Luther Thomas

American jazz saxophonist, born 23 June 1950 in St. Louis; died 8 September 2009. Luther Thomas was an alto saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist from St. Louis. He was known for his free jazz playing drawing also on funk. He was involved with the Black Artists Group starting in the 1960s, played in the Human Arts Ensemble with Charles Bobo Shaw in the 1970s, and led a group called Dizzazz in the early 1980's. He has also played saxophone for James Chance and the Contortions. In recent years, two Thomas-led sessions from the early 1970s have surfaced on CD, as part of Atavistic Records' Unheard Music Series. The titles are Funky Donkey and Banana.