Tyrone Washington (musician) facts for kids

Tyrone Washington is an American jazz musician. He is famous for playing the tenor saxophone. He was born in 1944. Tyrone Washington played music from the late 1960s to the early 1970s.

Meet Tyrone Washington

His Early Life

Tyrone Washington was born in 1944. His parents were Robert Benjamin Washington and Eunice Washington. His mother was a head teacher in Newark, New Jersey. Tyrone was one of three children in his family. From a young age, he was good friends with trumpet player Woody Shaw. He studied music briefly at Howard University. After that, he joined a jazz group led by Horace Silver. This group played a style of jazz called hard bop.

His Music Career

Before making his own albums, Tyrone Washington played on other musicians' records. He played on Horace Silver's album The Jody Grind. He also recorded a soul jazz album with organist Larry Young.

First Albums

Tyrone Washington's first album as a band leader was Natural Essence. He recorded it in 1967 for Blue Note Records. This album is what he is most known for. After Natural Essence, he released two more albums: Roots and Do Right.

Exploring New Sounds

His album Roots showed many different music styles. It mixed soul jazz with free jazz. A talented pianist named Hubert Eaves III played on this album.

His Final Album

Tyrone Washington's last album as a leader was Do Right. This album also featured Hubert Eaves III. Other musicians on Do Right included guitarist Billy Nichols, alto saxophone player René McLean, and drummer Idris Muhammad. This album had some funk music influences. It was first released on a label called Blue Labor. Later, it was re-released on CD by P-Vine.

Life After Music

Tyrone Washington stopped recording music after 1974. He decided to leave his music career for religious reasons. He changed his name to Mohammad Bilal Abdullah. He became a Sunni Muslim minister. As of 2022, he was still alive.

His Music Albums

Albums as a Leader

• 1967: Natural Essence (Blue Note) – with Woody Shaw, James Spaulding, Kenny Barron, Reggie Workman, Joe Chambers
• 1973: Roots (Perception) – with Stafford James, Clifford Barbaro Barconadhi, Hubert Eaves III
• 1974: Do Right (Blue Labor) – with Hubert Eaves III, Billy Nichols, René McLean, Idris Muhammad

Albums as a Sideman

Tyrone Washington also played on albums for other artists. When he played as a "sideman," it means he was part of another musician's band for that recording.

• With Stanley Cowell: Brilliant Circles (Freedom, 1969)
• With Roswell Rudd: Blown Bone (Philips, 1976)
• With Horace Silver: The Jody Grind (Blue Note, 1966)
• With Heiner Stadler: Brains on Fire (Labor, 1973)
• With Larry Young: Contrasts (Blue Note, 1967)