Gary Bartz Ntu Troop

Biography

Gary Bartz Ntu Troop was the early‑1970s working band and creative laboratory of American alto and soprano saxophonist Gary Bartz, formed around 1969–1970 after a decade of work with major jazz leaders such as Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner, and Miles Davis.[3][4][6] Conceived while Bartz was living in New York, the group’s name came from the Bantu word “Ntu,” which Bartz has described as referring to essence, unity, and the interconnectedness of all things, signaling a philosophical as well as musical mission.[4][7] From the outset, Ntu Troop fused soul and funk rhythm sections with hard bop, avant‑garde improvisation, African folk concepts, and socially conscious themes that reflected Bartz’s engagement with Black Power, African heritage, and the poetry of figures like Langston Hughes.[2][4][5]

Ntu Troop first appeared on record on Bartz’s live album “Home!” recorded in Baltimore in 1969, and then on a string of early‑1970s albums including “Harlem Bush Music: Taifa,” “Harlem Bush Music: Uhuru,” “Juju Street Songs,” and “I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies.”[2][3][4] These recordings featured tight, groove‑driven ensembles supporting Bartz’s searching saxophone lines and often included vocals, chants, and spoken‑word elements, placing the band firmly within the spiritual jazz movement of the era.[2][3][5] Over time, the Ntu Troop concept extended into later projects such as “Music Is My Sanctuary,” where Bartz kept elements of the original band’s aesthetic while integrating smoother jazz‑funk production and high‑profile session players.[3][9]

Though Ntu Troop’s initial run was relatively short, roughly the early to mid‑1970s, its legacy has grown steadily, especially among collectors, DJs, and hip‑hop producers who have sampled its deep grooves and spiritual atmospheres.[2][4][9] The group’s blend of African‑rooted consciousness, funk rhythm, and exploratory jazz improvisation has made those albums touchstones for later generations of jazz‑funk and spiritual jazz artists, and specific tracks have been cited as influences on acts such as A Tribe Called Quest and other hip‑hop innovators.[4][5][9] As a result, Gary Bartz Ntu Troop is now regarded as one of the key ensembles that bridged 1960s post‑bop and avant‑garde jazz with the groove‑centered, socially engaged jazz‑funk of the 1970s.[2][4][9]

Fun Facts

• The name “Ntu Troop” comes from a Bantu term that Bartz associates with essence or unity, and he has explained that the band conceptually included not just the musicians on stage but also the audience, who were encouraged to bring percussion and join in.[4][5][7]
• Early Ntu Troop performances sometimes worked without a piano so the group could play anywhere, even outdoors, emphasizing a flexible, community‑oriented approach rather than a traditional club setup.[5]
• The Ntu Troop albums, once relatively obscure, became cult favorites among crate‑diggers and were later sampled by hip‑hop artists, helping to fuel a broader rediscovery of 1970s spiritual jazz and jazz‑funk.[2][4][9]
• Some core Ntu Troop musicians, like drummer Howard King, were very young when they joined the band, reflecting Bartz’s interest in working with emerging talent and shaping a fresh sound.[7][3]

Members

• Andy Bey

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Charles Mingus - Bartz participated in Mingus’s Jazz Workshop in the early 1960s, playing alongside musicians such as McCoy Tyner and Eric Dolphy; this experience shaped the harmonic openness and compositional ambition that fed into the Ntu Troop concept. (Performances with Charles Mingus’s Jazz Workshop (early 1960s, live and workshop repertoire).) [circa 1962–1964]
• Max Roach - Bartz worked as a sideman with drummer Max Roach, absorbing Roach’s combination of hard‑bop drive, political engagement, and rhythmic sophistication that later surfaced in Ntu Troop’s socially conscious grooves. (Sideman work with Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln (various early‑ to mid‑1960s projects).) [early to mid‑1960s]
• Art Blakey - As a member of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Bartz was steeped in hard‑bop language and high‑energy small‑group interaction, which became a foundation for Ntu Troop’s improvisational approach. (Tenure with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (touring and recordings in the 1960s).) [1960s]
• McCoy Tyner - Bartz joined Tyner’s post‑Coltrane group Expansions, where modal harmony, spiritual themes, and strong rhythmic vamps anticipated many aspects of Ntu Troop’s sound. (Work with McCoy Tyner’s group Expansions and appearances on multiple Tyner albums.) [from 1968 onward]
• Miles Davis - Bartz’s time in Miles Davis’s electric band, including appearances at the Isle of Wight and on the album Live‑Evil, exposed him to amplified, funk‑driven, open‑form music that paralleled and reinforced the direction of Ntu Troop. (Miles Davis’s Live‑Evil and the Cellar Door Sessions performances.) [1970–1971]

Key Collaborators

• Hubert Eaves - Keyboardist in Ntu Troop who helped articulate the band’s harmonic palette, contributing piano and electric keys to its early‑1970s recordings. (Core member on Milestone‑era Ntu Troop albums such as Harlem Bush Music titles and Juju Street Songs.) [early 1970s]
• John Lee - Bassist in Ntu Troop whose acoustic and electric bass work anchored the group’s blend of funk and spiritual jazz. (Band member on Ntu Troop recordings for Milestone Records.) [early 1970s]
• Howard King - Drummer in Ntu Troop noted for his tight, energetic playing; he appears both on classic Ntu Troop albums and later on Bartz’s jazz‑funk projects. (Ntu Troop recordings and the album Music Is My Sanctuary.) [early 1970s; late 1970s]
• Andy Bey - Vocalist and keyboardist who contributed vocals and electric piano to Ntu‑related sessions, adding a spiritual and soulful vocal dimension. (Appearances on live and studio recordings associated with early Ntu Troop, including material around Home!.) [around 1969–early 1970s]
• Mizell Brothers (Larry and Fonce Mizell) - Producers and co‑writers for Bartz’s later jazz‑funk work that continued the Ntu aesthetic into smoother but still groove‑heavy albums. (Music Is My Sanctuary and other 1970s jazz‑funk projects.) [mid to late 1970s]
• Session musicians such as Wah Wah Watson, David T. Walker, James Gadson, Bill Summers, James Mtume, Eddie Henderson, and Syreeta Wright - These musicians joined Bartz on projects that extended the Ntu Troop sound into more polished jazz‑funk, bringing top‑tier rhythm‑section and vocal talent. (Music Is My Sanctuary and related sessions, with Syreeta Wright featuring on tracks like “Love Ballad.”) [circa 1977]

Artists Influenced

• A Tribe Called Quest - The group drew on Ntu Troop recordings for samples and inspiration, with at least one track cited as influencing their early‑1990s work. (Use and acknowledgment of Ntu Troop material in relation to the 1991 track “Butter.”) [early 1990s (influence drawn from early‑1970s recordings)]
• Hip‑hop producers and DJs - Ntu Troop’s grooves and textures became a resource for sampling, particularly among crate‑digging DJs and producers exploring spiritual jazz and jazz‑funk. (Sampling of tracks from Harlem Bush Music: Taifa, Juju Street Songs, and I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies on various hip‑hop and beat projects.) [late 1980s onward]
• Contemporary spiritual jazz and jazz‑funk artists - Later generations of jazz musicians cite Bartz’s Ntu Troop albums as models for combining African‑rooted spirituality, social commentary, and funk rhythms. (Modern albums referencing or reissuing Ntu Troop material, as well as tributes and collaborations such as the Jazz Is Dead project with Gary Bartz.) [1990s to present]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Celestial Blues (Harlem Bush Music - Uhuru)
2. Uhuru Sasa (Harlem Bush Music - Uhuru)
3. Blue (A Folk Tale) (Harlem Bush Music - Uhuru)
4. Nation Time - Live, Bremen (Live In Bremen 1975)
5. Vietcong (Harlem Bush Music - Uhuru)
6. The Planets (Harlem Bush Music - Uhuru)
7. I've Known Rivers - Live, Bremen (Live In Bremen 1975)
8. Ju Ju Man - Live, Bremen (Live In Bremen 1975)
9. Medley: Rise / Celestial Blues / The Sounding Song / Incident / Uhuru Sasa - Live, Bremen (Live In Bremen 1975)
10. Celestial Blues (Soul Jazz Records Presents SOUL OF A NATION: Jazz is the Teacher, Funk Is the Preacher: Afro-Centric Jazz, Street Funk and the Roots of Rap in the Black Power Era, 1969-75)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #jazz