约瑟夫.雷德福是一位回教徒，他的本名是Bill Evans，但是他取了一个具有回教意味的名字。 他擅长的乐器是长笛、双簧管、巴颂管（Basson）与萨克斯风，其实他并不在意所表现的音乐算不算是爵士乐，有时他会演奏一些亚洲及中东地区的音乐。因此他的音乐除了被归类在爵士乐，也可能被归类在世界音乐与民俗音乐上。 Yusef Lateef成长于底特律市，17岁时学吹次中音萨克斯风。1946年时加入Lucky Millinder的乐团，以及Hot Lips Page乐团。他加入Dizzy Gillespie的大乐队（1949-50年）。50年代时，他花了许多时间在底特律的Wayne州立大学念书。 1955年开始以主角的身分为Savoy、Riverside以及Prestige等唱片公司录制专辑。1959年来到纽约市。1960年与贝斯手Charles Mingus合作，之后也与小号手Donald Byrd一同演出。他是萨克斯风手Cannonball Adderley的六重奏的重要的一员（1962-64年），他的多项乐器的演奏能力也是他被重用的因素。 以他为首的专辑由Impulse唱片公司(1963-66年) 推出以及Atlantic唱片公司(1967-76年)推出。 80年代他投入一段时间在教学上。


by Scott Yanow
Yusef Lateef has long had an inquisitive spirit and he was never just a bop or hard bop soloist. Lateef, who does not care much for the name jazz, has consistently created music that has stretched (and even broke through) boundaries. A superior tenor-saxophonist with a soulful sound and impressive technique, Lateef by the 1950s was one of the top flutists around. He also developed into the best jazz soloist to date on oboe, an occasional bassoonist and introduced such instruments as the argol (a double clarinet that resembles a bassoon), shanai (a type of oboe) and different types of flutes. Lateef played world music before it had a name and his output was much more creative than much of the pop and folk music that passes under that label in the 1990s.

Yusef Lateef grew up in Detroit and began on tenor when he was 17. He played with Lucky Millinder (1946), Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespies big band (1949-50). He was a fixture on the Detroit jazz scene of the 1950s where he studied flute at Wayne State University. Lateef began recording as a leader in 1955 for Savoy (and later Riverside and Prestige) although he did not move to New York until 1959. By then he already had a strong reputation for his versatility and for his willingness to utilize miscellaneous instruments. Lateef played with Charles Mingus in 1960, gigged with Donald Byrd and was well-featured with the Cannonball Adderley Sextet (1962-64). As a leader his string of Impulse recordings (1963-66) were among the finest of his career although Lateefs varied Atlantic sessions (1967-76) usually also had some strong moments. He spent some time in the 1980s teaching in Nigeria. His Atlantic records of the late 80s were closer to mood music (or new age) than jazz but in the 1990s (for his own YAL label) Yusef Lateef has recorded a wide variety of music (all originals) including some strong improvised music with the likes of Ricky Ford, Archie Shepp and Von Freeman.