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Sayyd Abdul Al-Khabyyr

1935–2017

Canada

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Biography

Al-Hajj Sayyd Abdul Al-Khabyyr (born Russell Linwood Thomas [Muslim name adopted in 1971]; 22 March 1935 – 15 February 2017), was an American Canadian saxophonist (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone), clarinetist, flautist (flute and piccolo) and composer. He toured internationally with Dizzy Gillespie from 1983 to 1987, appearing alongside Gillespie in the feature films A Night in Havana and A Night in Chicago. He is the only person to perform all saxophone parts consecutively in the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

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Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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