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{{Infobox album
{{Infobox Album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
| Name = Tutu
| name = Tutu
| Type = [[Album]]
| type = studio
| Artist = [[Miles Davis]]
| artist = [[Miles Davis]]
| Cover = Miles Davis-Tutu (album cover).jpg
| cover = Miles Davis-Tutu (album cover).jpg
| Released = December 1986
| alt =
| Recorded = February 6[[-]]13 [[&]] [[March 12]], [[1986]]
| caption = Cover photograph by [[Irving Penn]]
| released = {{Start date|1986|09|29}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/FMQB-Album/1986/FMQB-1986-09-19.pdf|title=FMQB|page=45}}</ref>
| Genre = [[Jazz]]
| Length = 42:05
| recorded =February 6 – March 25, 1986
| studio = {{hlist|[[Capitol Studios]] and [[Ocean Way Recording]] (Hollywood, CA)||[[George Duke|Le Gonks]] (West Hollywood, CA)|Clinton Recording Studios and [[Atlantic Studios]] (New York, NY)}}
| Label = [[Warner Bros. Records]]
| Producer = [[Marcus Miller]]
| genre =
*[[Smooth jazz|Pop jazz]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xV6tghvO0oMC&pg=PA616|access-date=June 26, 2013|title=Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, Volume 1|editor-first=Frank|editor-last=Hoffman|page=616|year=2004|publisher=[[CRC Press]]|isbn=0203484274|edition=2nd|quote=...Miles Davis's last pop-jazz albums for Warners Bros. (''Tutu'' [1986], and ''Amandla'' [1987]).}}</ref>
| Reviews =
*[[funk]]
* [[Allmusic]] {{rating-5|2.5}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:m95f8qzbbtz4 link]
*[[contemporary R&B|R&B]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Freeman|first=Phil|year=2014|url=http://www.stereogum.com/1715261/miles-davis-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/tutu/|title=Miles Davis Albums From Worst to Best|work=[[Stereogum]]|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref>
| Last album = ''[[You're Under Arrest (album)|You're Under Arrest]]''<br />(1985)
*[[electronic pop]]<ref name="Palmer"/>
| This album = '''''Tutu''''' <br /> (1986)
| length = 42:05
| Next album = ''[[Music from Siesta]]''<br />(1987)
| label = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| producer =
*[[Marcus Miller]]
*[[Tommy LiPuma]]
| prev_title = [[You're Under Arrest (Miles Davis album)|You're Under Arrest]]
| prev_year = 1985
| next_title = [[Music from Siesta]]
| next_year = 1987
|misc = {{Audio sample
| type = studio
| file = Davis Tutu.ogg
| description = "Tutu"
}}
}}
}}
'''''Tutu''''' is an album released in 1986 by [[Miles Davis]] on [[Warner Bros. Records]]. Named in tribute of [[Desmond Tutu|Archbishop Desmond Tutu]], the first black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, the album heavily utilizes electronic instruments and synthesizers. The track "Full Nelson" refers to [[Nelson Mandela]]. Miles had originally been planning to collaborate with [[Prince (artist)|Prince]] on the album, but this cooperation failed to materialize. It was produced by [[Tommy LiPuma]] and [[Marcus Miller]], with Miller, who wrote almost all the songs, played almost all instruments and did almost all the arrangements, except [[George Duke]], who wrote, played, arranged and co-produced "Backyard Ritual" (with Tommy LiPuma). "Perfect Way" is a cover of the original [[Scritti Politti]] song.

'''''Tutu''''' is an album by [[jazz]] trumpeter [[Miles Davis]], released in 1986 by [[Warner Bros. Records]]. The album is Miles Davis' tribute to Archbishop [[Desmond Tutu]] who was a human rights and anti-apartheid activist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knkx.org/jazz/2021-12-27/the-story-of-the-musical-tribute-to-archbishop-desmond-tutu|title=The story of the musical tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu|date=2021-12-27|website=knkx.org|language=en|access-date=2024-08-16}}</ref> It was recorded primarily at [[Capitol Studios]] in Los Angeles and Clinton Recording in New York, except the song "Backyard Ritual", which was recorded at Le Gonks in [[West Hollywood]].<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Tutu|others=[[Miles Davis]]|year=2011|type=deluxe edition reissue booklet|publisher=[[Warner Jazz]]|id=8122797687}}</ref> Davis received the 1986 [[Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist]] [[Grammy Award]] for his performance on the album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/29th-annual-grammy-awards-1986|title=29th Annual GRAMMY Awards|date=2017-11-28|website=GRAMMY.com|language=en|access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref>

== Background ==
Originally some tracks were planned as a collaboration with [[Prince (artist)|Prince]]. Prince later pulled out for undisclosed reasons, although the two remained firm friends and later collaborated on "Can I Play With U" as well. (Davis later covered "Movie Star" and "Penetration" by Prince.) Davis ultimately worked with bassist/multi-instrumentalist [[Marcus Miller]]. Miller wrote and arranged all the songs, except "Tomaas" (co-written by Davis), "Backyard Ritual" (by keyboardist [[George Duke]]), and "[[Perfect Way (Scritti Politti song)|Perfect Way]]" (by pop group [[Scritti Politti]]). The music is strongly inspired by mid-1980s [[R&B]] and [[funk]], with heavy use of [[synthesizer]]s, [[Music sequencer|sequencers]] and [[drum machine]]s. Miller performed the bulk of instrumentation on the album, including [[bass guitar]], [[synthesizer]]s and drum machines, [[bass clarinet]] and [[soprano saxophone]].

As indicated in the notes accompanying the album, ''Tutu'' was produced by [[Tommy LiPuma]] and [[Marcus Miller]], with the exception of "Backyard Ritual", which was co-produced by Duke and LiPuma.

The cover was designed by [[Eiko Ishioka]] and photographed by [[Irving Penn]]. Eiko Ishioka received the 1987 [[Grammy Award]] for [[Best Album Package]] for her work as the art director.<ref name="Grammy">{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&field_nominee_work_value=Tutu&year=All&genre=All&=Search|title=Past Winners Search &#124; GRAMMY.com|work=grammy.com|access-date=2 June 2013}}</ref> The original vinyl album featured a colored inner sleeve printed with the album credits on one side and a photograph of Davis's left hand (with middle finger depressed) on the reverse.

== Reception and legacy ==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/r106113 |title=Tutu - Miles Davis &#124; AllMusic |first=Scott |last=Yanow |work=allmusic.com |year=2011 |access-date=8 August 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|year=2011|chapter=Miles Davis|title=[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|isbn=978-0857125958|edition=5th}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Fordham">{{cite news|last=Fordham|first=John|date=May 19, 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/19/miles-davis-tutu-review|title=Miles Davis – Tutu: Deluxe Edition – review|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=June 26, 2013}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Jazzwise]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Nicholson|first=Stuart|url=http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/pages/five-star-reviews/13842-miles-davis-tutu-deluxe-edition|title=Miles Davis – Tutu Deluxe Edition|date=October 9, 2015|work=[[Jazzwise]]|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Jazz]]''
| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Holtje|editor1-first=Steve|editor2-last=Lee|editor2-first=Nancy Ann|year=1998|title=[[MusicHound|MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Music Sales Corporation]]|isbn=0825672538|chapter=Miles Davis}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[The New Zealand Herald]]''
| rev6score = 4/5<ref name="Reid">{{cite news|last=Reid|first=Graham|date=June 4, 2011|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10730045|title=Album review: Miles Davis, Tutu: Special Edition|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=June 26, 2013}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Penguin Guide to Jazz]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{sfn|Cook|Morton|1992|p=273}}
| rev8 = ''[[Record Collector]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Waring">{{cite journal|last=Waring|first=Charles|url=http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/tutu-revisited|access-date=June 26, 2013|title=Tutu Revisited|journal=[[Record Collector]]|date=June 2011|issue=389|page=97}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|Considine et al.|2004|p=215}}
| rev10 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev10score = B+<ref name="Christgau"/>
}}
''Tutu'' divided critics and listeners when it was released in 1986.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/artists/14045-miles-davis-tutu|title=Miles Davis – Tutu|work=Jazzwise|date=May 2011|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref> Like Davis's pivotal 1970 album ''[[Bitches Brew]]'', [[Paul Tingen]] wrote, ''Tutu'' became one of the "defining jazz albums" of its decade and attracted a young, new audience while alienating many other jazz listeners because of its heavy reliance on the drum machine and synthesizers. A number of critics felt the music was ingratiatingly elegant, designed for casual listening, and largely a work by Miller.<ref name="Tingen"/> In ''[[The New York Times]]'' that year, [[Robert Palmer (American writer)|Robert Palmer]] said it "already sounds curiously dated" and unambitious, featuring synthesizers that "have glutinous textures so overly familiar from the mainstream of late-1970s pop jazz" and electronic rhythms lacking the innovation of contemporary [[hip hop music|hip hop]] records.<ref name="Palmer">{{cite news|last=Palmer|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Palmer (American writer)|date=October 1, 1986|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/01/arts/the-pop-life-in-tutu-miles-davis-goes-fully-electronic.html|title=The Pop Life; In 'Tutu,' Miles Davis Goes Fully Electronic|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref>

Others believed the album gave a musical setting for Davis's improvisations to thrive in, comparable to his orchestral recordings with [[Gil Evans]] from the late 1950s and early 1960s.<ref name="Tingen">{{cite web|last=Tingen|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Tingen|date=March 2002|url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/20021-miles-davis-miles-on-target|title=Miles Davis: Miles on Target|work=[[JazzTimes]]|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref> ''[[The Village Voice]]'' critic [[Robert Christgau]] deemed it a marginal success but also Davis's "best in a decade". He contended that while Davis's 1970s [[jazz fusion|fusion]] recordings for [[Columbia Records]] were purely improvised jazz-rock, ''Tutu'' sounded "more like pop-funk ''[[Sketches of Spain]]'', with the starperson's trumpet glancing smartly off an up-to-date panoply of catchy little tunes, beats, and rhythm effects".<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=October 28, 1986|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv10-86.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=June 26, 2013}}</ref> Jazz musician and writer [[Mike Zwerin]] was more enthusiastic, hailing it as "the best jazz record of the decade".<ref name="Tingen"/>

In a retrospective piece, Christgau later wrote that with "shlock" like ''Tutu'' and ''[[Amandla (album)|Amandla]]'', Davis was taking advantage of the fusion movement he helped develop while showing "gratifying groove and class".{{sfn|Christgau|1990|p=463}} In [[J. D. Considine]]'s opinion, the album's compositions and improvisations endured well with the passage of time, even though its electronically processed and enigmatic music turned off jazz purists.{{sfn|Considine et al.|2004|p=219}} Writing for ''Something Else!'' in 2006, S. Victor Aaron said the best song from ''Tutu'' may have been Davis's own composition "Tomaas": "With a [[reggae]] beat married to repetitive single note underpinned by some very nifty bass work by Miller, Miles and Miller (also on soprano sax) trade fours and eights in a rare opportunity for Miles to stretch out. Overall, though, the trumpet playing is subdued, probably more constrained by production than declining abilities. Rarely does the mute come off his horn."<ref>{{cite web|author=S. Victor Aaron |url=http://somethingelsereviews.com/2006/06/27/miles-davis-tutu-1986/ |title=Miles Davis - Tutu (1986) &#124; Something Else! |publisher=Somethingelsereviews.com |date=2015-06-21 |access-date=2015-06-25}}</ref> Reviewing the album for ''[[Jazzwise]]'' in 2011, Davis' biographer George Cole said, "''Tutu'' was a product of the 80s, a decade where music was often in danger of becoming subservient to technology. But while much of the music from this era is now long forgotten; ''Tutu'' continues to thrive; artists such as [[George Benson]], [[Al Jarreau]] and [[Cassandra Wilson]] have recorded cover versions of the title track."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/artists/14045-miles-davis-tutu|title = Jazzwise}}</ref>

Between May and August 2010, Miller performed on the "Tutu Revisited" concert tour with a band comprising [[Christian Scott (musician)|Christian Scott]] on trumpet with Alex Han on saxophone, [[Federico González Peña]] on keyboards and [[Louis Cato]] on drums. In an interview for ''[[JazzTimes]]'', Miller said, "I'm finding that although the music mirrored the times in which it was created, there is so much in the music that still seems relevant today. Although we've replaced some of the super electro sounding elements, the melodies are still very cool. It feels like they have withstood the test of time. People seem to be feeling this music twenty years later."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/26081-marcus-miller-revisits-music-of-tutu-on-tour |title=Jazz Columns: Marcus Miller Revisits Music of Tutu on Tour - By Lee Mergner — Jazz Articles |publisher=Jazztimes.com |access-date=2015-06-25}}</ref>


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
All tracks composed by Marcus Miller; except where indicated
All tracks composed by [[Marcus Miller]] except where indicated:


#"Tutu" – 5:15
#"Tutu" – 5:15
Line 25: Line 77:
#"Portia" – 6:18
#"Portia" – 6:18
#"Splatch" – 4:46
#"Splatch" – 4:46
#"Backyard Ritual" – 4:49
#"Backyard Ritual" – 4:49 ([[George Duke]])
#"Perfect Way" – 4:35 (David Gamson, [[Green Gartside]])
#"[[Perfect Way (Scritti Politti song)|Perfect Way]]" – 4:35 ([[David Gamson]], [[Green Gartside]])
#"Don't Lose Your Mind" – 5:49
#"Don't Lose Your Mind" – 5:49
#"Full Nelson" – 5:06
#"Full Nelson" – 5:06


=== Deluxe edition ===
==Performers==
Disc two (Live from [[Nice Jazz Festival|Nice Festival]], France, July 1986)
* [[Miles Davis]] - [[Trumpet]]
#"Opening Medley": 'Theme from Jack Johnson', 'Speak', 'That's What Happened' – 15:14
* [[Marcus Miller]] - All other instruments, [[Bass guitar]] on "Backyard Ritual"
#"New Blues" – 5:20
* Jason Miles - Synthesizer programming
#"The Maze" – 10:15
* [[Paulinho da Costa]] - [[Percussion instrument|Percussion]] on "Tutu", "Portia", "Splatch", Backyard Ritual"
#"[[Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)|Human Nature]]" – 9:04
* [[Adam Holzman]] - Synth solo on "Splatch"
#"Portia" – 7:54
* [[Steve Reid]] - Additional percussion on "Splatch"
#"Splatch" – 17:10
* [[George Duke]] - All except percussion, bass guitar, and trumpet on "Backyard Ritual"
#"[[Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]" ([[Cyndi Lauper]], [[Rob Hyman]]) – 7:22
* [[Omar Hakim]] - [[Percussion instrument|Drums and percussion]] on "Tomaas"
#"Carnival" – 4:20
* [[Bernard Wright]] - Additional synthesizers on "Tomaas" and "Don't Lose Your Mind"
* [[Michał Urbaniak]] - [[Electric violin]] on "Don't Lose Your Mind"
* [[Billy Hart|Jabali Billy Hart]] - [[Drums]], [[bongos]]


==External links==
== Personnel ==

* [http://www.miles-beyond.com '''Miles Beyond''' site, dedicated to the electric music of Miles Davis]
=== Musicians ===
* Miles Davis – trumpet
* [[Marcus Miller]] – all other instruments (1–4, 6, 7, 8), additional synthesizer programming, bass guitar (5)
* [[Jason Miles]] – synthesizer programming
* [[Adam Holzman (keyboardist)|Adam Holzman]] – additional synthesizer programming, synthesizer solo (4)
* [[Bernard Wright]] – additional synthesizers (2, 7)
* [[George Duke]] – all other instruments (5)
* [[Omar Hakim]] – drums (2), percussion (2)
* [[Paulinho da Costa]] – percussion (1, 3, 4, 5)
* [[Steve Reid]] – additional percussion (4)
* [[Michał Urbaniak]] – [[electric violin]] (7)

=== Production ===
* Tommy LiPuma – executive producer, producer
* Marcus Miller – producer (1–4, 6, 7, 8), musical arrangements (1–4, 6, 7, 8)
* George Duke – producer (5), musical arrangements (5)
* Eric Calvi – engineer (1–4, 6, 7, 8), mixing (2, 6, 7, 8)
* [[Peter Doell]] – engineer (1–4, 6, 7, 8)
* [[Bill Schnee]] – mixing (1, 3, 4)
* Erik Zobler – engineer (5), mixing (5)
* Maureen Thompson – assistant engineer (1, 3, 4)
* Eddie Garcia – assistant engineer (2, 6, 7, 8)
* [[Doug Sax]] – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
* Larry Fishman – production assistant
* [[Irving Penn]] – photography
* [[Eiko Ishioka]] – art direction
* Susan Welt – design

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Chart performance for ''Tutu''
! scope="col"| Chart (1986)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|46|artist=Miles Davis|album=Tutu|rowheader=true|access-date=April 26, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|33|artist=Miles Davis|album=Tutu|rowheader=true|access-date=April 26, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|27|artist=Miles Davis|album=Tutu|rowheader=true|access-date=April 26, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|74|date=19861012|rowheader=true|access-date=April 26, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|141|artist=Miles Davis|rowheader=true|access-date=April 26, 2021}}
|}

==Certifications and sales==
{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Tutu''}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Tutu|type=album|artist=Miles Davis|relyear=1988|region=France|award=Gold|source=infodisc|certyear=1986|accessdate=November 18, 2021}}
{{certification Table Bottom | noshipments=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1990|title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|publisher=[[Pantheon Books]]|isbn=067973015X|url=https://archive.org/details/christgausrecord00chri}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Considine et al.|2004|p=215}}|author=[[J. D. Considine|Considine, J. D.]]|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-last=Hoard|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|display-authors=etal}}
* {{cite book|last1=Cook|first1=Richard|author-link1=Richard Cook (journalist)|last2=Morton|first2=Brian|author-link2=Brian Morton (Scottish writer)|year=1992|title=[[The Penguin Guide to Jazz|The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP and Cassette]]|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=0140153640}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5r-mzXMJfEC&pg=PA232|title=The Last Miles: The Music of Miles Davis, 1980–1991|last=Cole|first=George|chapter=15. ''Tutu''|pages=232–67|year=2007|publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]]|isbn=978-0472032600}}
* {{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=266–267|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}}

== External links ==
* {{Discogs master|type=album|63355|name=Tutu}}


{{Miles Davis}}
{{Miles Davis}}


{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tutu}}
[[Category:1986 albums]]
[[Category:1986 albums]]
[[Category:Miles Davis albums]]
[[Category:Miles Davis albums]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tommy LiPuma]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Marcus Miller]]

[[Category:Jazz fusion albums by American artists]]
[[fr:Tutu (Miles Davis)]]
[[Category:Jazz-funk albums]]
[[it:Tutu (album di Miles Davis)]]
[[Category:Warner Records albums]]
[[hu:Tutu (album)]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Capitol Studios]]

Latest revision as of 17:12, 7 September 2024

Tutu
Cover photograph by Irving Penn
Studio album by
Miles Davis
ReleasedSeptember 29, 1986 (1986-09-29)[1]
RecordedFebruary 6 – March 25, 1986
Studio
Genre
Length42:05
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Miles Davis chronology
You're Under Arrest
(1985) 		Tutu
(1986) 		Music from Siesta
(1987)
Audio sample
"Tutu"

Tutu is an album by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released in 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. The album is Miles Davis' tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu who was a human rights and anti-apartheid activist.[5] It was recorded primarily at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and Clinton Recording in New York, except the song "Backyard Ritual", which was recorded at Le Gonks in West Hollywood.[6] Davis received the 1986 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist Grammy Award for his performance on the album.[7]

Background

[edit]

Originally some tracks were planned as a collaboration with Prince. Prince later pulled out for undisclosed reasons, although the two remained firm friends and later collaborated on "Can I Play With U" as well. (Davis later covered "Movie Star" and "Penetration" by Prince.) Davis ultimately worked with bassist/multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller. Miller wrote and arranged all the songs, except "Tomaas" (co-written by Davis), "Backyard Ritual" (by keyboardist George Duke), and "Perfect Way" (by pop group Scritti Politti). The music is strongly inspired by mid-1980s R&B and funk, with heavy use of synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines. Miller performed the bulk of instrumentation on the album, including bass guitar, synthesizers and drum machines, bass clarinet and soprano saxophone.

As indicated in the notes accompanying the album, Tutu was produced by Tommy LiPuma and Marcus Miller, with the exception of "Backyard Ritual", which was co-produced by Duke and LiPuma.

The cover was designed by Eiko Ishioka and photographed by Irving Penn. Eiko Ishioka received the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Album Package for her work as the art director.[8] The original vinyl album featured a colored inner sleeve printed with the album credits on one side and a photograph of Davis's left hand (with middle finger depressed) on the reverse.

Reception and legacy

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
The Guardian[11]
Jazzwise[12]
MusicHound Jazz[13]
The New Zealand Herald4/5[14]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[15]
Record Collector[16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[17]
The Village VoiceB+[18]

Tutu divided critics and listeners when it was released in 1986.[19] Like Davis's pivotal 1970 album Bitches Brew, Paul Tingen wrote, Tutu became one of the "defining jazz albums" of its decade and attracted a young, new audience while alienating many other jazz listeners because of its heavy reliance on the drum machine and synthesizers. A number of critics felt the music was ingratiatingly elegant, designed for casual listening, and largely a work by Miller.[20] In The New York Times that year, Robert Palmer said it "already sounds curiously dated" and unambitious, featuring synthesizers that "have glutinous textures so overly familiar from the mainstream of late-1970s pop jazz" and electronic rhythms lacking the innovation of contemporary hip hop records.[4]

Others believed the album gave a musical setting for Davis's improvisations to thrive in, comparable to his orchestral recordings with Gil Evans from the late 1950s and early 1960s.[20] The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau deemed it a marginal success but also Davis's "best in a decade". He contended that while Davis's 1970s fusion recordings for Columbia Records were purely improvised jazz-rock, Tutu sounded "more like pop-funk Sketches of Spain, with the starperson's trumpet glancing smartly off an up-to-date panoply of catchy little tunes, beats, and rhythm effects".[18] Jazz musician and writer Mike Zwerin was more enthusiastic, hailing it as "the best jazz record of the decade".[20]

In a retrospective piece, Christgau later wrote that with "shlock" like Tutu and Amandla, Davis was taking advantage of the fusion movement he helped develop while showing "gratifying groove and class".[21] In J. D. Considine's opinion, the album's compositions and improvisations endured well with the passage of time, even though its electronically processed and enigmatic music turned off jazz purists.[22] Writing for Something Else! in 2006, S. Victor Aaron said the best song from Tutu may have been Davis's own composition "Tomaas": "With a reggae beat married to repetitive single note underpinned by some very nifty bass work by Miller, Miles and Miller (also on soprano sax) trade fours and eights in a rare opportunity for Miles to stretch out. Overall, though, the trumpet playing is subdued, probably more constrained by production than declining abilities. Rarely does the mute come off his horn."[23] Reviewing the album for Jazzwise in 2011, Davis' biographer George Cole said, "Tutu was a product of the 80s, a decade where music was often in danger of becoming subservient to technology. But while much of the music from this era is now long forgotten; Tutu continues to thrive; artists such as George Benson, Al Jarreau and Cassandra Wilson have recorded cover versions of the title track."[24]

Between May and August 2010, Miller performed on the "Tutu Revisited" concert tour with a band comprising Christian Scott on trumpet with Alex Han on saxophone, Federico González Peña on keyboards and Louis Cato on drums. In an interview for JazzTimes, Miller said, "I'm finding that although the music mirrored the times in which it was created, there is so much in the music that still seems relevant today. Although we've replaced some of the super electro sounding elements, the melodies are still very cool. It feels like they have withstood the test of time. People seem to be feeling this music twenty years later."[25]

Track listing

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All tracks composed by Marcus Miller except where indicated:

  1. "Tutu" – 5:15
  2. "Tomaas" – 5:38 (Davis, Marcus Miller)
  3. "Portia" – 6:18
  4. "Splatch" – 4:46
  5. "Backyard Ritual" – 4:49 (George Duke)
  6. "Perfect Way" – 4:35 (David Gamson, Green Gartside)
  7. "Don't Lose Your Mind" – 5:49
  8. "Full Nelson" – 5:06

Deluxe edition

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Disc two (Live from Nice Festival, France, July 1986)

  1. "Opening Medley": 'Theme from Jack Johnson', 'Speak', 'That's What Happened' – 15:14
  2. "New Blues" – 5:20
  3. "The Maze" – 10:15
  4. "Human Nature" – 9:04
  5. "Portia" – 7:54
  6. "Splatch" – 17:10
  7. "Time After Time" (Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman) – 7:22
  8. "Carnival" – 4:20

Personnel

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Musicians

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Production

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  • Tommy LiPuma – executive producer, producer
  • Marcus Miller – producer (1–4, 6, 7, 8), musical arrangements (1–4, 6, 7, 8)
  • George Duke – producer (5), musical arrangements (5)
  • Eric Calvi – engineer (1–4, 6, 7, 8), mixing (2, 6, 7, 8)
  • Peter Doell – engineer (1–4, 6, 7, 8)
  • Bill Schnee – mixing (1, 3, 4)
  • Erik Zobler – engineer (5), mixing (5)
  • Maureen Thompson – assistant engineer (1, 3, 4)
  • Eddie Garcia – assistant engineer (2, 6, 7, 8)
  • Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
  • Larry Fishman – production assistant
  • Irving Penn – photography
  • Eiko Ishioka – art direction
  • Susan Welt – design

Charts

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Chart performance for Tutu
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] 46
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 74
US Billboard 200[30] 141

Certifications and sales

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Certifications for Tutu
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[31] Gold 100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 45.
  2. ^ Hoffman, Frank, ed. (2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, Volume 1 (2nd ed.). CRC Press. p. 616. ISBN 0203484274. Retrieved June 26, 2013. ...Miles Davis's last pop-jazz albums for Warners Bros. (Tutu [1986], and Amandla [1987]).
  3. ^ Freeman, Phil (2014). "Miles Davis Albums From Worst to Best". Stereogum. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Palmer, Robert (October 1, 1986). "The Pop Life; In 'Tutu,' Miles Davis Goes Fully Electronic". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  5. ^ "The story of the musical tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu". knkx.org. 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  6. ^ Tutu (deluxe edition reissue booklet). Miles Davis. Warner Jazz. 2011. 8122797687.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ "29th Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  8. ^ "Past Winners Search | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  9. ^ Yanow, Scott (2011). "Tutu - Miles Davis | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Miles Davis". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  11. ^ Fordham, John (May 19, 2011). "Miles Davis – Tutu: Deluxe Edition – review". The Guardian. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  12. ^ Nicholson, Stuart (October 9, 2015). "Miles Davis – Tutu Deluxe Edition". Jazzwise. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  13. ^ Holtje, Steve; Lee, Nancy Ann, eds. (1998). "Miles Davis". MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Music Sales Corporation. ISBN 0825672538.
  14. ^ Reid, Graham (June 4, 2011). "Album review: Miles Davis, Tutu: Special Edition". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  15. ^ Cook & Morton 1992, p. 273.
  16. ^ Waring, Charles (June 2011). "Tutu Revisited". Record Collector (389): 97. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  17. ^ Considine et al. 2004, p. 215.
  18. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (October 28, 1986). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  19. ^ "Miles Davis – Tutu". Jazzwise. May 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  20. ^ a b c Tingen, Paul (March 2002). "Miles Davis: Miles on Target". JazzTimes. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  21. ^ Christgau 1990, p. 463.
  22. ^ Considine et al. 2004, p. 219.
  23. ^ S. Victor Aaron (2015-06-21). "Miles Davis - Tutu (1986) | Something Else!". Somethingelsereviews.com. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  24. ^ "Jazzwise".
  25. ^ "Jazz Columns: Marcus Miller Revisits Music of Tutu on Tour - By Lee Mergner — Jazz Articles". Jazztimes.com. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Miles Davis – Tutu" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  27. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Miles Davis – Tutu". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Miles Davis – Tutu". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  30. ^ "Miles Davis Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  31. ^ "French album certifications – Miles Davis – Tutu" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 18, 2021. Select MILES DAVIS and click OK. 

Bibliography

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Further reading

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