Byard Lancaster

Biography

Byard Lancaster (August 6, 1942 – August 23, 2012) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and flutist from Philadelphia. After studying at Berklee and moving to New York in 1965, he recorded with *Sunny Murray* and made his leader debut with 'It's Not Up to Us' in 1968. A co-founder of *Sounds of Liberation*, he recorded extensively under his own name, including four albums for #Palm# in Paris, and played with *McCoy Tyner*, *Sun Ra* and *Fela Kuti*. He remained a fixture of Philadelphia jazz until his death in 2012.