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Juma Santos???


sheldonm

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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...

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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.

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  • 1 year later...

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.

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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.

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  • 6 years later...

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 by sidewinder
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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

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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 by sidewinder
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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.

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