Marcus Miller Interview Page 4

Smitty:  True that.

MM:  It’s not like the Love Boat, where there’s a bunch of shuffleboard.  I mean, there’s all sorts of stuff going on, on this Ship.  You’ll be amazed when you get on there, I stowed away on the Dave Koz cruise a couple of months ago just to see what it was like.  It really blew my mind, so I’m really excited about this. This is the opportunity for Americans who are interested in seeing Europe.  They can come and see some of the most beautiful European cities that they have to offer and at the same time you’ll get to hear some unbelievable music, so it’ll be an incredible, incredible, 13 days.

Smitty:  Yeah, and you’ve got my boy Roy Hargrove coming out.

MM:  Oh, man, Roy Hargrove’s gonna be there, we’re going to have James Carter on saxophone, man, we have John Scofield, Medeski Martin & Wood, David Sanborn said he’s going to come, so, you know, I’m working on Herbie Hancock, so…

Smitty:  Yeah, work on him hard.  (Laughs.)

MM:  Oh, you know I’m gonna work him, so don’t worry about it.

Smitty:  Yeah, man.  Well, when I saw that and after watching the DVD, I said “I gotta get on this ship.  I’ve got to get on this ship.”

MM:  It’ll be nice, man.  I think there’s a whole new place to hear music on a ship. We used to think of it as something for people who are retired, but it’s a whole different thing now. It’s something everybody can check out.

Smitty:  Yes indeed.  I’ve experienced the jazz cruise scene and I totally dig it, yeah.

MM:  Yeah, yeah, it’s nice.

Smitty:  And I would encourage everyone that have the opportunity, don’t pass this up because it’s that good.

MM:  Yeah, it’s great and you really get to relax and really get into the music because these ships are so huge, they have full-size concert halls in them.

Smitty:  Yes.

MM:  You know? And they’ve got clubs and bars and there’s basketball and there’s everything, so it’s just beautiful.

Smitty:  So are you gonna shoot some hoops on the ship?

MM:  Well, you know, if I can get (Wayman) Tisdale to show up, man, then, you know, I like to mess with him if I can get a couple of shots off on him.

Smitty:  (Laughing) Yeah. I think you could take him, man.

MM:  Well, I just keep moving, you know?  Put my little man moves on him, you know, he doesn’t feel like working that hard chasing me around the boat.  (Both laughing.)

Smitty:  All right, well, we’ve got the challenge out there.  Let’s see if he can answer, you know?  (Both laughing.)  Now, give me the dates for the North Sea Jazz Cruise.

MM:  Okay, the cruise dates are July 5th through the 17th. That’s including the North Sea Jazz Festival. I’m really excited. It’s the first one that we’re going to do like this and I’m really excited about it

Smitty:  All right.  So, now, what would you say to all of the great jazz fans out there if you had them all in front of you right now?  What would you say to them about this jazz cruise other than what you’ve said?

MM:  I’d say, “Imagine going to one of the most unbelievable concerts of your life, then after the concerts you go to sleep and you wake up in the morning, there’s that same musician eating breakfast there with you and you get to ask him, ‘What goes through your mind, man, when you’re playing a certain song?’ or ‘What is it that inspires you?’  You get to actually see and talk to the musicians rather than just go hear them play and then they disappear out of your life until next year or whenever they come back to your city.” I want you to really touch the music and really feel the music, so if you’re a music fan, it’s incredible.  The other thing is that everybody on the boat are like you. You’re going to feel like you’re a part of a big family because everyone loves the music, so it’s like being part of this beautiful family that just keeps growing.

Smitty:  Absolutely, my friend well said. I second the motion and I cannot say enough about this great cruise that’s coming up and this spectacular DVD. Now, are you working on some new music?

MM:  Working on some new music that I plan to have done for the spring so that by the time I get on that ship, I’ll have some new music to play, so….

Smitty:  That’s what I’m talking about!

MM:  I’m excited.

Smitty:  You’ve got so many things going.  How do you keep up?

MM:  I’m like a juggler with those balls juggling in their hands.  I just try not to let anything drop.

Smitty:  (Laughs.)  Well, you’re doing an exceptional job at this time, let me tell ya.

MM:  Oh, thank you, man.

Smitty:  You’re so welcome and I want to congratulate you on this great DVD, the wonderful cruise that you have coming up, looking forward to the new music, and also thanks, man, for keeping the funk alive.

MM:  Oh, you know we’re gonna keep the funk alive, you know that.

Smitty:  Yeah, man, and congratulations to everyone involved with this great DVD, all of the fantastic artists that you had on stage with you and the wonderful people at American Treasures, and the Knitting Factory. 

MM:  Thank you, man.  I’ll pass that on to everybody.

Smitty:  All right, we have been talking with the incredible Mr. Marcus Miller. He has released a wonderful new DVD, it’s called Master of All Trades and it is appropriately titled because he has mastered all trades in the music business and he has gone beyond that with a wonderful cruise, and what you see on that DVD is only just a teardrop of what you’re going to see on this wonderful North Sea Jazz Cruise.  Marcus, thanks again, my friend, and all the best to everything you’re doing in 2007.

MM:  Thank you, Smitty, and we’ll talk in 2007.

Please note: After this interview was posted Herbie Hancock has been added to the North Sea Jazz Cruise roster.

Baldwin “Smitty” Smith

For More Information Visit http://www.marcusmiller.com and http://www.northseajazzcruise.nl