Juma Santos???

[sheldonm]

Juma Santos is a percussionist that played with James Carter in Chicago this past Sunday....anyone heard of him??

m~

[tonym]

Isn't it 'Jim Riley' or something, ex Miles team-mate?

[ep1str0phy]

There's a Jumma Santos who has played with Coltrane, Miles, Marion Brown, Larry Young, Julius Hemphill, Roy Ayers, Nina Simone, and (if I'm not mistaken) Jimi Hendrix. Damn.

[Guest akanalog]

also with chico freeman. also with jack dejohnette....

[sheldonm]

...well, I spoke with him for a few minutes and he gave me his card.....spelled Juma. Nice guy, probably in his late 60's at least.

m~

Edited March 22, 2006 by sheldonm

[DatDere]

I think the name of the percussionist who played with Hendrix at Woodstock is Juma Sultan, don't think it's the same guy.

[sheldonm]

...it's the same guy but spelled Juma....just checked out his web site.....did play with a lot of bad MFs. He sent me an email today looking for some photos.

M~

[tonym]

I've just checked the Bitches Brew box and he's listed on there for playing some percussion instruments.

  tonym said:

Isn't it 'Jim Riley' or something, ex Miles team-mate?

[clifford_thornton]

Juma was one of the instigators of the 212 Artists' Colony in Woodstock, NY, and played with pretty much everybody in the "loft" scene (Hamiet Bluiett and Noah Howard to add to the list). He also played contrabass with Sonny Simmons among others, and led a group called the Aboriginal Music Society which, as far as I know, never recorded anything (too bad!).

I have Juma's name on a number of records, so he's not too badly represented...

[ep1str0phy]

  clifford_thornton said:

Juma was one of the instigators of the 212 Artists' Colony in Woodstock, NY, and played with pretty much everybody in the "loft" scene (Hamiet Bluiett and Noah Howard to add to the list). He also played contrabass with Sonny Simmons among others, and led a group called the Aboriginal Music Society which, as far as I know, never recorded anything (too bad!).

I have Juma's name on a number of records, so he's not too badly represented...

That's right--he plays bass on "Manhattan Egos," no? He's remarkably effective... wish he'd show that side a little more often.

[HW!]

Hello !

I up this thread for there's some interesting news about Juma Sultan, who played the drums with Jimi Hendrix and the bass with Sonny Simmons and then in the Jazz Loft era with about everyone... but who actually isn't Jum(m)a Santos, congas on Bitches Brew (here's Santos' web site: http://www.jumasantos.com/. (If that addresses the thread's first issue.)

Juma Sultan, with a grant from Clarkson University, has started his own web site, Juma's Archive. The folks at Clarkson help him preserve hundreds of hours of music (not any second of it has ever appeared on the traders circuit), videos, thousands of pics... A documentation that covers the gap between ESP'Disk and the Wildflowers. Too say the least, it's gonna be important.

[mikeweil]

Juma Santos is a great congas player, always was one of my favourites. His birth name is Jim Riley, indeed, and it's him on Bitches Brew and a thousand other records.

He made a great groove with Victor Lewis on David Sanborn's debut album on Warner Bros., and he's on Victor Lewis' Audioquest album (with Don Alias!) - these would be my top recommendations.

[clifford_thornton]

Thanks for repairing the confusion. I have more experience with Sultan's music than Santos's. I look forward to checking out the archive!

[sidewinder]

That Juma Sultan archive site is very interesting. Watching a clip of Hendrix playing the Monday morning gig at Woodstock on the TV yesterday, noticed that he is in the line-up as one of the 2 percusionists and is interviewed on the programme. My first reaction on seeing this was 'that must be Juma Santos of Bitches Brew fame' and this thread put me right.

From wiki it would appear that Juma Santos passed away some years ago though from complications of malaria. Only 59.

Edited January 12, 2014 by sidewinder

[mjazzg]

  On 1/12/2014 at 1:12 PM, sidewinder said:

That Juma Sultan archive site is very interesting. Watching a clip of Hendrix playing the Monday morning gig at Woodstock on the TV yesterday, noticed that he is in the line-up as one of the 2 percusionists and is interviewed on the programme. My first reaction on seeing this was 'that must be Juma Santos of Bitches Brew fame' and this thread put me right.

From wiki it would appear that Juma Santos passed away some years ago though from complications of malaria. Only 59.

I saw that footage too and couldn't help but think what a thankless task those two percussionists had making themselves heard against Hendrix and the rest of the band. They looked like they were expending a lot of energy trying to too.

Electrifying footage nonetheless

[sidewinder]

Exactly - the percussionist behind Hendrix (Jerry Velez) looked to be going hell for leather but listening to the soundtrack he and Juma are hardly discernable above Hendrix, Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell. First time I have seen that performance and it is a great one !

Edited January 12, 2014 by sidewinder

[jazzbo]

I believe a large part of the reason you don't hear the percussionists (and guitarist Larry Lee) is because Eddie Kramer either was directed by Hendrix's management (most likely) or Hendrix or took it upon himself not to "mic" them properly. I've heard rehearsal/jam mateiral of Gypsy Sun and Rainbow from this period that even in mono portable recording equipment sound the balance is better and all are heard.

I wish this band had been allowed the time to gel and go forward.