James Mtume is a Grammy Award winning music producer, composer for film and television, songwriter and musician. He has worked with acclaimed R artists Roberta Flack, Stephanie Mills, Lou Rawls, the Spinners, D'Angelo, and Mary J. Blidge. Mtume's career is distinguished by his ongoing social and political activism. Today he is the host of New York's number one political talk show.

Born in Philadelphia to a musical family, master producer, songwriter, and musician James Mtume penned such classic hits as "Sweet Sensation", "Never Knew Love Like This Before", and "The Closer I Get To You". The multi-platinum producer/songwriter has worked with such acclaimed R&B artists as Roberta Flack, Stephanie Mills, Lou Rawls, The Spinners, D’Angelo, and Mary J. Blige. As a musician, he is featured on percussion and keyboards on more than 80 jazz albums, including those of Keith Jarrett, Duke Ellington, McCoy Tyner, and his father Jimmy Heath. He also played with the great jazz bands of Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, and Herbie Hancock. Pivotal to Mtume’s musical development were the many years he played with the legendary Miles Davis, a time he fondly recalls as his “Ph.D. years.” In the early 80s, Mtume formed a production/ songwriting team with Reggie Lucas, producing over a dozen gold and platinum records. Their band recorded five acclaimed albums including Juicy Fruit, and You, Me and He. Mtume has composed and scored for television (New York Undercover), Broadway plays, and major films (Sarafina and Native Son). He has won both Grammy and American Music Awards, and has been honored with the keys to several cities, including Dallas, Chicago, and Washington. Mtume’s career has been marked by his ongoing social and political activism; he lectures frequently on university campuses, and today he is the host of New York’s No. 1 Black political talk show.

With guest speaker James Mtume, PASS THE TORCH brings music and political activism to the forefront of discussion. Mtume, engaging a captive audience in active debate, addresses the gap between old and young generations, and discusses the importance of Hip Hop, and other young urban artistic and cultural forms, as strong political movements for social change.

| view video |


Email this page to a friend!

Radio
"Open Line" Radio Show
with James Mtume, Bob Slade, and Bob Pickett
Sunday, 9 AM - 10 AM
KISS FM 98.7 WRKS FM, New York



James Mtume Discography (1980-1986)
In Search of the Rainbow Seekers, Epic, 1980.
Juicy Fruit, Epic, 1983.
You, Me and He, Epic, 1984.
Prime Time, Epic, 1984.
Theater of the Mind, Epic 1986.
Pop Generation, Epic 1986.

Producer / Songwriter
James Mtume has produced and/or written songs for the following artists:
Roberta Flack, Phyllis Hyman, Marc Sadane, Lou Rawls, Stephanie Mills, Roy Ayers, Tyrone Brunson, The Spinners, Mary J. Blige, D'Angelo, Joe, Gladys Knight, K-Ci Hailey, LeVert, Chanté Moore, Nu Romance Crew, Mavis Staples, Tawatha, The Last Poets, Woody Rock.

Film Scoring
Native Son, original music; American Playhouse/Cinecom/Cinetudes Films, 1986.
Sarafina!, original music; Hollywood Pictures/Miramax Films, 1992.

Television Scoring
"New York Undercover", original music; USA, 1994 (TV Series).