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American jazz saxophonist and composer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arthur Murray Blythe (July 5, 1940 – March 27, 2017)[1] was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer. He was described by critic Chris Kelsey as displaying "one of the most easily recognizable alto sax sounds in jazz, big and round, with a fast, wide vibrato and an aggressive, precise manner of phrasing" and furthermore as straddling the avant garde and traditionalist jazz, often with bands featuring unusual instrumentation.[1]
Arthur Blythe | |
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![]() Blythe at the North Sea Jazz Festival with The Leaders, 1989 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Arthur Murray Blythe |
Also known as | Black Arthur |
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | July 5, 1940
Died | March 27, 2017 76) Lancaster, California, U.S. | (aged
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader, composer |
Instrument | Alto saxophone |
Years active | 1969–2017 |
Labels | Columbia, Enja, Savant Records |
Born in Los Angeles, Blythe lived in San Diego, returning to Los Angeles when he was 19 years old.[2] He took up the alto saxophone at the age of nine, playing R&B until his mid-teens when he discovered jazz.[3] In the mid-1960s, Blythe was part of the Underground Musicians and Artists Association (UGMAA), founded by Horace Tapscott, on whose 1969 The Giant Is Awakened he made his recording debut.[2]
After moving to New York in the mid-1970s, Blythe worked as a security guard before being offered a place as sideman for Chico Hamilton[3] (1975–77). He subsequently played with Gil Evans' Orchestra (1976–78), Lester Bowie (1978), Jack DeJohnette (1979) and McCoy Tyner (also 1979).[4] Blythe's group – John Hicks, Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall – played Carnegie Hall and the Village Vanguard in 1979.
In 1977, Blythe appeared on the LP Rhythmatism, a recording led by drummer Steve Reid. Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau highlighted Blythe's "forceful" alto-saxophone playing and said, "like so many of the new players Blythe isn't limited to modern methods by his modernism—he favors fluent, straight-ahead Coltrane modalities, but also demonstrates why he belongs on a tune for Cannonball."[5]
Blythe began to record as a leader in 1977 for the India Navigation label and then for Columbia Records from 1978 to 1987. Bob Stewart's tuba was a regular feature of these albums, often taking the place of the more traditional string bass. Albums such as The Grip and Metamorphosis (both on the label) demonstrated Blythe's maturity as well as his ability to play in both free and traditional contexts with a fully-developed personal style.[1] Blythe played on many pivotal albums of the 1980s, among them Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition on ECM. Blythe was a member of the all-star jazz group The Leaders and joined the World Saxophone Quartet after the departure of Julius Hemphill. Beginning in 2000 he made recordings on Savant Records which included Exhale (2003) with John Hicks (piano), Bob Stewart (tuba), and Cecil Brooks III (drums).[6]
Blythe died from complications of Parkinson's disease in Lancaster, California, at the age of 76.[7][8]
Year | Title | Label |
---|---|---|
1977 | The Grip | India Navigation |
1977 | Metamorphosis | India Navigation |
1977 | Bush Baby | Adelphi |
1978 | In the Tradition | Columbia |
1978 | Lenox Avenue Breakdown | Columbia |
1980 | Illusions | Columbia |
1981 | Blythe Spirit | Columbia |
1982 | Elaborations | Columbia |
1983 | Light Blue: Arthur Blythe Plays Thelonious Monk | Columbia |
1984 | Put Sunshine in It | Columbia |
1986 | Da-Da | Columbia |
1987 | Basic Blythe | Columbia |
1991 | Hipmotism | Enja |
1994 | Retroflection | Enja |
1995 | Calling Card | Enja |
1996 | Synergy | In + Out |
1997 | Night Song | Clarity |
1997 | Today's Blues | CIMP |
2000 | Spirits in the Field | Savant |
2001 | Blythe Byte | Savant |
2002 | Focus | Savant |
2003 | Exhale | Savant |
With Synthesis
With The Leaders
With Roots
With Santi Debriano and Billy Hart
With Jeff Palmer, John Abercrombie, Victor Lewis
With David Eyges and Bruce Ditmas
With John Abercrombie, Terri Lyne Carrington, Anthony Cox, Mark Feldman, Gust Tsilis
With Barry Altschul
With Joey Baron
With Lester Bowie
With Jack DeJohnette
With Gil Evans
With John Fischer
With Chico Freeman
With Chico Hamilton
With Craig Harris
With Julius Hemphill
With Azar Lawrence
With the Music Revelation Ensemble
With Woody Shaw
With Horace Tapscott
With Gust William Tsilis & Alithea
With McCoy Tyner
With the World Saxophone Quartet
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