A new chapter is about to be written for Miles Davis' Warner Bros. years. On September 6, Rhino will unveil Rubberband, the lost album recorded by the late trumpeter in 1985-1986, on CD, 2-LP vinyl, and digital formats.
Davis began recording Rubberband shortly after joining Warner Bros. in 1985. In October, he entered Los Angeles' Ameraycan Studios with producers Randy Hall and Zane Giles. Davis - playing both trumpet and keyboards - was joined at Ameraycan by keyboardists Adam Holzman, Neil Larsen and Wayne Linsey; percussionist Steve Reid; saxophonist Glen Burris; and his nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr. on drums. The sessions were engineered by Grammy winner Reggie Dozier. For the album which would emphasize the funk and soul side of his artistry, Davis planned to invite his then-Warner labelmates Al Jarreau and Chaka Khan to sing on a couple of tracks.
But, ever following his muse, Davis shelved the LP before it was completed and instead recorded Tutu. The Rubberband material lay dormant for decades, until a 2018 Record Store Day EP offered a quartet of tracks. Now, the whole album is finally seeing the light of day. Rubberband was completed for this release by the original producers Hall and Giles, working in tandem with Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr., who played drums on the original sessions. The cover art for the album is a Davis original painting from the time. As Jarreau and Khan's vocals were never recorded, the team invited Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway to guest on the album. "Rubberband of Life," featuring Ledisi, is now available for digital download and streaming. "Uncle Miles would be proud. Randy, Zane and I, and everyone involved, put our heart and soul into 'The Rubberband Of Life,'" comments Wilburn, Jr. in the press release.
You'll find the full track listing and pre-order links below. A limited edition Rhino.com bundle of the vinyl version featuring an exclusive 7-inch single of the track "Paradise" is available for pre-order now, as well. Rubberband arrives on CD, 2-LP vinyl, and digitally on September 6.
Miles Davis, Rubberband (Warner/Rhino, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- "Rubberband Of Life" - featuring Ledisi
- "This Is It"
- "Paradise"
- "So Emotional" - featuring Lalah Hathaway
- "Give It Up"
- "Maze"
- "Carnival Time"
- "I Love What We Make Together" - featuring Randy Hall
- "See I See"
- "Echoes In Time/The Wrinkle"
- "Rubberband"
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I bought "Rubberband" and it's absolutely incredible...such a cool record!! Upon reading the liner notes though, I have to make a serious correction here...the original album was NOT shelved by Miles at all!! It was then-Warner Jazz president Tommy LiPuma who did...he prob was freaked out that Miles' first Warner project was not jazz-oriented, but more funk, soul & rock, not unlike a Prince record...but the silver lining is that much of what was recorded sounded dated in 2019, or when they started doing this project, so they kept what was good and added loads of new parts...in the end, a hybrid 1985/2019 end result...and it's truly fantastic...just some needed feedback here...
I'm glad that the notes to the album shed more light on the circumstances that led the album to be shelved. Looking forward to listening myself.