Yes, by now you're probably aware that we
only bring together the real music heavyweight root artists on
these pages. Sure, James Mtume has a well deserved space here!
James Mtume was raised in a musical family where his father and
uncles formed a band The Heath Brothers. Already
in the sixties, James Mtume was fascinated by African drums. He
got into music himself and studied percussion. Soon after this,
he also acquired the guitar playing skills. It didn't take long
before he played together with artists like Herbie
Hancock, Joe Henderson, Freddie
Hubbard and eventually became the percussionist for Miles
Davis. In the Miles Davis band, Reggie Lucas played
guitar, and it was with Reggie Lucas that James
Mtume started a songwriting partnership.The duo Lucas/Mtume wrote
numerous tracks for various artists in the timeframe 77-82.
Without a doubt, the most famous being the all-time Stephanie
Mills classic, "I never knew love like this
before". It was for his own project, Mtume, that James Mtume
applied his most innovative sounds. The first result was the
album "In search of the rainbow seekers" The Mtume band
also featured the remarkable and perhaps one of the most
underrated vocalists : Tawatha Agee. As a band,
Mtume scored its first big success with Juicy Fruit, the title
track of the second album. Numerous artists have sampled this
superb classy funk combined with a touch of eroticism
masterpiece.
In
1984 James Mtume took one step further into his very own style of
sparse minimalistic heavy percussion based funk sound. Personnaly
we think that his 1984 "You me and he" album is the
ultimate Mtume album. It features all the finest ingredients of
the Mtume cocktail: superb sweet silky vocals by Tawatha Agee,
minimal heavy percussion, subtle and delicately interplay of
classic acustic instruments and synth sounds and at the same time
James talent for bringing innovative ideas into traditionally
styled music compositions. Sure, "Tie me up" is the
catchy instant party killer track of the album featuring a
phenomenal bassguitar play. But there is more, C.O.D. I'll
deliver, Prime Time and You're my sunshine are well balanced mid
tempo clean synth funk Mtume masterpieces. And then, time for the
title track, You me and he, preferably played in the monogamy mix
version. Imagine a short absolute silence followed by a sudden
super heavy drum that will blow your ears and be prepared for a
new surprise, a dialogue between Tawatha and James, the first
with the silky femaly voice, the latter with an ultradeep voice
accentuated by echo and then sit back for the dramatic sparse
melody of the sax. Simply astonishing! Finally, James throws in
some more experimental but classy sounds with "To be or not
to bop".
In 1986, Mtume hits the music stores again with the album
"Theatre of the mind". This is an even further
exploration into a new minimal funk and socially engaged music.
Listen to Deepfreeze, P.O.P. generation or New face Deli, being
protest songs against the new generation of media boosted
artists, where video culture is gaining more influence than sheer
musical value. It's clear that James Mtume is out of sync with
this culture. One can thoroughly feel a cynical and almost
desperate James Mtume on this album. A year later, James Mtume
decides to leave this part of the music scene. He later admits
that he could no longer cope with the new culture and breed of
artists and record companies that focused more on fast money,
fashion trends and shock values than on musical value and
education. Meanwhile, James Mtume found an outlet for his musical
creativity as musical director of a NY theatre.
James Mtume is clearly an exceptional artist with an integrity.
He mastered like a genious the balance between innovation and
tradition in the music, between harmonics of sound and soul and
feeling in music with engagement for true honest and pure musical
education. And in this way, he will always be highly respected!
(text &
pics by ez boy '99)
Discography
Productions for :
Roberta Flack, Phyllis Hyman, Marc Sadane, Lou Rawls, Stephanie
Mills, Roy Ayers, Tyrone Brunson, The Spinners, ...
Albums :
1980 : In search of the rainbow seekers
1983 : Juicy Fruit
1984 : You me and he
1986 : Theatre of the mind
Yes, by now you're probably aware that we
only bring together the real music heavyweight root artists on
these pages. Sure, James Mtume has a well deserved space here!
James Mtume was raised in a musical family where his father and
uncles formed a band The Heath Brothers. Already
in the sixties, James Mtume was fascinated by African drums. He
got into music himself and studied percussion. Soon after this,
he also acquired the guitar playing skills. It didn't take long
before he played together with artists like Herbie
Hancock, Joe Henderson, Freddie
Hubbard and eventually became the percussionist for Miles
Davis. In the Miles Davis band, Reggie Lucas played
guitar, and it was with Reggie Lucas that James
Mtume started a songwriting partnership.The duo Lucas/Mtume wrote
numerous tracks for various artists in the timeframe 77-82.
Without a doubt, the most famous being the all-time Stephanie
Mills classic, "I never knew love like this
before". It was for his own project, Mtume, that James Mtume
applied his most innovative sounds. The first result was the
album "In search of the rainbow seekers" The Mtume band
also featured the remarkable and perhaps one of the most
underrated vocalists : Tawatha Agee. As a band,
Mtume scored its first big success with Juicy Fruit, the title
track of the second album. Numerous artists have sampled this
superb classy funk combined with a touch of eroticism
masterpiece.
In
1984 James Mtume took one step further into his very own style of
sparse minimalistic heavy percussion based funk sound. Personnaly
we think that his 1984 "You me and he" album is the
ultimate Mtume album. It features all the finest ingredients of
the Mtume cocktail: superb sweet silky vocals by Tawatha Agee,
minimal heavy percussion, subtle and delicately interplay of
classic acustic instruments and synth sounds and at the same time
James talent for bringing innovative ideas into traditionally
styled music compositions. Sure, "Tie me up" is the
catchy instant party killer track of the album featuring a
phenomenal bassguitar play. But there is more, C.O.D. I'll
deliver, Prime Time and You're my sunshine are well balanced mid
tempo clean synth funk Mtume masterpieces. And then, time for the
title track, You me and he, preferably played in the monogamy mix
version. Imagine a short absolute silence followed by a sudden
super heavy drum that will blow your ears and be prepared for a
new surprise, a dialogue between Tawatha and James, the first
with the silky femaly voice, the latter with an ultradeep voice
accentuated by echo and then sit back for the dramatic sparse
melody of the sax. Simply astonishing! Finally, James throws in
some more experimental but classy sounds with "To be or not
to bop".