Critic Scott Yanow described him as being "[o]ne of the most underrated clarinetists in jazz history".
[1] Lytell (born James Sarrapede)[2] had his first professional work at age twelve, and by the beginning of the 1920s he was recording in jazz ensembles.
After the 1920s, he rarely performed in jazz settings, spending more time as a studio and orchestra musician.
He worked as a staff musician for NBC during this time, and in Johnny Green's orchestra in 1934–1935.
From 1949 into the late 1950s, he appeared in the New Original Memphis Five revival band, and recorded with Connee Boswell in 1956.