August 2011

Jazz supergroups are not uncommon — stars such as pianist Herbie Hancock, guitarist Pat Metheny and saxophonist Kenny Garrett frequently team up in studios and onstage, often introducing their fans to each other's music. Still, there's something momentous about DMS.

Its co-leaders — keyboardist George Duke, bassist Marcus Miller, and saxophonist and Kirkwood native David Sanborn (hence DMS, from the initials of their last names) — are perhaps best known for their adventures in jazz fusion, but each has explored vast musical territory.

Sanborn's sax has been heard in settings from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to the Grateful Dead; Duke served as a sideman to both jazzman Cannonball Adderley and rocker Frank Zappa; and Miller's résumé includes work with revered R&B singer Luther Vandross and legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis.

"We came up in an era when you had to be able to cover all styles of music," Miller, 52, said recently by phone. "But you also had to have an identifiable sound, which is really difficult to do."

Sanborn and Duke, he said, "have taken advantage of everything that the music world has to offer, and they've really made the most out of their talents."

DMS came together during a jazz cruise, Miller said.

"On these ships, they have full-blown concert halls," he said. "And after the concert, there are jam sessions all over the ship." At one such session, Miller, Duke and Sanborn shared the spotlight.

"We had such a good time that we realized it might be something we should get serious about," Miller said. "So we decided to do a tour, and that's what we're doing now."

The band includes drummer Louis Cato and a second keyboardist, Federico Gonzalez Pena.

Reviews of the tour have been positive, with the Buffalo News praising DMS for its "incredibly high level" of performance. That's not always the case with supergroups, which can be more about generating ticket sales than pursuing new musical paths.

"There's always excitement when you have a situation like that," Miller said. "Because everybody's wondering, 'What are these guys are going to do?' — and that's good. The danger is that each of the guys has a strong personality and they don't work together, so it doesn't sound as good as it's hyped up to be.

"What I love about this band is, we're really serious about creating a band sound."

Miller has history with Sanborn and Duke. In the late 1980s and early '90s, Miller produced and played bass on some of Sanborn's most popular and critically acclaimed albums, including "Close-Up" and "Another Hand." He also worked on several of trumpeter Davis' albums — including the outstanding "Tutu" (1986), to which Duke contributed the tune, "Backyard Ritual."

"That was really the first piece of music that we had for that album," Miller said. "It helped set the tone."

Does DMS have a live or studio album in the works?

"The main focus was trying to put the tour together," Miller said. "But now that we're on the road, I'm hoping that we'll at least be able to put together a live DVD. That would be really nice."

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Kool, thanks for the info!!!!

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Just caught their live show on Saturday night. GREAT seein em (of course)..but I dunno......the set leaned just a little to far toward the "smooth jazz" end of the pool for my taste.

I swear, Marcus Miller could play nursery rhymes & his tone would still be KILLER. Amazing.