1997 · Album
Live & More
Released: 1997 · Peak Chart Position (Contemporary Jazz): No. 6 US Billboard · Peak Chart Position (Jazz): No. 8 US Billboard
When Live & More Found Its Moment
A solid mid-career live document that connected immediately with contemporary jazz listeners.
Live & More arrived in 1997 as a straightforward live recording paired with studio material — the kind of album that doesn't announce itself loudly but does its job well. Miller was already established by then, with a reputation as a bassist and bandleader who could move between funk, fusion, and straight-ahead jazz without sounding like he was straining. This album didn't need to prove anything. It just needed to be competent, and it was.
The numbers tell you it landed well enough. Peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and No. 8 on the broader Jazz Albums chart means it found an audience right away — not a runaway hit, but solid placement that suggested Miller's core listeners showed up and brought a few friends. These weren't niche positions. The contemporary jazz audience in the late nineties was real money and real attention, and Miller was someone they trusted. This was the kind of album that sold steadily to people who already followed his work, the kind that justified a touring schedule and proved a bandleader still had traction.
The album sits comfortably in Miller's catalog as a working record rather than a statement. It wasn't a departure, wasn't a comeback, wasn't meant to reshape anything. For someone who wants to understand what Miller does live and where he stood in his career at that point, it's worth hearing. For someone jumping into his music for the first time, you'd probably want to start elsewhere — but if you already know his work and want to see him in the room with a band, this captures that straightforwardly.
Who's playing
Drew Zinggguitar
Dean Brownguitar
Roger Byamtenor saxophone
Everette Harptenor saxophone
Kenny Garrettsoprano saxophone
Lenny Whiteadditional, drums
Where next?
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
