MARCUS MILLER WITH JACO PASTORIUS / LIVE AT 55 GRAND 1984 (3CDR)

Marcus Miller - bass, vocals
Jaco Pastorius - bass, keyboards
Bernard Wright - keyboards, vocals
Kim Peluma - guitar
Lenny White - drums

Early Set *****
DISC 1
1. FREEDOM JAZZ DANCE
2. PEOPLE MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND
3. INVITATION
4. LIBERTY CITY
5. BLUES GROOVE
6. FUNKY BEAT

Late Set *****
DISC 2
1. FUNK GROOVE - fade out
2. PEOPLE MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND

DISC 3
3. MAIDEN VOYAGE / CONTINUUM
4. BLUES GROOVE
5. THE ANTHEM

This dream collaboration between Marcus Miller and Jaco Pastorius is captured here in a high-quality audience recording, spanning approximately 170 minutes. One might wonder, "How does it work having two bassists?" The answer is clear from the very first listen: their styles are polar opposites. Marcus employs a percussive, "slap" technique, while Jaco—playing a fretless bass—produces a mellow, smooth tone using his index and middle fingers. Their roles are perfectly distinct. It appears that Jaco—a true legend of fusion bass—joined a project featuring Marcus, who was riding a wave of momentum after being selected for Miles Davis’s 1981 comeback tour. Sadly, this period marked the beginning of a time when Jaco’s brilliant performances would become increasingly rare. Though their styles differed, this collaboration feels like a symbolic passing of the torch from Jaco—a superhuman of the bass—to the new-generation virtuoso, Marcus Miller. On drums is Lenny White, formerly of Return to Forever. Given that Marcus, Lenny White, and keyboardist Bernard Wright (who also performs here) would later go on to form The Jamaica Boys, it is no surprise that their interplay here is remarkably tight and well-coordinated.