Yusef Abdul Lateef, born William Emanuel Huddleston, was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and an influential member of the Ahmadiyya Community. Renowned for his mastery of tenor saxophone and flute, he also brought rare instruments like the oboe, bassoon, bamboo flute, shanai, shofar, xun, arghul, and koto into jazz. Lateef pioneered the fusion of jazz with Eastern musical styles, contributing to what is now called world music. Beyond music, he authored novellas, short stories, and his autobiography The Gentle Giant. He established YAL Records and Fana Music, publishing much of his own work, including instructional books and orchestral compositions.