Marcus features prominently in the book and there are dedicated chapters on "The Man With The Horn," "We Want Miles," "Star People," "Tutu," "Siesta," and Amandla." Marcus talks about how he was recruited by Miles, how the band played together, why he left the band in 1983, how he came back to produce three albums with Miles and much more. Bibi talks about her role in Siesta and gives some interesting stories behind the album! Fans of Marcus will definitely find this book an interesting read!

"The Last Miles" is published in the UK by Equinox and in the US by the University of Michigan Press on 1 April. The book's website is at thelastmiles.com.

Here are some exclusive excerpts for marcusmiller.com:

Marcus telling Miles he was leaving the band

Marcus Miller was just twenty-one when he joined Miles' band, but he was already a veteran on the New York session scene and was also writing material for artists such as David Sanborn, Luther Vandross, and Aretha Franklin. He was also touring extensively and becoming increasingly interested in studio production. Even when Miller was a member of Miles' band, he was still touring with other artists and doing numerous sessions. Miller described his punishing schedule to writer Gibson Keddie. "I would do Aretha's gig, then catch a plane to Boston before I missed my gig with Miles and get fired! Or I'd be playing with David Sanborn, who'd have two gigs in LA, then Miles would have two gigs in Chicago and Detroit; they'd be on consecutive days of course, so I would fly back and forth three or four times to make all the gigs." Miller never missed a gig, but there were one or two close shaves. "I once came in at the last minute to a Miles gig and he gave me that look, like 'Don't do that shit again.'"

It was a situation that could not persist and so Miller nervously approached Miles with the news that he was leaving the band. "I was in the band for around two years and eventually I said to Miles, 'Miles, I want to get into the studio and produce. I want to learn how to compose and I can't do it if I stay in the band. I just need to grow,'" Miller told broadcaster Alyn Shipton. "You can imagine how frightening that was just to even approach Miles as a twenty-two, twenty-three year-old and tell him that I'm leaving the band. But he was really supportive and he said 'Man, I wish you all the best and you're one of the best musicians I ever had in my band and whenever you need something let me know.' Now anybody who knows anything about Miles knows that for him to say that to somebody was like the ultimate compliment." Miles explained how sad he was to lose Miller. "Marcus Miller was leaving and this hurt me a lot, because Marcus was the best bass player I had in a long, long time. Plus he was a funny motherfucker who kept everyone in the band loose."

Bibi about "Conchita" from "Siesta"

"Conchita" is named after the character played by Grace Jones, who, like Martin Sheen, makes a cameo appearance in the film. This tune does not appear in Siesta, which is a shame, because it's one of the best on the album. After Miller had compiled the various audio cues to create the soundtrack album, he decided that a longer piece was required and so wrote this tune to give the album more coherence. "After I had put the cues together, back-to-back, I listened to it and thought: 'I need one thing that's longer to give it a little more continuity' and that's when I composed 'Conchita.' I wrote it just before I completed the album, when I still had a feeling of the movie in me. That's why Miles isn't on it," says Miller. Bibi Green recalls how Miller left it up to the last minute before recording "Conchita." "The mixing was all done in a very short time and I called Marcus at the studio and said: 'Have you recorded the new song yet?' adding that he had two days to finish all the remixing. I call back two hours later and ask again and Marcus says 'no, not yet, Ray's [Bardani] still mixing, but don't worry Bibi, I know what I'm doing, it's in my head.' I replied, 'it's no good in your head, it has got to be on tape and you've only got another day to do it!' Anyway, I call the next morning and he still hasn't recorded the song, and you know what? They recorded and mixed 'Conchita' in a day."

Such is the power and the dramatic quality of "Conchita" that the American skater Nancy Kerrigan used it for her routine in the 1992 Olympics (she won a bronze medal). Green recalls her reaction. "When I saw it on the TV, I called Marcus and said 'you're not going to believe this, but your music's being used by the skater Nancy Kerrigan in the Olympics!' And all Marcus could say was: "Did she fall over when the bass clarinet came in?'"