Marcus Miller & Clarke/Duke Bring In Funk 'n' Fusion

The Marcus Miller Band and the Clarke/Duke Project have strong ties to 1980s fusion jazz, but funk ruled Friday night at Wolf Trap.

Miller is touring with an exceptional septet, featuring longtime compatriots, such as drummer Poogie Bell and trumpeter Patches Stewart, plus the Swiss-born chromatic harmonica player Gregoire Maret. It's a highly interactive band, not just a support group for Miller's bass guitar virtuosity, with a far-reaching and imaginatively orchestrated repertoire. The band's opening set, which turned out to be the evening's highlight, zigzagged across genres and generations, with cleverly arranged nods to Stevie Wonder ("Boogie On Reggae Woman"), Beethoven ("Moonlight Sonata") and Miles Davis ("Jean-Pierre" and "Tutu"). Miller, who worked closely with Davis at the end of his recording career, used "Jean-Pierre" to illustrate the late trumpeter's gift for making the most of a simple melody, a point underscored by Stewart's muted and spacious brass work. But no matter what the tune, there was no mistaking Miller's engaging spirit, sly phrasing and unmistakably resounding tone.

The teaming of keyboardist George Duke and bassist-guitarist Stanley Clarke in a mostly quartet format never jelled. Clarke, playing electric and acoustic bass, was in phenomenal form, and keyboardist Duke punctuated the performance with a melodic piano interlude that pointed to his firm roots in straight-ahead jazz. But Duke had vocal problems, as the vintage Project hit "Sweet Baby" demonstrated, and the performance was haphazardly paced. Nothing proved more crowd-pleasing, though, than the George Clinton-inspired call-to-funk "Mothership Connection."

-- Mike Joyce