The bassist, film composer, producer, and songwriter Marcus Miller has had the kind of prodigious, wide-ranging career that young musicians dream of; writing and producing for Miles Davis and Luther Vandross; playing with a dazzling range of artists, from Davis to Michael Jackson to Herbie Hancock to Frank Sinatra; composing scores for hit films like “House Party” and “Head of State,” and much more.
Miller visited the Frost School of Music this spring to relate stories and insights from his lifetime of music-making at the highest level in a masterclass for students. His advice ranged from the practical to the profound. On composing film scores, he told students that “the more complex a chord, the more confusing the emotion” and to remember “your job is to emotionally support the film.” He reminisced about playing with Aretha Franklin, who took time to build excitement in her live shows, “and when she got there, it was so powerful.” He talked about playing bass in funk bands as a teenager in Jamaica, Queens, when “it was all about being soulful and adding to the groove.” Whereas in jazz, “whoever’s soloing – they’re the preacher. It’s call and response. Even though it gets more complex, you’re still listening.” He told them to learn to play piano and that bass players who could play a supportive but rock-solid groove would always get the job. He even imitated Miles Davis in the studio “like a kid having a good time.”
Afterward, students said they were thrilled. “I learned so much,” said Loren Littlejohn, a sophomore majoring in media scoring and production. “I always wondered how the sessions went with Miles, and how working with Luther benefitted his career, and to see how he innovated on so many songs and influenced the playing of so many bass players.”
Miller’s masterclass is an example of the sessions with stellar artists who visit the Frost School, offering a combination of artistic inspiration and crucial advice on the nitty-gritty workings of the competitive music world. The opportunity to interact with one of their idols is a thrilling addition to students’ experience.
Other recent guests include Jacob Collier, the British musical prodigy and inventor of interactive “audience choirs,” who made a point of visiting the Frost School during a recent Miami tour stop, mesmerizing hundreds of awed students. Rudy Mancuso, the genre-busting comedian and songwriter with millions of YouTube and social media followers, came to screen his autobiographical, innovative first film, “Música,” and answer questions about charting an independent creative path. In January, Frost vocal students got one-on-one coaching from Broadway icon Kristin Chenoweth.
“She was amazing,” vocal major Nicole Acosta said of singing for Chenoweth. “One thing she told me that I’ll always remember: ‘None of us are singers first, we are actors telling a story. Her advice is something I’ll use for the rest of my life.”
These visits can include the chance to perform with these groundbreaking artists. Frost professor Etienne Charles, a trumpet player and composer whose music blends jazz and Afro-Caribbean music, especially from his native Trinidad, invited Miller, a longtime friend and colleague who also has Trinidadian roots. Charles staged an electrifying concert with Miller and Frost students to pay tribute to Trinidadian-American musician Ralph McDonald, an influential figure who infused Caribbean influences into American pop music; playing in that concert was an education in cultural fusion and musical history.
This spring Latin jazz pianist and composer Michel Camilo performed with the Frost Latin Jazz Orchestra, led by Frost associate professor and MacArthur Fellow Dafnis Prieto, a friend and colleague of Camilo’s; rehearsing extensively with students and praising them for their fiery performances of his music in their show at Gusman Concert Hall.
And Alex Lacamoire, the Miami-raised music director, composer, and arranger famed for his work on the hit musicals “Hamilton,” “In the Heights,” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” came during the 2022-23 school year to share his insights into changing the sound of Broadway.
Sydney Altbacker, who was studying music theory and composition, was awed to be able to perform a song she wrote for Lacamoire. “I write for myself to release myself,” Altbacker said. “Being able to share it with someone who understands the craft so intimately and does so much work in the field was incredible.”
