Legendary bassist and two-time Grammy Award winner Marcus Miller made his DC JazzFest debut Saturday night (August 31) before an enthusiast crowd.
WBGO's Dave Popkin spoke with Miller prior to the set. It was the DC JazzFest debut for the acclaimed bassist.
"I've been hearing about the festival from musicians which is always my barometer. When you have a festival with Branford (Marsalis), Lalah (Hathaway) and the Baylor Project, I said this is the place I got to be. I've been doing festivals in the DC area but this one really I had a feeling it was special. I'm here now and that's confirmed. This is a really cool festival."
Miller was also excited that iconic bassist Ron Carter will also be performing at DC JazzFest.
"He's a hero of mine. He's a hero to many bass players. Just to be in the same festival is just an honor. I got to play with Ron about a year ago in Monte Carlo and it was just a thrill."
During the interview, Marcus Miller also talked about his career and his work with Miles Davis and David Sanborn as well as his time with "Saturday Night Live."
All of Dave Popkin's coverage of the 2025 DC JazzFest can be found here at wbgo.org.
