James Robert Belden (October 31, 1956 – May 20, 2015) was an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and producer.
Belden, born in Evanston, Illinois, grew up in the Charleston, South Carolina suburb of Goose Creek.
He briefly attended the University of South Carolina where he met composer Jay Knowles who introduced him to the music of Gil Evans.
This was followed by a series of adventurous albums featuring jazz-tinged arrangements of contemporary pop songs culminating with Black Dahlia in 2001.
[4][5] In early 2015, Belden became the first American musician in 35 years to bring a band from the USA to perform in Iran.