Jimmy Lyons (December 1, 1931 – May 19, 1986) was an American alto saxophone player. He is best known for his long tenure in the Cecil Taylor Unit. Lyons was the only constant member of the band from the mid-1960s until his death. Taylor never worked with another musician as frequently as he did with Lyons. Lyons' playing, influenced by

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, kept Taylor's avant-garde music tethered to the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

tradition.Kelsey, Chris
Jimmy Lyons
''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Biography

Lyons was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, and raised there until the age of nine, when his mother moved the family to

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

and then the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. He obtained his first saxophone in the mid-1940s and took lessons from

Buster Bailey William C. "Buster" Bailey (July 19, 1902 – April 12, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist. Career history Early career Buster Bailey was taught clarinet by classical teacher Franz Schoepp, who also taught Benny Goodman. Bailey gained his s ...

. After high school, Lyons was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and spent 21 months on

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

duty in Korea. He then spent a year playing in army bands. Once discharged he attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

. By the end of the 1950s, Lyons was supporting his interest in music by working for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

. In 1960, Lyons followed

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

into the saxophone role in the Cecil Taylor Unit. His post-Parker sound and strong melodic sense became a defining part of the sound of that group, from the 1962

Cafe Montmartre Jazzhus Montmartre is a jazz club in Copenhagen, Denmark. Many jazz musicians, including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, and Chet Baker, have performed there. It is sometimes called Cafe Montmartre. The Montmartre was located first in Dahlerupsgade, th ...

sessions onwards. During the 1970s, Lyons also ran his own ensemble, with bassoonist

Karen Borca Karen Borca (born September 5, 1948 in Green Bay, Wisconsin) is an American avant-garde jazz and free jazz bassoonist. Early life and education Borca studied music at the University of Wisconsin with John Barrows and Arthur Weisberg, gradua ...

and

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

Paul Murphy. They often performed in the loft jazz movement around Studio Rivbea. Lyons' group and Cecil Taylor Unit continued a parallel development throughout the 1970s and 1980s, often involving the same musicians, including

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

Raphe Malik Raphe Malik, born Laurence Mazel (November 1, 1948 in Cambridge, Massachusetts – March 8, 2006 in Guilford, Vermont) was an American jazz trumpeter. Career Malik studied at the University of Massachusetts (1966–70), then moved to Paris, whe ...

, bassist William Parker and percussionist Murphy. In 1976, Lyons performed in a production of

Adrienne Kennedy Adrienne Kennedy (born September 13, 1931) is an American playwright.Peterson, Jane T., and Suzanne Bennett. "Adrienne Kennedy". ''Women Playwrights of Diversity''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. 201–205. She is best known for '' Funnyhous ...

's '' A Rat's Mass'' directed by Cecil Taylor at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan. Musicians Rashid Bakr, Andy Bey,

David S. Ware David Spencer Ware (November 7, 1949 – October 18, 2012) was an American jazz saxophone, saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. Biography Ware was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. While in high sc ...

, and

also performed in the production. Taylor's production combined the original script with a chorus of orchestrated voices used as instruments.La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
"Production: ''Rat's Mass, A'' (1976)". Accessed August 8, 2018.
Lyons died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

in 1986 at the age of 54. He did not publish many recordings with his own ensemble, though Ayler Records did release a five- CD box set of recordings from 1972 to 1985.

Discography

As leader

* 1969: ''

Other Afternoons ''Other Afternoons'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, recorded in 1969 and released in 1970 on the BYG label as part of their Actuel series. His first recording as leader, it features Lyons on alto saxophone along with trumpe ...

'' with

Lester Bowie Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography Born in ...

Andrew Cyrille Andrew Charles Cyrille (born November 10, 1939) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer. Throughout his career, he has performed both as a leader and a sideman in the bands of Walt Dickerson and Cecil Taylor, among others. AllMusic biographer ...

Alan Silva Alan Silva (born Alan Lee da Silva; January 22, 1939 in Bermuda) is an United States of America, American free jazz double bassist and Keyboard instrument, keyboard player. Biography Silva was born a British subject to an Azores, Azorean/Portug ...

(

BYG Records BYG Records was a French record label known for the Actuel series specializing in free jazz. However, the label released a handful of non-jazz recordings by artists such as Musica Elettronica Viva, Freedom and Gong. History BYG Records was foun ...

, 1970) * 1978: '' Push Pull'' (

Hathut Records Hathut Records is a Swiss record company and label founded by Werner Xavier Uehlinger in 1974 that specializes in jazz and classical music. The name of the label comes from the artwork of Klaus Baumgartner. Hathut encompasses the labels hat ART, h ...

, 1979) – live * 1980: ''

Riffs A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accomp ...

'' with

, Jay Oliver, Paul Murphy ( hat MUSICS, 1982) – live * 1980: '' Jump Up / What to Do About'' with John Lindberg, Sunny Murray (

, 1981) – live * 1981: '' Something in Return'' with

( Black Saint Records, 1988) – live * 1982: ''

Burnt Offering A holocaust is a religious animal sacrifice that is completely consumed by fire. The word derives from the Ancient Greek ''holokaustos'' which is used solely for one of the major forms of sacrifice, also known as a burnt offering. Etymology and ...

'' with

( Black Saint Records, 1982) – live * 1983: ''

Wee Sneezawee ''Wee Sneezawee'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jimmy Lyons recorded in 1983 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' with

, Paul Murphy, William Parker ( Black Saint Records, 1983) * 1985: '' Give It Up'' with

, Paul Murphy, Jay Oliver,

Enrico Rava Enrico Rava (born 20 August 1939), is an Italian jazz trumpeter. He started on trombone, then changed to the trumpet after hearing Miles Davis. Career He was born in Trieste, Italy. His first commercial work was as a member of Gato Barbieri' ...

( Black Saint Records, 1985) compilations * '' The Box Set'' (Ayler Records, 2003) CD– previously-unreleased live tracks, limited edition * '' The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note'' ( Black Saint Records, 2014) CD

As sideman

With Cecil Taylor * ''

Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come ''Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come'' is an album by the Cecil Taylor Unit, recorded live at the Café Montmartre in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 23, 1962. This concert is nearly all he recorded from 1962 to 1966. Background In 1962, T ...

'' (Revenant, 1963) – live * ''

Unit Structures ''Unit Structures'' is a 1966 studio album by free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor, released by Blue Note Records. Background ''Unit Structures'' was Taylor's first album on Blue Note. He released '' Conquistador!'' on the label in the same year, with ...

'' (Blue Note, 1966) * '' Conquistador!'' (Blue Note, 1968) – recorded in 1966 * '' Student Studies'' (BYG, 1973) – live recorded in 1966 * ''

Akisakila ''Akisakila'' is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded at Koseinenkin Dai-Hall, in Tokyo in May 1973 and originally released on the Japanese Trio label as a double LP. It features a performance by Taylor with Jimmy Lyons and Andrew Cyrille. Recep ...

'' (Trio, 1973) – live * ''

Spring of Two Blue J's ''Spring of Two Blue-J's'' is a 1974 live album by Cecil Taylor, the second set of a "return concert" recorded at The Town Hall in New York City in November 1973. Originally released on Taylor's Unit Core label, bootlegged on European CDs, it was ...

'' (Unit Core, 1974) – live recorded in 1973 * '' Dark to Themselves'' (Inner City/Enja, 1977) – live recorded in 1976 * ''

The Great Concert of Cecil Taylor ''The Great Concert of Cecil Taylor'' is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded in St. Paul de Vence, Nice, on July 29, 1969, and released on the Prestige label in 1977 as a 3-LP set. The album was originally released as ''Nuits de la Fondation ...

'' (Prestige, 1977) – live recorded in 1969 * '' Cecil Taylor Unit'' (New World, 1978) * '' 3 Phasis'' (New World, 1978) * '' Live in the Black Forest'' (MPS, 1978) * '' One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye'' (Hat Hut, 1980) * ''

It Is in the Brewing Luminous ''It is in the Brewing Luminous'' is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded at Fat Tuesdays, NYC, on February 8 & 9, 1980 and released on the Hat Hut label. The album features performances by Taylor with Jimmy Lyons, Ramsey Ameen, Alan Silva, Jer ...

'' (Hat Hut, 1981) * '' The Eighth'' (Hat Hut, 1986) * '' Winged Serpent'' (Soul Note, 1985) * '' Mixed'' (Impulse!, 1998) * ''

The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert ''The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert'' is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded at Town Hall in New York City on November 4, 1973, and released in digital format in 2022 by Oblivion Records. On the album, Taylor is joined by saxophonis ...

'' (Oblivion, 2022) With

Jazz Composer's Orchestra The Jazz Composer's Orchestra was an American jazz group, founded by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler in 1965, to perform orchestral avant-garde jazz. Its origins lay in the Jazz Composers Guild, an organization founded by Bill Dixon which grew out ...

* ''

Communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

'' (JCOA, 1965) – live * '' Escalator over the Hill'' (JCOA, 1971) – recorded in 1968-71 With

Joel Futterman Joel Futterman (born April 30, 1946 in Chicago) is an American jazz pianist and soprano saxophonist. A native of Chicago, Joel Futterman was influenced both musically and philosophically by Gene Shaw, with whom he worked with and studied for a ...

* ''In-Between Position(s)'' (L+R, 1982) * ''Moments'' (Ear Rational, 1983) * ''Inneraction'' (JDF Music, 1984) * ''Inner Conversations'' (Ear-Rational, 1988) * ''Passage'' (Ear-Rational, 1991) With Paul Murphy * ''Cloudburst: Paul Murphy at RCA'' (Murphy, 1983) * '' Red Snapper: Paul Murphy at CBS'' (CIMP, 2003) – recorded in 1982 With others *

, ''

Nuba The Nuba people are indigenous inhabitants of central Sudan. Nuba are various indigenous ethnic groups who inhabit the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan state in Sudan, encompassing multiple distinct people that speak different languages which b ...

'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1979) *

Eddie Gale Edward Gale Stevens Jr. (August 15, 1941 – July 10, 2020), known professionally as Eddie Gale, was an American trumpeter known for his work in free jazz, especially with the Sun Ra Arkestra. Life and career Born in Brooklyn, New York on August 1 ...

, '' Black Rhythm Happening'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 1969) *

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...

, '' Into the Hot'' (Impulse!, 1962) – recorded in 1961

References

External links

"The Emergence of Jimmy Lyons" by Robert Levin, 1970Lyons' page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, Jimmy 1931 births 1986 deaths American jazz alto saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz alto saxophonists Deaths from lung cancer Musicians from New Jersey Free jazz saxophonists BYG Actuel artists 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians