John Stubblefield was one of the most versatile musicians in jazz, an invaluable artist who expanded on the music's potential from within the tradition. Stubblefield's tenor and soprano saxophones told the story of four decades of diverse musical experience, from local R&B acts like Jackie Wilson and Solomon Burke (64) through Chicago's progressive Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (67- 70) to freelancing in New York with the renowned Tito Puente (72-74) and Kenny Barron (86) and everyone in between.