Tutu (album)

Tutu
Studio album by Miles Davis
Released	December 1986
Recorded	February 6 – March 25, 1986 in New York City and Los Angeles
Genre	Funk, jazz fusion
Length	42:05
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Marcus Miller, Tommy LiPuma
Miles Davis chronology
You're Under Arrest (1985) Tutu (1986) Music from Siesta (1987)

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Tutu is an album by the American trumpeter Miles Davis, released in 1986 on Warner Bros. Records. Davis received the 1987 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist Grammy Award for his performance on Tutu.

Originally planned as a collaboration with pop singer/songwriter 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 heavily inspired by mid-1980s R&B and funk, with heavy use of synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines.

Tutu was produced by Tommy LiPuma and Marcus Miller, with the exception of "Backyard Ritual", which was co-produced by Duke and LiPuma.

The album is named in tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the first black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa. The track "Full Nelson" refers to South African politician Nelson Mandela. Davis' much earlier 1947 composition, "Half Nelson", was named after bebop jazz bassist Nelson Boyd.

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.

The cover of this album can be seen in the film The Talented Mr. Ripley, despite it being set in the 1950s.

Track listing

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

23rd May 2011 Deluxe Edition also contains CD 2, 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" - 7:22
8. "Carnival Time" - 4:20

Performers

• Miles Davis - trumpet
• Marcus Miller - bass guitars, guitar, synthesizers, drum machine programming, bass clarinet, soprano sax, other instruments
• Jason Miles - synthesizer programming
• Paulinho da Costa - percussion on "Tutu", "Portia", "Splatch", Backyard Ritual"
• Adam Holzman - synthesizer solo on "Splatch"
• Steve Reid - additional percussion on "Splatch"
• George Duke - all except percussion, bass guitar, and trumpet on "Backyard Ritual"
• Omar Hakim - drums and percussion on "Tomaas"
• Bernard Wright - additional synthesizers on "Tomaas" and "Don't Lose Your Mind"
• Michał Urbaniak - electric violin on "Don't Lose Your Mind"
• Jabali Billy Hart - drums, bongos