Percussionist James Mtume, the beat behind later Miles Davis and 'Juicy,' dies at 76
Mtume brought, in Miles Davis' words, "a deep African-American groove" to the trumpet legend's band before later exploring neo-minimalist funk and R&B. And then there was "Juicy."
James Mtume, a percussionist who reoriented Miles Davis' later rhythms and whose 1983 hit, "Juicy Fruit," returned to the charts a decade later as the driving force of the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy," died on Jan. 9. He was 76. His death was confirmed by his publicist, Angelo Ellerbee.
Mtume recorded with pianist and future NEA Jazz Master in 1970, but his big break came the following year, when he started playing congas with Davis's electric group. Filling the void left by , Mtume stayed on for four years, appearing on landmark LPs like 1972's and 1974's . "Ife," from that latter album, had a title near to Mtume's heart — it was the name of his daughter.
