Jimmy Lyons (December 1, 1931 – May 19, 1986)^[1] was an American alto saxophone player. He is best known for his long tenure in the Cecil Taylor Unit. Lyons was the only constant member of the band from the mid-1960s until his death. Taylor never worked with another musician as frequently as he did with Lyons. Lyons' playing, influenced by Charlie Parker, kept Taylor's avant-garde music tethered to the jazz tradition.^[2]

Lyons was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States,^[1] and raised there until the age of nine, when his mother moved the family to Harlem and then the Bronx. He obtained his first saxophone in the mid-1940s and took lessons from Buster Bailey.^[3]

After high school, Lyons was drafted into the United States Army and spent 21 months on infantry duty in Korea. He then spent a year playing in army bands. Once discharged he attended New York University.^[4] By the end of the 1950s, Lyons was supporting his interest in music by working for the United States Postal Service.

In 1960, Lyons followed Archie Shepp into the saxophone role in the Cecil Taylor Unit.^[1] His post-Parker sound and strong melodic sense became a defining part of the sound of that group,^[5] from the 1962 Cafe Montmartre sessions onwards.^[6]

During the 1970s, Lyons also ran his own ensemble, with bassoonist Karen Borca and percussionist Paul Murphy. They often performed in the loft jazz movement around Studio Rivbea. Lyons' group and Cecil Taylor Unit continued a parallel development throughout the 1970s and 1980s, often involving the same musicians, including trumpeter Raphe Malik, bassist William Parker and percussionist Murphy.

In 1976, Lyons performed in a production of Adrienne Kennedy's A Rat's Mass directed by Cecil Taylor at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan. Musicians Rashid Bakr, Andy Bey, Karen Borca, David S. Ware, and Raphe Malik also performed in the production. Taylor's production combined the original script with a chorus of orchestrated voices used as instruments.^[7]

Lyons died from lung cancer in 1986 at the age of 54.^[1] He did not publish many recordings with his own ensemble, though Ayler Records did release a five-CD box set of recordings from 1972 to 1985.