Bassist, composer, and producer Marcus Miller has a hit on his hands with his version of the Deniece Williams classic "Free" featuring British songbird Corinne Bailey Rae. The tune is from his new solo set Marcus, released on his own Three Deuces label through Concord.
Miller says he had never met Bailey Rae when he decided to reach out to see if she would work with him. But his reputation as an R&B and jazz composer and producer for dozens of popular artists had apparently preceded him across the pond to the U.K.
He explained: "I was in the car and I heard her record, 'Put Your Records On.' I heard it on the radio, and I was like, wow, that sounds unique, who's that? They said Corinne Bailey Rae. And I'd seen advertisements and was always interested in what she might sound like, and when I heard her I got really excited. I called my manager and said, 'Look, can you find Corinne Bailey Rae and see if she'd be interested in doing something together?' And they called back and said, yeah, she's a big fan of yours."
Miller added that he has sent condolences but has not personally spoken with Bailey Rae since the tragic March 22nd death of her husband, in order to respect her privacy.
Miller is in the midst of a national tour to promote Marcus. The artist performs at Catalina's Bar & Grill in Los Angeles tonight (May 2nd) through Sunday, May 4th.
He will also serve as the host of the first Playboy Jazz Cruise, which sails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in January 2009.
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