Renaissance (Marcus Miller album)

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Renaissance
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 28, 2012 (2012-05-28)
Studio
  • Sear Sound, New York City
  • Hannibal Studio, Santa Monica, California
  • The Music Shed, New Orleans, Louisiana
GenreJazz-funk
Length1:12:29
LabelConcord Jazz
Producer
Marcus Miller chronology
Marcus
(2008)
Renaissance
(2012)
Afrodeezia
(2015)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
AllMusic[2]
Financial Times[3]
The Guardian[4]

Renaissance is the ninth solo studio album by American musician Marcus Miller. It was released on May 28, 2012 through Concord Jazz. Recording sessions took place at Sear Sound in New York City with additional recording at Hannibal Studio in Santa Monica and at the Music Shed in New Orleans. The album features contributions from Dr. John on vocals, Federico González Peña, Kris Bowers and Bobby Sparks on keyboards, Adam Rogers, Adam Agati and Paul Jackson Jr. on guitar, Louis Cato on drums, Ramon Yslas on percussion, Alex Han on alto saxophone, Maurice Brown and Sean Jones on trumpet, with guest appearances from Gretchen Parlato and Rubén Blades.

Reception[edit]

Phil Wein of No Treble stated "This is definitely one of Marcus Miller’s best solo records and is an essential release for his fans and highly recommended for listeners who what to more occasionally get a taste of where Marcus is at. It’s not music to challenge a jazz audience with improvisation at the frontiers of sound, but you knew that. What it is: natural sounding music with intensity and groove designed to make an audience feel good. It’s funky music very well written and beautifully arranged. It’s smooth, soulful jazz. It’s deeply grooving music that combines jazz, funk, Brazilian and other influences effortlessly. It’s Marcus Miller at his best".[5] S. Victor Aaron of Something Else! commented "Renaissance isn’t a revolutionary album, but there’s an attention to detail, the openness to a multitude of styles, and Miller’s strongest set of songs in some time. All of those things seemed to inspire the younger generation of players in his band to play up to the material and respond to Miller’s direction with a rare combination of looseness and preciseness. Where those guys go from here, that’s where the real rebirth will happen".[6]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Detroit"Marcus Miller5:45
2."Redemption"Marcus Miller6:09
3."February"Marcus Miller4:15
4."Slippin' into Darkness"9:17
5."Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)" (featuring Gretchen Parlato & Rubén Blades)
6:39
6."Jekyll & Hyde"Marcus Miller6:30
7."Nocturnal Mist" (Interlude)Luther "Mano" Hanes1:16
8."Revelation"Marcus Miller4:46
9."Mr. Clean"Weldon Irvine, Jr.5:01
10."Gorée (Go-ray)"Marcus Miller5:38
11."Cee-Tee-Eye"Marcus Miller7:39
12."Tightrope"5:46
13."I'll Be There"3:48
Total length:1:12:29

Personnel[edit]

Technical
  • Harold Goode – associate producer, executive producer
  • Harry Martin Jr. – executive producer
  • David Isaac – mixing (tracks: 1-8, 11)
  • Taka Honda – mixing (tracks: 10, 12, 13), additional recording
  • Bruce A. Miller – mixing (track 9)
  • Chris Allen – recording
  • Chris Finney – additional recording
  • Kevin Harper – assistant engineer
  • George Shaw – assistant engineer
  • Darcy Proper – mastering
  • Jack Frisch – art direction & design
  • Mathieu Zazzo – photography
  • Josh Semolik – photography
  • Bibi Green – photography, management

Chart history[edit]

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7] 141
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[8] 138
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 26
French Albums (SNEP)[10] 63
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 80
UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)[12] 5
US Billboard 200[13] 170
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[14] 1
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[15] 3

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kelman, John (December 4, 2012). "Marcus Miller: Renaissance". All About Jazz. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  2. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Renaissance – Marcus Miller". AllMusic. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  3. ^ Hobart, Mike (9 June 2012). "Marcus Miller: Renaissance". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  4. ^ Fordham, John (May 31, 2012). "Marcus Miller: Renaissance – review | Music | The Guardian". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  5. ^ Wain, Phil (7 August 2012). "Marcus Miller's "Renaissance": A Review". No Treble. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  6. ^ Aaron, S. Victor (1 August 2012). "Marcus Miller - Renaissance (2012)". Something Else!. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Ultratop.be – Marcus Miller – Renaissance" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "Ultratop.be – Marcus Miller – Renaissance" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Marcus Miller – Renaissance" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  10. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 22, 2012)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Marcus Miller – Renaissance" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  12. ^ "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30: 03 June 2012 - 09 June 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  13. ^ "Marcus Miller Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  14. ^ "Marcus Miller Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  15. ^ "Marcus Miller Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2018.

External links[edit]

Marcus Miller – Renaissance at Discogs (list of releases)