R.I.P. MTUME (James Forman)...................Mtume - Kiss This World Goodbye (1978) Epic (FLAC) - Soul/Jazz/Funk

Sad to report another passing of a real icon in black Music..A guy that made it in the Jazz & Soul Genres. James Forman was born on January 3, 1946, in Philadelphia,passed January 9th 2022. He was the son of jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath, but was raised by his stepfather, a Philadelphia local jazz pianist, James "Hen Gates" Forman. Mtume 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 on a swimming scholarship. In 1966, Mtume joined the US Organization, a Black empowerment group founded by Hakim Jamal and Maulana Karenga, while a student at Pasadena City College. Mtume received his name, which means "messenger" in Swahili., from Karenga who gave members of the organization names to match their personality traits. Mtume left the US Organisation in 1969. Mtume made two albums, "Kawaida" and "Alekebulan": Land of the Blacks, intended to merge jazz and cultural identity. Kawaida,which was recorded in December 1969, was Mtume's professional debut. He contributed four out of five compositions and was credited with naming the album which means "norm" in Swahili and represented the practice and philosophy of pan-African identity. Performers on the album included Don Cherry, Herbie Hancock, Biily Bonner, and his uncle Albert Heath. After his return from the West Coast he moved to New York City and had his first gigs as a sideman for McCoy Tyner (Asante album), Freddie Hubbard, and Miles Davis, whose group he wound up joining and playing in for the next few years.  He and Mtume band member, fellow musician Reggie Lucas both won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for writing and producing fellow R&B artist Stephanie Mills' top-ten hit "Never Knew Love Like This Before", for which she also won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. He also worked as a session musician with Players Association, and did on-air radio personality work at New York City's KISS 98.7 FM. As a songwriter, Mtume wrote hits for various artists such as Phyllis Hyman, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Stephanie Mills, R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, Teddy Pendergrass, and Inner City, as well as being lead songwriter for his own band Mtume.This was his debut album. He went on to achieve Prominance as a major Forerunner in the Jazz Funk field.

AMM 

                                                                          The Taster!

Line Up

James Mtume        Producer, Arranger, Percussion, Conga, Keyboards, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Reggie Lucas        Producer, Arranger, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (Background)
Hubert Eaves III    Keyboards, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background)
Tawatha    Agee        Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Vocal Contractor
Howard King        Drums, Vocals (Background)
Basil Fearrington    Bass, Vocals (Background)
Wade Marcus        String Arrangements

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