Yusef Lateef

Yusef Lateef was an American jazz musician, artist, composer, and producer. Born on October 9, 1920 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA and passed away on December 23, 2013 in Amherst, Massachusetts at the age of 93.

Lateef was a multi-instrumentalist known for his mastery of the tenor saxophone and flute. He also played rare instruments in jazz such as the oboe and bassoon. His music incorporated non-western instruments like the bamboo flute, shanai, shofar, xun, arghul and koto.

An innovative artist with an insatiable curiosity for exploration beyond traditional boundaries of jazz music. Lateef's soulful sound and impressive technique made him one of the top flutists by the 1950s. He introduced unique instruments like the arghul (a double clarinet resembling a bassoon) and shanai (a type of oboe). His musical style can be described as "world music" long before that term was coined.