--=[ Mtume and Lucas ]=--

Mtume and Lucas - Best of Mtume and Lucas [2004]

Through playing with Miles, Mtume & Lucas were always surrounded by the best musicians, so when they were called in to work with Roberta Flack they knew who to put together a section of players. People like Howard King (drums),Michael Henderson (bass), and Hubert Eaves (keyboards) became the bedrock of their sound.

James Mtume met Reginald Grant Lucas in Philadelphia while playing with Miles Davis in the early 70s. Mtume's father was James Heath who together with uncles performed and recorded as The Heath Brothers. Mtume, who played guitar and percussion,learnt his craft on the jazz circuit with Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson and then Freddie Hubbard who introduced him to Miles and got hired as percussionist.Reggie Lucas also played guitar and worked with artists like Norman Connors, Lonnie Liston Smith and Billy Paul before Miles hired him a year after James as guitarist.

Their recording collaborations began in the jazz world and first gained some recognition in 1976 with the Miles Davis inspired trumpeter Eddie Henderson on the jazz funk anthem 'Say You Will' which they co-wrote (and is include on the Soul Brother collection 'Anthology').

'I didn't take note at the time', James recalls, 'But after getting along so well as session players, Reggie and I began talking about ideas for songs, so at the start of it I guess you could say it just happened. 'We cut a demo on a group from Howard University called Hot Tea as our first project, and that's where we met Tawatha Agee who was one of the vocalists along with Angela Winbush'. Tawatha later became the vocalist for Mtume's group (singing 'Juicy Fruit) after much involvement with Mtume & Lucas as a backing singer, vocal contractor and co-songwriter (before later working with Aretha, Luther, Diana Ross and much more recently Marlon Saunders).

'Juciy Fruit' was the metamorphosis for James Mtume, a complete departure from anything done previously and in effect marked the end of the Mtume & Lucas era. 'When Reggie and I worked together our style was lush and pretty, but then it was time for a change so I went for a neo minimalist approach using very few musicians and no reverb'. There would be no more Mume & Lucas after 'Juicy Fruit', and in case you are wondering, there are no previously unreleased gems to be unearthed. 'When we cut an album, we wrote and produced to order so there was no wastage and nothing that didn't get used'. The closest we would get to hearing one of Reggie' sweet melodies again would actually be on 'Borderline' which he wrote for Madonna! Meanwhile, after a few free lance productions (including some Mary J. Blige,Roy Ayers, The Barkays, Tyrone Brunson and music for 'New York Undercover'),James retired from music altogether and currently hosts a political chat show on New York's 98.7 Kiss FM.

Phyllis Hyman ~ You Know How To Love Me





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