Alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe was born on July 5, 1940 in Los Angeles, but grew up in San Diego. He began playing sax at age 9 and, after initially being interested in rhythm and blues, discovered jazz during his teens. Blythe’s big alto sound was a signature of his playing which often fell into the avant-garde school, but Arthur was also a fine player on more mainstream material.

After moving back to Los Angeles, Arthur was associated with the Underground Musicians and Artists Association in the 1960s and made his debut on record with that group in 1969. Author Steven Isoardi has written that the UGMAA was a group of artists who “were able to discover and forge culturally-focused artistic lives, while growing up in the challenging social conditions of Los Angeles's postwar Black community.”

Blythe moved to New York City in the 1970s and by the middle of that decade was playing with Chico Hamilton’s group. He also played with Lester Bowie, Jack DeJohnette and the Gil Evans Orchestra during the late 1970s. His own group did dates at the Village Vanguard and played Carnegie Hall in 1979. His first album as a leader was “The Grip” which was released in 1977. In all he recorded 22 records as a leader during his career.

In the 1980s Blythe began playing with the all-star group known as The Leaders and joined the World Saxophone Quartet after Julius Hemphill had to leave due to illness. Arthur Blythe passed away due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease in 2017.

Here is a link to a 1979 Arthur Blythe recording of a tune called Lenox Avenue Breakdown:

"LENOX AVENUE BREAKDOWN"