James Mtume came to prominence as a jazz musician, working with Miles Davis between 1971 and 1975.
11 Facts About James Mtume
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James Mtume was the son of jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath, and was raised by his mother, Bertha Forman, and his stepfather, a Philadelphia local jazz pianist, James "Hen Gates" Forman.
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James Mtume grew up in a musical environment with jazz musicians frequenting his parents' house.
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James Mtume 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.
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In 1966, James Mtume joined the US Organization, a Black empowerment group founded by Hakim Jamal and Maulana Karenga, while a student at Pasadena City College.
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James Mtume received his name, which means "messenger" in Swahili, from Karenga who gave members of the organization names to match their personality traits.
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James Mtume was part of the group which celebrated the first Kwanzaa in 1966.
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James Mtume's 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.
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In 1994, James Mtume created music for the show New York Undercover while creating musical appearance opportunities for other artists on the show.
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James Mtume claimed to hold the sole copyright of these recordings, while Sony insisted that the albums were made for hire.
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James Mtume died in South Orange, New Jersey on January 9,2022, at the age of 76.