Don Byron

Clarinet and saxophone player Don Byron is known for casting off the constraints of genres and subcategories and for venturing wherever he sees fit. Born in New York City -- specifically the Bronx -- on November 8, 1958, Byron developed an appreciation for the klezmer music he heard in his predominantly Jewish neighborhood. He dedicated himself to music early on, and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. He came back to New York and made his way into the avant-garde jazz scene in the 1980s before debuting as a leader in 1992 with Tuskegee Experiments, which featured guitarist Bill Frisell and was acclaimed for its complex take on traditional swing sounds. This re-imagining of familiar styles through a modern lens would become his calling card going forward.

Byron turned his focus to Latin music on his 1995 album Music for Six Musicians, and back to swing for Bug Music the following year. He began a six-album run for Blue Note in 1998 with Nu Blaxploitation. His Blue Note output included a pivot to classical music with A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder in 2000, and he earned a Best Jazz Instrumental Solo Grammy nomination in 2004 for “I Want to Be Happy” from his album Ivey-Divey. He explored soul music in 2006 on an album paying tribute to Junior Walker, and then gospel music in 2011 with Love, Peace, and Soul. In addition to his own work, Byron also appeared on albums from Living Colour, Suzanne Vega, Allen Toussaint, and a Charles Mingus tribute organized by the late Hal Willner.