Arthur Blythe

Arthur Murray Blythe (July 5, 1940 – March 27, 2017) 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.

Biography
Born in Los Angeles, Blythe lived in San Diego, returning to Los Angeles when he was 19 years old. He took up the alto saxophone at the age of nine, playing R&B until his mid-teens when he discovered jazz. 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.

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 (1975–77). He subsequently played with Gil Evans' Orchestra (1976–78), Lester Bowie (1978), Jack DeJohnette (1979) and McCoy Tyner (also 1979). 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."

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. 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).

Blythe died from complications of Parkinson's disease in Lancaster, California, at the age of 76.

Collaborations
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
 * Six by Six (Chiaroscuro, 1977), with Olu Dara, a.o.
 * Sentiments (Ra, 1979), with Olu Dara, David Murray, a.o.
 * Mudfoot (Black Hawk, 1986)
 * Out Here Like This (Black Saint, 1987)
 * Unforeseen Blessings (Black Saint, 1988)
 * Slipping and Sliding (Sound Hills, 1994)
 * Salutes the Saxophone – Tributes to John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and Lester Young (In & Out, 1992)
 * Stablemates (In & Out, 1993)
 * Say Something (In & Out, 1995)
 * 3-Ology (Konnex, 1993)
 * Ease On (AudioQuest Music, 1993)
 * Synergy (In & Out, 1997)
 * Echoes (Alessa, 2005)

As sideman
With Barry Altschul With Joey Baron With Lester Bowie With Jack DeJohnette With Gil Evans With John Fischer
 * Another Time/Another Place (Muse, 1978)
 * Down Home (Intuition, 1997) with Ron Carter and Bill Frisell
 * We'll Soon Find Out (Intuition, 1999) with Ron Carter and Bill Frisell
 * The 5th Power (Black Saint, 1978)
 * African Children (Horo, 1978)
 * Special Edition (ECM, 1979)
 * Gil Evans Live at the Royal Festival Hall London 1978 (RCA, 1979)
 * The Rest of Gil Evans Live at the Royal Festival Hall London 1978 (Mole Jazz, 1981)
 * Parabola (Horo, 1979)
 * Live at the Public Theater, Vol. 1 & 2 (Trio (Japan)/Storyville (Sweden), 1980)
 * Priestess (Antilles, 1983)
 * Sting and Gil Evans – Strange Fruit (ITM, 1993), three tracks with Blythe rec. 1976 without Sting
 * 6 × 1 = 10 Duos for a New Decade (Circle, 1980)

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
 * Luminous (Jazz House, 1989)
 * Focus (Contemporary, 1995)
 * Peregrinations (Blue Note, 1975)
 * Chico Hamilton and the Players (Blue Note, 1976)
 * Cold Sweat Plays J. B. (JMT, 1999)
 * Coon Bid'ness (Freedom, 1972)
 * Bridge into the New Age (Prestige, 1974)
 * In the Name of... (DIW, 1994)
 * Knights of Power (DIW, 1996)
 * The Iron Men with Anthony Braxton (Muse, 1977 [1980])
 * The Giant is Awakened (Flying Dutchman, 1969)
 * Pale Fire (Enja, 1988)
 * Quartets 4 X 4 (Milestone, 1980)
 * 44th Street Suite (Red Baron,1991)
 * Metamorphosis (Elektra Nonesuch, 1990)
 * Breath of Life (Elektra Nonesuch, 1992)