15 Facts About James Newton

James W Newton was born on May 1,1953 and is an American jazz and classical flutist.

James Newton was born in Los Angeles, California, United States.

From his earliest years, James Newton grew up immersed in the sounds of African-American music, including urban blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel.

James Newton completed his formal musical training at California State University, Los Angeles.

From 1972 to 1975, together with David Murray, Bobby Bradford, and Arthur Blythe, Newton was a member of drummer Stanley Crouch's band Black Music Infinity.

James Newton has released four recordings of his solo improvisations for flute.

Since the 1990s, James Newton has often worked with musicians from other cultural spheres, including Jon Jang, Gao Hong, Kadri Gopalnath, and Shubhendra Rao, and has taken part in many cross-cultural projects.

James Newton has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, L'Orchestre du Conservatoire de Paris, Vladimir Spivakov and the Moscow Virtuosi the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Southwest Chamber Music, California EAR Unit, New York New Music Ensemble, and the San Francisco Ballet.

James Newton has composed classical works for chamber ensemble and orchestra, as well as electronic music.

James Newton has written a symphony and composed for ballet and modern dance.

James Newton has received Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, Montreux Grande Prix Du Disque, and Down Beat International Critics Jazz Album of the Year.

In 2000, James Newton sued the alternative rock and hip hop group Beastie Boys for repeatedly using a six-second, three-note sample of "Choir", James Newton's 1978 composition for flute and voice, in their song "Pass the Mic".

At that time, Beastie Boys paid a fee of US$1,000 to ECM Records, the record label to which James Newton had previously given contractual permission to license the sound recording.

James Newton appealed, but in 2003, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's decision in favor of Beastie Boys.

James Newton petitioned the court to re-hear the case en banc, but this resulted in a 2004 amended opinion in which the court strengthened its position.