He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States,[2] and studied clarinet and piano before settling on saxophone at sixteen.

After that he moved to New York City, where he founded "Ensemble Muntu" with William Parker, Roy Campbell, Jr., and Rashid Bakr.

[2] The group also had its own Muntu record label, but eventually faced financial difficulties.

In 1984, he formed the Jus Grew Orchestra, which secured a residency at the Neither/Nor club in the Lower East Side.

[4] He died in August 2021, at the age of 75 from the effects of sickle cell anemia.