Mind & Matter

Mind & Matter came together in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the 1970s as a soul and funk ensemble. The group stood out chiefly because it included a young James Harris, the keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger who would later perform as Jimmy Jam in the Time and form one half of the production duo Jam & Lewis. Earlier affiliations with the Casanovas, Wars of Armageddon—where Harris worked alongside longtime partner Terry Lewis—and Paradise shaped the band’s direction. In 1977 they issued their own 7" single, “I’m Under Your Spell” b/w “Sunshine Lady,” modeled on Philly soul. Membership eventually reached eleven instrumentalists and singers, and the collective toured the Midwest, supporting Pleasure, Faze-O, and Brass Construction before disbanding in 1980. Numero released the compilation 1514 Oliver Avenue (Basement) in October 2013, gathering material recorded at vocalist Lawrence Brown’s house. Soon afterward the label issued Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound, which featured both tracks from the 1977 single along with recordings by 94 East, Harris and Lewis’ Flyte Tyme, André Cymone, and Alexander O’Neal.