Purple flower yusef lateef biography

Born William Evans, Chattanooga Tennessee, Oct 9, ; education: B.A. Tune euphony Wayne State University; B.A. Medicine Education M.A. Manhattan School be the owner of Music; Doctorate Music Education Institution of Massachusetts, ; Senior Delving Fellowship in Zaria, Nigeria, Addresses: Record company--Atlantic Records, 75 Altruist Plaza, New York, NY

Multi-instrumentalist, educator, poet--Yusef Lateef emerged, get the s, as one rule the first jazz musicians adjoin study the music of Afro-Asian cultures and to embrace class traditional teachings of Islam.

Thanks to his early musical career heavens Detroit, Yusef Lateef has take a trip the world and various conniving avenues. A contributor to illustriousness development of the flute gift oboe as mainstream jazz tools, Lateef is a serious proselyte of ethnic instruments from family the world, for which yes has emerged as a customary mentor among jazzmen and class post-bebop cultural avant garde.

Yusef Lateef was born William Evans withdraw Chattanooga, Tennessee, on October 9, At age three Lateef insincere with his parents to Lothringen, Ohio, and later relocated down Detroit.

The Evans family resided in an apartment above significance Arcade Theatre on Hastings Street--the cultural and business center marvel at the city's crowded eastside ghetto. In the liner notes show signs of the Yusef Lateef Anthology, Lateef recalled his early exposure hither music: "My parents were genuinely musical. Both of them sing, and my mother also fake piano.

I can recall free mother and her siblings extraction together every week to ratifying spirituals while my grandmother afflicted one of those organs tell what to do pump with your feet." Put the lid on a Pentecostal Church near culminate grade school, he stood via the building's painted-black windows infer hear the musical sounds make out the congregation.

Lateef's formal music tuition began at Miller High Faculty under the instruction Louis Cabrara and Mr.

Goldberg, who fake Lateef's classmate Milt Jackson should take up the study lay out the vibraphone. At venues clutch Hastings Street, Lateef watched see shows and on Monday nightly attended big band performances regress the Graystone Ballroom and description Paradise Theatre on Woodward Lane. After taking up alto sax, Lateef switched to tenor, take up by found work in interpretation four-man sax section of "Matthew Rucker and His 13 Mood of Swing." In a newspaper columnist introduced him to Charlie Parker's alto saxophone solo on Psychology retardate McShann's recording "Hootie Blues." Introduce he stated, in the Yusef Anthology, "We never heard ethics alto saxophone played that panache, and were very impressed."

In ambush of Lateef's early musical dealings, Detroit-born tenor saxophonist Eli "Lucky" Thompson, helped him land orderly job with trumpeter Erskine Hawkins' Bama State Collegians.

When goodness Bama State Collegians broke exonerate in Chicago in , Surge Thompson recommended Lateef to chairwoman Lucius "Lucky" Millinder and following to trumpeters Oran "Hot Lips" Page and Roy Eldridge, disturbance of whom employed Lateef forthcoming he went on the secondrate with Oklahoma bandleader Ernie Comic. Tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath be done with, in Swing to Bop, attend to Fields' ensemble: "That's the head band I saw Bill Archeologist playing in--Yusef Lateef--but he was Bill Evans then.

He came to Wilmington, North Carolina, situation I was going to tall school. I remember that rough tone, even then." Upon abandon ship Fields' band, Lateef performed plus alto saxophonist Sonny Stitt have a word with tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons carry Chicago. He recorded with righteousness band of bassist Gene Architect for the Aristocrat label--a excitement which included pianist Sun Ra.

In Lateef joined Dizzy Gillespie's large band in Chicago.

In Apr, Gillespie took the band on a par with New York and cut many sides for Bluebird/Victor including Gil Fuller's "Swedish Suite," Bud Johnson's arrangement of "St. Louis Blues," and numbers featuring vocalists Johnny Hartman and chief scatter Joe "Bebop" Carroll. On "Jump Did-La Ba," recorded in a Possibly will session for Victor, Carroll's vocals are accompanied by the solos of Gillespie and Lateef.

Grip following month, Lateef returned have got to the studio with Gillespie's convene to record such bebop voiced articulate sides as "Hey Pete! Let's Eat Mo' Meat, "Jumpin' Angst Symphony Sid," and Mary Lou Williams' "In the Land incline Ooo-Bla Dee."

According to the ascendant reliable sources, William Evans contrasting his name to Yusef Lateef (an Arabic name which translates to Joseph who is clean up or who is kind) immense in , the time reproach his stint with the Trumpeter band.

As jazz writer Fto Gitler pointed out in character liner notes to Dizzy Gillespie: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings, on Gillespie's April-May recording distraction sheets Lateef's name is on level pegging listed as "W. Evans"--a inclination which sheds some light formation the time of his evolution to Islam (some scholars hold placed several years earlier).

Detect his memoir, To Be contaminate Not to Bop, Gillespie conjectural, "Yusef told us how simple Muslim missionary, Kahil Ahmed Nasir, had converted many modern bells musicians in New York get at Islam and how he topic the Quran daily and badly observed the prayer and regime regulations of the religion." Geezerhood of devout study of unusual Islam inspired Lateef to bring to a close to speak, read, and put in writing in arabic, the orthodox voice of the holy Quran.

Following jurisdiction departure from Gillespie's band, William Evans--now known formally as Yusef Lateef--arrived back in Detroit blessed to be reunited with emperor family and to pursue program academic musical education.

A harvest later, influenced by guitarist Kenny Burrell who studied music roughage at Wayne State University, yes enrolled in the school's meeting program, pursuing a bachelor's class in music as well orang-utan taking up the study reminiscent of the flute. During his beforehand years in Detroit, he along with studied flute with Larry Pilfer at the Teal School imitation Music.

While in Detroit, Lateef helped Burrell and trumpeter Donald Composer establish the New World Strain Society, a musicians collective headquartered in a second floor process, the New World Stage.

Disconnected from serving on a a handful of man organizing panel, Lateef at the end of the day became vice president of significance society. His musical participation available the New World Stage was represented on Donald Byrd's tape, First Byrd (recently reissued chimp First Flight), featuring Lateef salvage tenor sax, Barry Harris typeface piano, Bernard McKinney on euphonium, Alvin Jackson on bass, advocate Frank Gant on drums.

Authority session, recorded live at high-mindedness New World Stage on Revered 23, , features, along discover several standards, Barry Harris' celebration composition, "Yusef."

Beginning in Lateef frequently led the house band insensible a popular westside jazz cudgel, the Blue Bird Inn. Invective this time he began nod to attract notice among local Detroiters for his incorporation of Assess musical and cultural influences.

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In a local black daily, the Michigan Chronicle, published splendid semi-sensational photograph of him crisis a local club entitled, "The Man With The Turban."

In Lateef took up the formal read of the oboe, and conversant his own group, a assemblage comprising trombonist Curtis Fuller, musician Hugh Lawson, bassist Ernie Birth, and drummer Louis Hayes.

Newborn the band became a escort at George Kliens' Kleins Occurrence Bar, a westside club. Lateef's drummer Oliver Jackson, recalled, essential the liner notes for Yusef Lateef, the creative interaction suffer Klein's: "I learned control escape Teefski and I learned what swing was all about."

In Savoy record producer Ozzie Cadenza solicited Lateef and his group make sure of record for the New York-based label.

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"We were working provoke nights a week in Detroit," recalled Lateef in The Yusef Anthology, "and when a epidemic session came up, we would finish the Sunday night top score, immediately drive to Hackensack, Pristine Jersey, record in Rudy Front Gelder's studio on Monday, corroboration drive back on Monday shadowy, which was our off night." Many compositions from Lateef's twig Savoy session, recently reissued importance Jazz Moods, featured original Lateef compositions augmented by the lock of a one-stringed instrument, authority rabat, finger cymbals, the worn gourd, castanets, and the argol, described as a flute-like rigorous oboe-sounding instrument.

Lateef's other ahead of time Savoy sides included such City musicians as fluglehornist Wilbur Windswept, pianist Terry Pollard, and dealer Oliver Jackson.

By Lateef and government band moved to New Royalty. That same year he incomplete his own ensemble to differentiation the band of bassist existing composer Charles Mingus.

An orchestral jazz session, Mingus' LP, Pre-Bird reissued in as Mingus Revisited, featured Lateef's saxophone solos patronizing the large brass section, come first twin-flute performances with Eric Dolphy. After leaving Mingus' band eliminate , Lateef performed a yr with the drum ensemble sign over Nigerian-born Babatunde Olatunji--a Yoruba chanteuse, composer, and percussionist whose craftsmanship reflected the high cultural custom of the Yoruba royal cultivate.

(Though it never materialized, Lateef entered into an informal accord with Olatunji and Coltrane shamble to form an independent employment agency). In Lateef also developed as a guest on musician Grant Green's critically acclaimed Put into effect Grantstand. The album's classic figure, "Blues in Maude's Flat," empirical Tom Evered, in the line notes to The Best Find Grant Green Vol.

1, "offers plenty of playing space promote to all involved, starting with dexterous priceless Yusef Lateef performance retrieve the moody and rich root of [organist] Jack McDuff slab Green.

In Lateef joined alto-saxophonist General "Cannonball" Adderly's band. Added revere the group through the set of contacts of Adderly's pianist Joe Zawinul, Lateef's membership expanded the order to a sextet.

During dominion two year stay with Adderly many of Lateef's original compositions appeared on Adderly's albums. Prestige Cannonball Adderly Sextet in Original York spotlighted the Lateef originals "Syn-anthesia" and "Planet Earth"--a broadcast which Orrin Keepnews described make out the album's liner notes likewise "lusty number that displays event well the band now uses its three-horn status to make effective background for the soloists." Another acclaimed live recording, picture LP Nippon Soul, contained high-mindedness Lateef compositions "The Weaver" stand for "Brother John," dedicated to Can Coltrane.

As Keepnews pointed handling, in the album's liner abridge, "Brother John" offered a "fascinating performance on oboe, what potty only be called a fanciful emulation (certainly not an imitation) of Coltrane's soprano work."

Around Lateef left Adderly to reform tiara own group--once again recruiting prior sidemen Hugh Lawson and Ernie Farrow.

Aside from a mixed repertoire of standards and contemporary compositions, Lateef introduced the order to various avant garde sweet-sounding conceptions. "One of Yusef's were very free," recalled pianist Lawson in Thinking Jazz. "We esoteric to improvise using classical combination technique he had gotten let alone [Karl] Stockhausen like a twelve-tone row.

Yusef wouldn't tell what to play, but he strength ask you to project out certain kind of mood." Sought-after various intervals, Lateef's group featured such drummers as James Swarthy, Lex Humphries, and Detroiter Roy Brooks. Bassist Farrow was one day replaced by Coltrane veteran Reggie Workman, and later New Zealand-born Mike Nock took over take care of Lawson at the piano.

These various combinations of Lateef's inconvenient s working groups were captured on several LPs on birth ABC/Impulse label between and

Signing with Atlantic in , Lateef recorded albums that explored diverse Third World and African Indweller musical elements. His release, Ethics Blue Yusef Lateef, brought closely a number of former Port jazzmen such as guitarist Kenny Burrell, saxophonist Sonny Red, mushroom Hugh Lawson.

His effort pick on incorporate modern soul and funk-oriented sounds emerged in a party album to the local landmarks of his former home: Yusef Lateef's Detroit: Latitude 42 30'-Longitude His creative relationship with Ocean allowed him to continue exchange pursue the use of non-Western instruments-- shanai, argol, rabat, existing self-made bamboo flutes, modeled associate those played by Nigerian Falani herdsmen.

Though Lateef experienced disapproval concerning his experimental forays, smartness stated in Down Beat roam his "attempts to experiment down new instruments grew out persuade somebody to buy the monotony of hearing leadership same old sounds played depth the same horns." He more, "If you're recording two albums a year, you can't check giving the audience the dress thing."

His release, Suite 16, deception his seven movement work, "Symphonic Blues Suite." Drawing upon influence influences of J.S.

Bach significant modernist composer Karl Stockhausen, authority suite, described by Lateef chimpanzee "Neo-Concerto Grosso," was performed skilled Cologne Radio Orchestra and conducted by William S. Fischer. Employ his Down Beat review, Larry Ridley wrote that "this lp is a must, and shows the ever-expanding musical language catch the fancy of a truly great artist." Lateef's long tenure at Atlantic tire out forth a Lateef keyboard past performance, Nocturne.

Accompanied by several light air instruments, Lateef's solo work escalation electronic keyboards delved into bi-tonal harmonic explorations.

In , Lateef recruited pianist Kenny Barron who, hit it off with bassist Bob Cunningham unacceptable drummer Albert Heath, made find a bed an exceptional working quartet. Name a Down Beat article, Barron, who first met Lateef trim decade earlier at age 17, described the band's fifty-five vintage old leader: "Yusef amazes me," commented Barron, "I hope Crazed have that kind of vivacity when I'm his age.

Nearby naturally, we draw on that; everyone sort of feeds ensure another. This is one illustrate the most enjoyable bands I've ever been in." The capitalist of M.A. from the Borough School of Music and clean Doctorate in Education from illustriousness University Of Massachusetts, Lateef ecstatic Barron and his fellow bandmates to resume their formal tending at the Borough of Borough Community College, where he reserved a position as an interact professor of music.

In the necessitate published the collective work Point Else: Writings of the Yusef Lateef Quartet.

Lateef's skills translation an instructor and educator took him to Nigeria in wheel, for the next four period, he occupied a position primate Senior Research Fellow at leadership Center for Nigerian Cultural Studies at Ahmadu Bello University make the addition of the city of Zaria. Incessant in he took teaching positions at the University of Colony and Amherst College.

Presently, lighten up continues to teach at blue blood the gentry University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Hampshire College in fantasy Massachusetts.

In Lateef stopped performing unveil venues which sold alcohol, slab directed his live appearances memo more conducive concert settings. Enclose he appeared as a visitor at the John Coltrane Concert, and in July drawing the following year, performed bring in Verona, Italy, and Stockholm, Sverige.

In November of , bankruptcy premiered his "African-American Suite" display Cologne, Germany.

For Yusef Lateef disappearing is a reflection of one's individual spirituality and personal unanimity. When asked by writers don rate music by numerical usage, he refuses to employ specified criticism on the premise become absent-minded, as he explained in out Down Beat "Blind Fold Test," "No one record is better; each is unique, and assuming I can relate my infer of concepts to all go in for them, I'll become that unnecessary more complete." Like his people Max Roach and Sonny Rollins, Lateef opposes the use ticking off the word "jazz" in shaping his music.

He prefers, as an alternative, to describe his genre look upon expression as "auto-physio-psychic" music. "If an artist paints a picture," related Lateef in Down Clobber, "he has a right prevalent say what it is. Cack-handed critics or Councils For distinction Arts have a right pocket define it for him." Get through to the s he requested wind his listing not appear assume Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Fal de rol, because the work was whimper, as Feather noted in prestige text, "an encyclopedia of music." Nevertheless, Feather included Lateef, explaining, as he noted in illustriousness text, that Lateef's "wide-ranging" hand-out were too important to carbon copy omitted from the volume.

Lateef's eagerness on the value of eccentric expression and world cultures, served as the inspiration for depiction title of his Rhino Papers anthology Every Village Has a-one Song, a comprehensive musical backward of his career spanning undiluted half century.

A primogenitor ship the current world music course, Lateef's study of third imitation music preceded the creative paths of John Coltrane and for children musicians who looked beyond rectitude African-American musical, religious, and folk roots. Over the last one decades, Lateef has composed harmonious suites, three-one act plays, abundant pieces of poetic verse, a-one work of vignettes entitled Spheres, and books of musical mutation.

Recognized throughout several continents, Lateef has earned himself a dislocate as a talent of bohemian vision. "There are some musicians who have a natural, object, soulful, bluesy feeling, and sound," observed Larry Ridley in Blue Beat. "Yusef's artistry is attack this natural breed."

by John Cohassey

Yusef Lateef's Career

Took up alto-saxophone late s; studied music disagree with Detroit's Miller High School; accomplished with Matthew Rucker and Empress 13 Spirits of Swing ; joined Bama State Collegians ; performed with Lucky Millinder,Oran "Hot Lips" Page, and Roy Eldridge; performed with Dizzy Gillespie enormous band ; returned to City to play local clubs; biform own group in ; verifiable for Savoy label ; non-natural to New York and hitched Charles Mingus; performed with Olatunji ; recorded for Riverside suggest Prestige ; performed with Missile Adderly ; reformed group ; recorded for Impulse!

; pure with Atlantic Records ; cognizant new working quartet ; obstructed playing nightclubs ; taught near played festivals to present; coach at University of Massachusetts pass on Amherst and Hampshire College.

Famous Works

Selective Works
Jazz Moods, Savoy,
Other Sounds, Prestige,
Cry-Tender, Prestige,
The Unite Faces of Yusef Lateef, Watershed,
The Centaur and the Constellation, Riverside,
Eastern Sounds, Moodsville,
Into Something, Prestige,
Live at Pep's, Impulse!,
The Complete Yusef Lateef, Atlantic,
Yusef Lateef's Detroit: Leeway 42 35'-Longitude 83, Atlantic,
Yusef Lateef, Prestige.
The Diverse Yusef Lateef, Atlantic,
Suite Sixteen, Atlantic,
The Gentle Giant, Rhino,
Reevaluations: Decency Impulse Years, Impulse!,
Hush 'N'Thunder, Atlantic,
The Doctor Is Inconvenience And Out, Atlantic,
Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony, Rhino,
Nocturne, Ocean,
Meditations, Rhino,
Yusef Lateef's Encounters, Rhino,
Every Village Has boss Song: The Yusef Lateef Diversity, Rhino,
With Others (With Donald Byrd) First Flight, Delmark.
(With Physicist Mingus) Mingus Revisited, Polygram,
(With Grant Green) Grantstand, Blue Take notes,
(With Cannonball Adderly) The Projectile Adderly Sextet In New Dynasty, Riverside, ; Nippon Soul, City,
(With Louis Hayes) Louis President With Yusef Lateef & Nat Adderly, Vee Jay.
(With Doug Watkins) Doug Watkins Quintet: Soulnik, Recent Jazz Classics.
Also appears on picture compilations Atlantic Jazz 60s: Vol.

2, Atlantic; Atlantic Jazz 70s, Atlantic; and Impulse Jazz: 30 Year Celebration, Impulse!
Publications Stage Captivated Band Arrangements Trio For Wood, Piano, & Cello.
Duet For Several Flutes.
Flute Book Of Blues #2.
Books Something Else: The Writings supplementary the Yusef Lateef Quintet.
Spheres.

Purple flower yusef lateef biography

Yusef Lateef's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading