28 • January 20, 2022 - January 26, 2022
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Religion & Spirituality
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James Mtume, a fount of endless creativity, dead at 75 By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews James Mtume’s musical destiny was ineluctable— his father was the great saxophonist Jimmy Heath, his uncles drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath and bassist Percy Heath—but pedigree was only a singular ingredient to his productive odyssey. To this he added his own blend of musical genres, political connections, and cultural embodiments. He joined the ancestors on January 9. He was 75. (L to R) Rich Medina, Sadi Barnette, Michael Dinwiddie, and James Mtume at MoMa Besides noting a few in 2018 photo by Herb Boyd biographical facts, and noting that he was born James Forman on January 3, 1946 and killed in Birmingham.” The date he was refer- Reggie Lucas, began shaping a musical raised by his parents James and Bertha ring to was Amiri Baraka’s “It’s Nation Time,” in concept they called “Sophistifunk,” a blend Forman, the statement from the family re- which he composed “Chant” for the recording. of soul, jazz and funk. vealed a little known fact about him. “He After his tenure with US, keeping his adIn collaboration with Lucas came a fount of pursued training as a swimmer while at- opted name that in Swahili means “Mes- funk and smooth, lyrical pieces such as “The tending Pasadena City College and was senger,” he shifted towards music, the family Closer I Get to You,” and the version by Roberrecruited for the 1968 Olympics but decid- statement continued, and in the early 1970s ta Flack and Donny Hathaway was a favorite for ed to instead take a different direction and joined the Miles Davis ensemble as a per- manylovers.Equallypopularandmusicallyfuljoined the cultural nationalist organization cussionist. On Davis’ “In Concert” (1973) filling was their song “You Know How to Love US, founded and led by Maulana Karenga.” Mtume combines his rhythmic bursts with Me” recorded by Phyllis Hyman and “Never Duringasymposiumin2018atMoMawhere the guitars of Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas, Knew Love Like this Before” by Stephanie Mills. he shared a panel with Professor Michael Din- a moment the late Greg Tate praised in his “In the early 1980s Mtume formed the group widdie, Rich Medina, and Sadie Barnette on a collection of essays “Flyboy in the Butter- that bore his name and created five bestselldiscussion of Motown’s series of spoken word milk.” From the Miles milieu to perform ing albums as well as 11 R&B hits, including the records on the Black Forum label, Mtume said: with other significant others was easy, par- #1 multi-platinum smash “Juicy Fruit” (1982) “IwasamemberofUS…andduringtherecord- ticularly in forging his own group, Mtume and the Top 3 hit “You, Me and He” (1984). It ing we were thinking about John Coltrane’s ‘Al- Umoja Ensemble. By the mid-seventies, was during this time that Mtume took his “Soabama’ that was inspired by the four little girls he and his partner in rhyme and rhythm, phistifunk” sound and “combined it with the
i t emerging technology of drum machines andt synthesizers,” the family statement continued. e To some degree he had already created visu-c ally and cinematically infused music when byG the 1990s it became a more concrete endeavorw withsoundtracksforfilmsandtelevisionshows,t very much like the one he did for “Native Son,”v as well as serving as musical adviser for the TVD series “New York Undercover.” There was still time and energy for his political commitmentsf and radioactive commentaries as a host onr NYC’s WBLS-FM’s Open Line, where his voicea resonated thoughtfully for 18 years. “The mil-s lennium found Mtume sharing his knowledgeO regarding the business of music in arenas suchM as the Red Bull Academy in Tokyo and TEDm Talks,” the family statement added. a Along with the songwriting, Mtume had words for other projects, and I was pleased to join him in providing words for photographer Jules Allen’s book “Double Up.” “The most challenging proposition for an artist is finding difference in the familiar,” he wrote of Allen’s perceptions. “It is that pursuit that separates those who drink from the fountain of uncut creativity and those who are satisfied to merely sip from it.” Mtume was a deep thinker and drinker from this fount of creativity. And as he said at the MoMa event when asked about theory and practice, he replied, recalling the Occupy Wall Street movement: “You have to be ready to suffer, ready to give up some blood, if you’re gonna bring about change.” James Mtume is survived by his wife Kamili Mtume; brother Jeffrey Forman; his sons Faulu Mtume; Eshe King, Ife Mtume, Sanda Lee; grandchildren Sukari Mtume, Yamani Mtume, Craig McCargo, Mazu Mtume, Aya Mtume, and Jhasi Mtume.
Radio personality and former judge Bob Pickett dies AmNews Staff Reports
(Fatiyn Muhammad photos)
Beloved WBLS radio personality and former judge Bob Pickett has died. His passing was announced Tuesday on social media by WBLS radio host Fatiyn Muhammad. No information has been released on the cause of death. “The NY Radio Talk Show Openline Show that aired on 98.7 Kiss-FM and then on 107.5 WBLS-FM with Hosts; Bob Slade, James Mtume, and Judge Bob Pickett…were saddened almost 3-years ago when Bob Slade passed,” Muhammad said. “Then last week we lost ‘The 3rd Answer’ James Mtume… and I’m heartbroken to say we lost the final member of this trio today… Judge Bob Pickett…We send our condolences & prayers to the family & friends of Bob Pickett.” Bob Pickett, BobSlade and James Mtume Pickett was one of the original hosts of the WBLS public affairs pro- experience in litigation, both civil and crim- awards, including the Garden State AssociPickett was chairman and organizing gram “Open Line” along with the late inal. He was also a former judge in the Ad- ation of Black Journalists award for the Best founding member of Black United Fund Bob Slade and James Mtume. ministrative Courts of New Jersey. Syndicated Show, Visions of Black America, of New Jersey, now the African American An attorney for over 30 years, Pickett had He received numerous citations and as producer and writer for the series. Fund of New Jersey.
