Born John Arnold Griffin III in Chicago, he was tutored by the blues bandleader Captain Walter Dyett. Griffin played with R&B and blues groups before veering off in a jazz direction. 1956 saw his debut album “Introducing..” for Blue Note, while Griffin at the same time played as a regular member of Thelonious Monk’s group. He played on Abdul Ahmed-Malik Arabian jazz album “Jazz Sahara”, and with John Coltrane and Hank Mobley on the notable “Blowin Session” album. Griffin later moved to Europe and worked with German saxophonist Klaus Doldinger’s fusion group Passport. Griffin played up until the month of his death and passed away in France aged 80
