Born May 1, 1953 in Los Angeles, California, James Newton is a classical and jazz flutist. When he was in his early teens, he originally played electric bass guitar, clarinet, and alto saxophone. When he was in high school, he was inspired by the music of Eric Dolphy and turned his attention to the flute. After high school, he finished his musical training at California State University in Los Angeles. He joined Stanley Crouch’s band Black Music Infinity in 1972, staying with the group until 1975. His first two albums – Solomon’s Sons and Binu – were released in 1977. He relocated to New York in 1978 and formed a trio with pianist Anthony Davis and cellist Abdul Wadud. In 1979, Newton and Davis recorded the album Hidden Voices. He signed with the ECM label and released the Axum album in 1981. He then formed a quartet and toured Europe in the early part of the ‘80s. Newton released the albums Portraits (1982), Luella (1983), and Echo Canyon (1984). Signing to Blue Note Records, he released the albums The African Flower (1985) and Romance and Revolution (1987). While his recorded output began to slow down, he spent time working with musicians from other cultures, creating unique cross-cultural music projects. For five years, he served as musical director/conductor of the Luckman Jazz Orchestra. He has held professorships at University of California, Irvine, California State University, and the California Institute of the Arts. He also became an author and composer, with chamber music being his specialty.
