Jazz and r’n’b musician James Mtume has died, aged 76

RIP to the jazz and r’n’b great.

Musician and producer James Mtume has died, aged 76.

Born James Forman in Philadelphia 1946, he later changed his name to Mtume, taking it from the Swahili word for ‘messenger’.

Later moving to NYC in the ’70s, he played on Miles Davis’ On The Corner album, as well as contributing to records by Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, Lonnie Liston Smith, and beyond.

Alongside this, Mtume also launched his own self-titled r’n’b group in 1978, with their ‘Juicy Fruit’ song becoming an enduring — and much sampled — classic.

Mtume remained active following the band’s split in the late ’80s, working as a producer for artists including Mary J. Blige and K-Ci & JoJo.

His passing was confirmed by his Son to Pitchfork, with no cause of death announced at the time of writing.