California-based flutist James Newton a boundary-breaking performer, known for his sophisticated, high-minded albums that reflect a wide variety of jazz and classical influences. Possessed of a warm tone, Newton's flute work is technically impressive and resourceful, making use of multi-phonics, flutter-tonguing, and concurrent vocal/flute lines that push the envelope of the instrument's sound. He emerged in the Los Angeles-are in the 1970s playing alongside such similarly-minded artists like Arthur Blythe, Anthony Davis, and David Murray, and issuing albums like 1978's quartet date Paseo Del Mar. As a composer, Newton he draws from a deep well influences including John Coltrane, and Charles Mingus, as well as Igor Stravinsky, György Ligeti, and Duke Ellington -- the latter of whose music he explored on his inventive 1985 album The African Flower. He has worked increasingly as a composer, and in 2018 issued The Manual of Light, a collection of chamber music and solo pieces. ~ Matt Collar