Yusef Lateef

約瑟夫.雷德福是一位回教徒，他的本名是Bill Evans，但是他取了一個具有回教意味的名字。 他擅長的樂器是長笛、雙簧管、巴頌管（Basson）與薩克斯風，其實他并不在意所表現(xiàn)的音樂算不算是爵士樂，有時他會演奏一些亞洲及中東地區(qū)的音樂。因此他的音樂除了被歸類在爵士樂，也可能被歸類在世界音樂與民俗音樂上。 Yusef Lateef成長于底特律市，17歲時學吹次中音薩克斯風。1946年時加入Lucky Millinder的樂團，以及Hot Lips Page樂團。他加入Dizzy Gillespie的大樂隊（1949-50年）。50年代時，他花了許多時間在底特律的Wayne州立大學念書。 1955年開始以主角的身分為Savoy、Riverside以及Prestige等唱片公司錄制專輯。1959年來到紐約市。1960年與貝斯手Charles Mingus合作，之后也與小號手Donald Byrd一同演出。他是薩克斯風手Cannonball Adderley的六重奏的重要的一員（1962-64年），他的多項樂器的演奏能力也是他被重用的因素。 以他為首的專輯由Impulse唱片公司(1963-66年) 推出以及Atlantic唱片公司(1967-76年)推出。 80年代他投入一段時間在教學上。
by Scott Yanow
Yusef Lateef has long had an inquisitive spirit and he was never just a bop or hard bop soloist. Lateef, who does not care much for the name jazz, has consistently created music that has stretched (and even broke through) boundaries. A superior tenor-saxophonist with a soulful sound and impressive technique, Lateef by the 1950s was one of the top flutists around. He also developed into the best jazz soloist to date on oboe, an occasional bassoonist and introduced such instruments as the argol (a double clarinet that resembles a bassoon), shanai (a type of oboe) and different types of flutes. Lateef played world music before it had a name and his output was much more creative than much of the pop and folk music that passes under that label in the 1990s.
Yusef Lateef grew up in Detroit and began on tenor when he was 17. He played with Lucky Millinder (1946), Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespies big band (1949-50). He was a fixture on the Detroit jazz scene of the 1950s where he studied flute at Wayne State University. Lateef began recording as a leader in 1955 for Savoy (and later Riverside and Prestige) although he did not move to New York until 1959. By then he already had a strong reputation for his versatility and for his willingness to utilize miscellaneous instruments. Lateef played with Charles Mingus in 1960, gigged with Donald Byrd and was well-featured with the Cannonball Adderley Sextet (1962-64). As a leader his string of Impulse recordings (1963-66) were among the finest of his career although Lateefs varied Atlantic sessions (1967-76) usually also had some strong moments. He spent some time in the 1980s teaching in Nigeria. His Atlantic records of the late 80s were closer to mood music (or new age) than jazz but in the 1990s (for his own YAL label) Yusef Lateef has recorded a wide variety of music (all originals) including some strong improvised music with the likes of Ricky Ford, Archie Shepp and Von Freeman.