Biography
Arthur Murray Blythe, 5 July 1940, Los Angeles, California, USA. From infancy Blythe lived in San Diego, returning to Los Angeles when he was 19 years old. He had taken up alto saxophone at the age of nine, playing R&B until his mid-teens when he discovered jazz. He studied with David Jackson and ex-Jimmie Lunceford altoist Kirtland (Kirk) Bradford. In the mid-60s he was part of UGMAA (The Underground Musicians and Artists Association), a west coast counterpart to Chicago’s AACM, founded by Horace Tapscott, on whose 1969 The Giant Is Awakened he made his recording debut. Blythe, aka Black Arthur, began leading his own group in 1970, often using unusual instrumentation, including tuba and cello, as well as James ‘Blood’ Ulmer’s remarkable guitar, and during the early 70s he did some rock session work. Although he first went to New York City in 1968 he did not settle there until 1974. He was soon able to give up his job as security man at a...
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