James Forman (January 3, 1946January 9, 2022), known professionally as Mtume or James Mtume, was an American jazz and R&B musician, songwriter, record producer, activist, and radio personality. He came to prominence as a jazz musician, working with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

between 1971 and 1975. Mtume's R&B group, also called

Mtume Mtume (pronounced ''em-tu-may'') was an American funk and soul group that rose to prominence during the early 1980s and had several R&B hits during its career. Its founder, former percussionist James Mtume, previously played and toured with M ...

, is best known for the 1983 R&B hit song "

Juicy Fruit Juicy Fruit is an American brand of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company, a U.S. company that since 2008 has been a subsidiary of the privately held Mars, Incorporated. It was introduced in 1893, and in the 21st century the brand name is rec ...

", which has been repeatedly sampled. Mtume the band also had a top-five R&B hit with the single "You, Me, and He".

Life and career

Mtume was born James Forman on January 3, 1946, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania. He was the son of jazz saxophonist

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. He was the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath. Biography Heath w ...

, and was raised by his mother, Bertha Forman, and his stepfather, a Philadelphia local jazz pianist, James "Hen Gates" Forman. He grew up in a musical environment with jazz musicians frequenting his parents' house. He learned to play piano and percussion; however, from his teenage years he was pursuing athletics as a swimmer, having achieved the title of the first black Middle Atlantic AAU champion in the backstroke, and in 1966 he entered

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. History Pasadena, California, Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four- ...

on a swimming scholarship. In 1966, Mtume joined the

US Organization US Organization, or Organization Us, is a Black nationalism, Black nationalist group in the United States founded in 1965. It was established as a community organization by Hakim Jamal together with Maulana Karenga. It was a rival to the Black Pan ...

, a Black empowerment group founded by

Hakim Jamal Hakim Abdullah Jamal (born Allen Donaldson; March 28, 1931 – May 1, 1973) was an American activist and writer. He was an associate of Michael X and wrote ''From the Dead Level'', a memoir of his life and memories of Malcolm X. During his life, ...

and

Maulana Karenga Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga (born Ronald McKinley Everett, July 14, 1941), previously known as Ron Karenga, is an American activist, author, and professor of Africana studies, best known as the creator of the pan-African and African-American holi ...

, while a student at Pasadena City College. Mtume received his

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...

, which means "messenger" in Swahili, from Karenga who gave members of the organization names to match their personality traits. He was part of the group which celebrated the first

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa () is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called '' Karamu'', usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest ...

in 1966. In 1967 he co-edited ''The Quotable Karenga'' with Clyde Halisi, which has been called "the best expression of Karenga's ideas". Mtume left the US Organisation in 1969. Mtume's professional debut was on ''Kawaida'', a 1969 album by his uncle, Albert Heath. His first recording released under his own name was ''Alkebu-lan: Land of the Blacks'', recorded live at The East, a Black nationalist community arts and education center in Brooklyn, and released on Strata-East Records. Both albums were intended to merge free jazz and cultural identity. After his return from the West Coast he moved to New York City and had his first gigs as a sideman for

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

('' Asante'' album), Freddie Hubbard, and

, whose group he wound up joining and playing in for the next few years. With fellow Mtume band member

Reggie Lucas Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018)Grammy Award for Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Ba ...

for

writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically Epigraphy, inscribed, Printing press, mechanically transferred, or Word processor, digitally represented Symbols (semiot ...

and producing

Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' from 1974 to 1979. The song " Home" from t ...

' top-ten hit " Never Knew Love Like This Before", for which she also won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 1994, Mtume created music for the show ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American Police procedural, police drama that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and ...

'' while also creating musical appearance opportunities for other artists on the show. In July 2018, Mtume filed a lawsuit against

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, hoping to reclaim the rights for two albums and his hit single "Juicy Fruit". Mtume claimed to hold the sole copyright of these recordings, while Sony insisted that the albums were made for hire.

Personal life and death

Mtume was the father of music producers Damu Mtume and Fa Mtume. He died in South Orange, New Jersey on January 9, 2022, at the age of 76.

Discography

As leader

*''Alkebu-Lan: Land of the Blacks'' ( Strata-East, 1972) - with Mtume Umoja Ensemble (Carlos Garnett - Tenor & Flute, Leroy Jenkins - Violin, Gary Bartz- Alto and Soprano Sax, Stanley Cowell - Piano, Buster Williams - Bass, Billy Hart - Drums, and Joe Lee Wilson, Eddie Micheaux, and Andy Bey - Vocals. Yusef Iman and Weusi Kuumba - Poets. *''

Rebirth Cycle ''Rebirth Cycle'' is the second studio album by American musician James Mtume. It was produced by Mtume himself, and released on the Third Street Records label. It is one of a number of contemporary albums described as "some of the most compellin ...

'' (Third Street, 1977) - with Jean Carn, Stanley Cowell, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jimmy Heath, Cecil McBee, Leroy Jenkins, and Azar Lawrence. *''

Kiss This World Goodbye ''Kiss This World Goodbye'' is a 1978 album by R&B group Mtume. This was their debut album on the Epic Records label as well as the first album featuring vocals by Tawatha Agee. Track listing All songs written by Reggie Lucas and James Mtum ...

'' ( Epic, 1978) - with Mtume *''

In Search of the Rainbow Seekers ''In Search Of The Rainbow Seekers'' is a 1980 album by R&B group Mtume. This was their second album on the Epic Records label. Track listing All tracks composed by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas; except where noted. #"Give It on Up (If You Wa ...

'' (Epic, 1980) - with Mtume *''

'' (Epic, 1983) - with Mtume *'' You, Me and He'' (Epic, 1984) - with Mtume *''Theater of the Mind'' (Epic, 1986) - with Mtume

As sideman

With

Gato Barbieri Leandro "Gato" Barbieri (November 28, 1932 – April 2, 2016) was an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and is known for his Latin jazz recordings of the 1970s. His nickname, Gato, is Spa ...

*'' Under Fire'' (Flying Dutchman, 1971

973 Year 973 ( CMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – The Byzantine army, led by General Melias (Domestic of the S ...

*''

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'' (Flying Dutchman, 1973) With

*''

On the Corner ''On the Corner'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and July 1972 and released on October 11 of the same year by Columbia Records. The album continued Davis's exploration o ...

'' ( Columbia, 1972) *'' In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall'' (Columbia, 1973) *'' Big Fun'' (Columbia, 1974) *''

Get Up with It ''Get Up with It'' is a compilation album by American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis. Released by Columbia Records on November 22, 1974, it compiled songs Davis had recorded in sessions between 1970 and 1974, including those f ...

'' (Columbia, 1974) *''

Dark Magus ''Dark Magus'' is a live double album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded on March 30, 1974, at Carnegie Hall in New York City, during the electric period in the musician's career. Davis' group at ...

'' (Columbia, 1974) *'' Agharta'' (Columbia, 1975) *''

Pangaea Pangaea or Pangea () was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier continental units of Gondwana, Euramerica and Siberia during the Carboniferous approximately 335 million y ...

'' (Columbia, 1975) *'' The Complete On the Corner Sessions'' (Columbia, 2007) *'' Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4'' (Columbia Legacy, 2015) With Art Farmer *''

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

'' (Mainstream, 1971) With

Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett (born December 1, 1938) is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist. Biography Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He was interested in jazz after hearing the music of Louis Jordan and James Mood ...

*''

Black Love Black is a color which results from the absence or complete Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption of visible spectrum, visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or fi ...

'' (Muse, 1974) With Albert Heath *''Kawaida'' (1969) With

*'' The Gap Sealer'' (Muse, 1973) *'' The Time and the Place'' (Landmark, 1974

994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...

With Eddie Henderson *''

Heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 1976) *'' Comin' Through'' (Capitol, 1977) *'' Mahal'' (Capitol, 1978) with

Harold Land Harold de Vance Land (December 18, 1928 – July 27, 2001) was an American hard bop and post-bop tenor saxophonist. Land developed his hard bop playing with the Max Roach/ Clifford Brown band into a personal, modern style, often rivalling Cliffor ...

*'' A New Shade of Blue'' (Mainstream, 1971) With Azar Lawrence *'' Bridge into the New Age'' (Prestige, 1974) With

Lonnie Liston Smith Lonnie Liston Smith Jr. (born December 28, 1940) is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with such jazz artists as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of ...

*''

Astral Traveling ''Astral Traveling'' is the debut album by keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith, featuring performances recorded in 1973 and released by the Flying Dutchman label.James Spaulding James Ralph Spaulding Jr. (born July 30, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United states, Spaulding attended the Chicago Cosmopolitan School of Music. Between 1957 and 1961, he was a member of Sun ...

*''

James Spaulding Plays the Legacy of Duke Ellington ''James Spaulding Plays the Legacy of Duke Ellington'' is an album by saxophonist James Spaulding featuring compositions by Duke Ellington which was recorded in 1976 and released on the Danish Storyville label.McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

*'' Asante (Blue Note, 1970) *'' Handscapes 2'' (Strata-East, 1975) With

Buddy Terry Edlin "Buddy" Terry (January 30, 1941 - November 29, 2019) was an American jazz musician and alto/tenor sax player. He was born in Newark, New Jersey. In the 1960s and 1970s Terry made albums for Prestige Records and Mainstream Records. He played w ...

*''

Awareness Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some inform ...

'' (Mainstream, 1971) *'' Pure Dynamite'' (Mainstream, 1972) With Sonny Rollins *''

Nucleus Nucleus ( : nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom * Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucl ...

'' (Milestone, 1975)

As composer

* "

The Closer I Get to You "The Closer I Get to You" is a romantic ballad performed by singer-songwriter Roberta Flack and soul musician Donny Hathaway. The song was written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, two former members of Miles Davis's band, who were members of Flac ...

" (1977) written with

Reggie Lucas Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018)Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...

and Donny Hathaway on ''

Blue Lights in the Basement ''Blue Lights in the Basement'' is the sixth studio album by American singer Roberta Flack released by Atlantic on December 13, 1977. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' 200, becoming her third to ...

''.

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, 1977. * "Back Together Again" (1980) written with

and Donny Hathaway also.

As producer (with Reggie Lucas)

– ''

What Cha' Gonna Do with My Lovin' ''What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin is the third album by Stephanie Mills. Released in 1979 and produced by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas. Track listing *All songs written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas except where indicated. Personnel *Ste ...

'' (

20th Century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...

, 1979) *Phyllis Hyman – ''

You Know How to Love Me ''You Know How to Love Me'' is the fourth album by American soul singer-songwriter Phyllis Hyman. It was released by Arista Records in 1979, and produced by James Mtume & Reggie Lucas. Reception Writing in '' Smash Hits'', Bev Hillier describ ...

'' ( Arista, 1979) * Rena Scott – ''Come On Inside'' (Buddah, 1979) *Stephanie Mills – '' Sweet Sensation'' (20th Century, 1980) *

Gary Bartz Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz studied at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Wor ...

– ''Bartz'' (Arista, 1980) *Stephanie Mills – ''

Stephanie Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian "St ...

'' (20th Century, 1981) *Marc Sadane – ''One Way Love Affair'' (Warner Bros., 1981) *Stephanie Mills – '' Tantalizingly Hot'' (

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

, 1982) * Lou Rawls – ''Now Is the Time'' ( Epic, 1982) * The Spinners – ''Can't Shake This Feelin (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, 1982) *Marc Sadane – ''Exciting'' (Warner Bros., 1982) *''The Best of Mtume & Lucas'' (Expansion, 2004) – compilation

Produced by James Mtume

*Roy Ayers - ''You Might Be Surprised'' (Columbia Records, 1985) *

LeVert LeVert was an American R&B vocal group from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Formed in 1983, LeVert was composed of Sean and Gerald Levert (sons of Eddie Levert, founder and lead singer of R&B/Soul vocal group O'Jays) and Marc Gordon.Wells, ...

– ''Bloodline'' (

, 1986) *Tyrone Brunson - ''The Method'' (MCA, 1986) *Tawatha Agee - ''Welcome to My Dream'' (Epic, 1987) *Nu Romance Crew – ''Tonight'' (EMI America, 1987) *Tease – ''Remember'' (Epic, 1988) *Sue Ann Carwell - ''Blue Velvet'' (MCA, 1988) *Kiara – ''To Change and/or Make a Difference'' (Arista, 1989) *Freeze Factor - ''Chill'' (Epic, 1989)

References

External links

* * *
James Mtume 2015 Interview at Soulinterviews.com

RBMA Tokyo 2014 Lecture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mtume, James 1946 births 2022 deaths African-American male singers American multi-instrumentalists American rhythm and blues singers Grammy Award winners Musicians from Philadelphia Strata-East Records artists