Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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BLYTHE, Arthur

(b 7 May 1940, Los Angeles; d 27 March 2017) Alto, soprano sax, composer, aka 'Black Arthur'. Worked with Stanley Crouch '67-73; their LPs included Now Is Another Time, Past Spirits. To NYC '74; with Julius Hemphill (Coon Bid'ness '75), Chico Hamilton, Lester Bowie, Jack DeJohnette Special Edition, others; played in film soundtracks and at black music festivals in L.A.. His own LPs began with The Grip and Metamorphosis on India Navigation, recorded the same day in '77 by a sextet; Bush Baby same year is a trio set on Adelphi. Then a series with various combos on Columbia: Lenox Avenue Breakdown '78 was an excellent beginning; In The Tradition '79, Illusions '80, Blythe Spirit '81 (quintet tracks, smaller groups, duo with Amina Claudine Myers on organ on 'Just A Closer Walk With Thee'), Elaborations '82, Light Blue '83 (plays Thelonious Monk) were followed by Put Sunshine In It '85, descent into synthfunk with Stanley Clarke; da-da '86 was better, but the big label's desire to sell black music as pop isn't good enough for the man of whom Gary Giddins once wrote, 'Black Arthur means not having to search for your roots anymore because they are there at your fingertips.' (On the other hand, Blythe once said, 'I don't want to make records for posterity. I want to make records for prosperity.') Basic Blythe '87 returned to an acoustic group of pianist John Hicks, Anthony Cox on bass, drummer Bobby Battle, double string quartet arrarranged by Bob Friedman. Hipmotism '91 and Retroflection: Live At The Vanguard '92 were on Enja. Blythe also toured with the Leaders, with Chico Freeman etc (album Mudfoot on BlackHawk), then repertory septet Roots with Freeman, Benny Golson etc. Blythe sextet Night Song '96 on Clarity concentrated on a Latin feeling, including Freeman (mostly on percussion).

In later years he had suffered from Parkinson's disease.