Tutu, named after South African anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu, pushed Miles back into center stage, winning him two Grammy awards, when even the most reverent seemed to admit that his best music lay in the past. Tutu stands as an important part of the Davis legacy, and a testament to a prolific artist whose boundless creativity continuously redefined a genre throughout his legendary career.

• Rhino High Fidelity Series
• Numbered Limited Edition (5000 Units)
• AAA Cut from Original Analog Master Tapes
• Cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
• LP 180 Gram Vinyl
• Pressed at Optimal Media
• Deluxe Glossy Gatefold Tip-On Cover
• Exclusive Insert with Commentary by Ashley Kahn
• Rhino OBI Strip

Rhino is synonymous with high-quality reissues, setting the standard with award-winning audio releases for the past 45 years. Now they're raising the bar with a new premium vinyl series, Rhino High Fidelity. These high-end, limited edition vinyl reissues of classic albums represent the pinnacle of sound and packaging.

To ensure consistent sonic excellence, Kevin Gray will cut lacquers for all Rhino Hi-Fi releases, and Optimal will press the 180-gram vinyl records. The releases boast high-quality glossy covers and "tip-on" jackets, an old-school aesthetic that evokes the golden age of vinyl.

Released in 1986, Tutu by trumpeter Miles Davis, is a tribute to the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a human rights and anti-apartheid activist. The album subsequently received Grammys for Best Jazz Performance and Best Recording Package.

30 Years ago, Miles Davis made waves in the music world when he left Columbia Records to sign recording and publishing contracts with Warner Bros. and Warner Chappell in 1985. With a new label to call home, Davis immediately started working on the album, which originally had the working title, Perfect Way, named after a song by new wave pop band Scritti Politti that he was covering on the album. The album was later renamed Tutu by producer Tommy LiPuma, taken from news headlines of the day referencing the well-known South African archbishop and anti-apartheid leader, Desmond Tutu.

Tutu pushed Davis back into center stage, winning him two Grammy® awards, when even the most reverent seemed to admit that his best music lay in the past. Tutu stands as an important part of the Davis legacy, and a testament to a prolific artist whose boundless creativity continuously redefined a genre throughout his legendary career.

As Davis recalled, Tutu "started with some music that George Duke, the piano player sent to me." Davis' affection for the initial track - eventually titled "Backyard Ritual" and filled with synthesizer sounds and electronic beats - revealed the trumpeter's willingness to consider music written by others, and the use of cutting-edge electronics.

Producer Tommy LiPuma recruited composer and studio musician Marcus Miller to collaborate on the project, who at 27, had already made a name for himself in jazz, R&B and popular music, playing funk, rock, bebop and hip hop. Davis later praised him as being "so hip and into the music that he even walks in tempo . . . in the studio we make a great team."

"Technology was kind of exploding and I thought it would be interesting to hear Davis making his way through this new world," said Miller. Performing on the album were George Duke, Adam Holzman and Bernard Wright, percussionists Paulinho Da Costa and Steve Reid, drummer Omar Hakim and violinist Michael Urbaniak all contributed tracks; keyboardist Jason Miles played a significant role as well, programming the synthesizers and helping push the tracks to a level of sonic detail that could compete with contemporary recordings.

Tutu would feature a variety of tunes that offered a mix of flavors and mood. Besides the title track, four were composed by Miller - "Splatch," "Portia," "Don't Lose Your Mind" and "Full Nelson" (the last a tribute to another South African leader, Nelson Mandela). "Tomaas" - named by Davis for LiPuma - was co-written by Davis and Miller, based on ideas Davis had previously recorded. The selections were rounded out by one cover - "Perfect Way," which Davis had initially chosen to be the album's title track.

 

Track Listing:

1. Tutu

2. Tomaas
3. Portia
4. Splatch
5. Backyard Ritual
6. Perfect Way
7. Don't Lose Your Mind
8. Full Nelson

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫