinne Bailey Rae and Keb’ Mo.’ While the latter tracks would appeal more to fans of the guest vocalists, the instrumental selections make for a surprisingly enjoyable set of accessible funk-jazz.

As it is his session, Miller’s electric bass is up-front in the mix, but we hear him on other instruments as well, like the sitar on the nicely textured opener “Blast!” Miller sets a kind groove and highlights his solo chops on the following “Blues Joint.” There is a lot of funk throughout, as on “Strum,” which ought to be licensed by a commercial producer for the sense of cool it exudes.

Davis is represented with “Jean Pierre.” Like the preceding “Strum” it benefits from the contributions of French harmonica player Gregoire Maret, formerly of the Pat Metheny Group. He can also be heard to advantage on “When I Fall in the Love,” the straightest jazz performance of the set. With Miller carrying the melody on bass clarinet (his unlikely double), it is an unusual but effective combination of sounds.

Of the vocal tracks, “Free” featuring Rae and “Ooh” with Lalah Hathaway should appeal to fans of the singers. Each also features some tasteful bass accompaniment from Miller, to keep his fans satisfied. However, the very electric “Milky Way,” co-written by Keb’ Mo’ and Miller, may not be what the contemporary bluesman’s listeners are used to hearing from him. He is also heard through samples on the following “Pluck (Interlude),” a driving selection that easily fits with the set’s other instrumental tracks.

Despite the Miles Davis seal of approval (or because of it at that stage of his career), many purists might dismiss Miller as a pop or smooth musician. Marcus makes a strong case for his musicianship and could surprise some listeners. Its instrumental tracks will be red meat for jazz-funksters out there, but certainly will not intimidate the fans of his pop guests.