Jazz bassist Marcus Miller recently swept through the area on tour, and he performed several shows at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis, Maryland!

Steve Satzberg was there to photograph Marcus Miller and his band in concert.

The following copy is adapted from the artist’s press materials.

Marcus’ most recent studio album was the new genre-defying record Laid Black, released in 2018. With it, Miller incorporated modern, urban elements into his music from trap, hiphop, R&B to gospel. Of this music, Miller said: “After Afrodeezia where I did a lot of traveling all over the world, I thought it would be cool to bring into the mix, some of the influences of our time that I was listening to right here at home. My band and the guest artists I recruited to collaborate with on this album are all versatile enough to play music ranging from be-bop to hip-hop. That made the musical mix I wanted to pursue on this album very possible.

Stream Laid Back by Marcus Miller on Spotify:

At the top of his game for over 30 years, Marcus Miller is a two-time Grammy award winner (USA), winner of the 2013 Edison Award for Lifetime Achievement In Jazz (Holland), winner of the 2010 Victoire du Jazz (France), and in 2013, was appointed a UNESCO Artist For Peace.

His characteristic bass sound can be heard on a limitless catalog of musical hits from Bill Wither’s “Just The Two Of Us” to Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much” to songs from Chaka Khan, David Sanborn, Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Elton John, and Bryan Ferry to name a few.

With his distinctive style — a unique combination of funk, groove, soul, and pure technical skills — Miller has been referred to as one of the most significant bass players in jazz, R &B, fusion and soul. Bass Player Magazine includes him on its list of ten most influential jazz players of this generation.

Here are some photos of Marcus Miller performing at Rams Head on Stage on June 10, 2023. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.