MARCUS MILLER bass | MIKE STERN guitar | BILL EVANS sax | MINO CINELU percussion | RUSSELL GUNN trumpet | BRETT WILLIAMS keyboards | ANWAR MARSHALL drums

One of the greatest bass guitarists and the most influential musicians of our time, Marcus Miller opens the 33rd Istanbul Jazz Festival honouring Miles Davis’ legacy.

Few figures shaped jazz as profoundly as Miles Davis, one of the greatest masters of the genre in the past century. With his courage and genius, he revolutionised jazz and brought countless legends into the music. In the early 1960s, he assembled a band featuring Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and Wayne Shorter; in the early 1980s, his circle included Marcus Miller, Mike Stern, Mino Cinelu, Al Foster, and Bill Evans.

As a musician, arranger, producer, and composer, Marcus Miller has built a career spanning more than five decades, defined by extraordinary achievements and countless awards. He has shared the stage with the heroes of his youth, used music as a bridge between cultures, and shaped the sound from behind the scenes as a quiet yet decisive force. Much like Miles Davis, Miller has also been a catalyst for new generations of musicians. Together, his influence, his innovations on the electric bass, and his virtuosity speak to a singular musical brilliance. Yet it is also undeniable that his encounter with Miles Davis was one of the defining forces that shaped the artist Marcus Miller is today. From the early 1980s until Miles Davis’s passing in 1991, they played and created together; since then, Miller has carried that bond forward in his own way.

To honour his mentor and celebrate Miles Davis’ musical legacy on the 100th anniversary of his birth, Marcus Miller reunites the iconic ensemble for a world tour. Just as in the old days, Bill Evans on saxophone, Mike Stern on guitar, Mino Cinelu on percussion, and Marcus Miller on bass will take the festival stage, presenting music from We Want Miles alongside selections from all of the important eras of Miles’ career. They are joined by Anwar Marshall on drums, Brett Williams on keyboards, and acclaimed trumpeter Russell Gunn, whose contemporary interpretations of Miles Davis’s music have earned widespread recognition.

Detailed information regarding age restrictions, accessibility, venue conditions, and ticket use for this event is available on the Ticket Information page.