Byard Lancaster


Byard Lancaster was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and flutist.

Early life and education

He attended two colleges, one for music, before attending the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City and participated in jam sessions which included saxophonist Archie Shepp and drummer Elvin Jones.

Career

In 1965, he recorded Sunny Murray Quintet with the album's eponymous musician in New York, performed in the Parisian Actuel festival with him in 1969, and continued to work in the drummer's groups throughout his career. By the 1970s, Lancaster had played with musicians such as McCoy Tyner, Khan Jamal, and Sun Ra, as well as some outside of jazz, such as blues pianist Memphis Slim and blues guitarist Johnny Copeland.
Near the end of his life he performed regularly with cellist David Eyges and recorded as a leader and sideman for the record label Creative Improvised Music Projects. He died of pancreatic cancer on August 23, 2012.

Discography

As leader / co-leader

With Arcana
With Big Youth
With Change of the Century Orchestra
  • Change of the Century Orchestra
With Cool Waters
  • Cool Waters
With Johnny Copeland
With Bill Dixon
With David Eyges
  • The Arrow
  • Crossroads
With fONKSQUISh
  • Useless Education
With Doug Hammond
  • Folks
With Kip Hanrahan
  • Coup de tête
With Ronald Shannon Jackson
  • Eye on You
  • Nasty
With Khan Jamal
  • Infinity
  • Cubano Chant
  • Black Awareness
  • Impressions of Coltrane
With Dwight James
  • Inner Heat
With Bill Laswell
With Garrett List
  • American Images
  • Fire & Ice
  • The New York Takes
With Geoff Leigh and Frank Wuyts
  • From Here to Drums
With Byron Morris and Gerald Wise
  • Unity
With Sunny Murray
With Robert Musso
  • Innermedium
With Errol Parker
  • Graffiti
With Odean Pope
With Vito Ricci
  • Postones
With Sounds of Liberation
With Pierre Van Dormael, David Linx and James Baldwin
  • A Lover's Question
With Marzette Watts
With Larry Young'