In 1986 bassist Marcus Miller wrote the music for Miles Davis's Tutu, an album he also produced. At the time of recording, Apartheid was still rampant in South Africa, fashion was dominated by shoulder pads, usually combined with rolled up sleeves, and music was dominated by the hard blows from a drum computer. Miller managed to perfectly combine this atmosphere with the thin sound of Davis's trumpet.
Although the dated drum computer sound of the eighties is no longer possible, twenty-five years later, Tutu's spatial jazz funk is still topical. Time for an update. To this end, Miller formed a band with musicians who were probably still in their diapers at the time of Tutu. The lead role goes to trumpet player Christian Scott who does the honors for Davis. Drummer Ronald Bruner Jr plays just as tight as the original's mechanical drum box. Keyboardist Frederico Gonzalez Pena specializes in laying warm sound carpets and saxophonist Alex Han is a worthy counterweight to Scott's flamboyant playing. Tutu Revisited shows how Tutu should sound today: a lot more lively and funkier. (AD)more
