Steve Miller, 1970s rock icon, strolled out onto an elegant Jazz at Lincoln Center stage last week, sat down on a stool and picked up a custom double-necked acoustic guitar. Smiling widely, he told the sold-out crowd that he was going to start with “a different version” of a song they’d all know. The two versions, almost a half century apart, were instantly connected by the familiar timbre of Miller’s voice. At this show, his seventh annual two-night celebration of the blues, Miller performed only two of his own songs, otherwise concentrating on the music of his blues influences and mentors. “He’s just going to take this music we love into the future,” Miller said backstage in an interview a few days earlier.

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Persons: Steve Miller, Miller, Christone, ” Ingram, “ He’s, ” Miller, “, ” Organizations: Lincoln Center, Jet