Tyrone Washington, born in 1944 in Newark, New Jersey, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. From a young age, he was close friends with trumpet player Woody Shaw and briefly attended Howard University School of Music before joining Horace Silver's hard bop sextet. His first album as leader, Natural Essence, recorded for Blue Note in 1967, marked his breakthrough moment. This was followed by the albums: Roots (1973) and Do Right (1974). Roots featured a range of influences including soul jazz and free jazz, while Do Right, released on Blue Labor, showcased funk influences. Washington did not record after 1974, leaving his music career for religious reasons. He changed his name to Mohammad Bilal Abdullah and became a Sunni Muslim minister.
