Don Byas

tenor saxophone · 1912–1972 · Muskogee

Tenor saxophonist born in Muskogee (Oklahoma), he succeeded Lester Young with Count Basie in 1941, then recorded with Dizzy Gillespie in 1945-1946. Having left for Europe in 1946, he lived in Paris and then in the Netherlands, where he died in 1972.

Profile not yet validated. Written by Jazzency, not yet proofread: dates and facts to be confirmed.

Styles

• Swing, big bands
• Bebop (Minton's, Monroe's)

Landmark tracks

• Laura (1952)
• Groovin' High (Don Byas, Haarlem 1964) (1964)
• Autumn Leaves (Byas, 1965) (1965)

Cited in 2 radio episodes

• Oct 24, 2025: De New-York à Saint-Tropez, Don Byas, l'enfant gâté du ténor, deuxième partie (Pour qui sonne le jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)
• Oct 23, 2025: De New-York à Saint-Tropez, Don Byas, l'enfant gâté du ténor, première partie (Pour qui sonne le jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)

Sources

• EN : Wikipedia, Don Byas
• EN : Jazz.com, Don Byas : Laura

Facts checked against these pages (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Method and licenses