- Charlie Parker
Charles "Bird" Parker, Jr. (August 29, 1920 - March 12, 1955) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Early in his career Parker was dubbed "Yardbird" (there are many contradictory stories of the name's origin). It was later shortened to "Bird" and remained Parker's nickname for the rest of his life and inspiration for the titles of his works, such as "Yardbird Suite" and "Bird Feathers". - John Coltrane
John William Coltrane, nicknamed Trane, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Although recordings of his work from as early as 1946 exist, Coltrane's recording career did not begin in earnest until 1955. From 1957 onward he recorded and produced dozens of albums, many of them not released until years after his death. - Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt (February 2 1924 - July 22 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist. He was a quintessential saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom and was also one of the most prolific saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 records in his lifetime. He was nicknamed the "Lone Wolf" by jazz critic Dan Morgenstern in tribute to his relentless touring and his devotion to jazz. - Illinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet (October 31, 1922-July 22, 2004) was a jazz tenor saxophonist most famous for his solo on "Flying Home". He is better known simply as Illinois Jacquet. Although he was a pioneer of the honking tenor sax that became a regular feature of jazz playing and a hallmark of rock and roll, he was a skilled and melodic improviser, both on up-tempo tunes and ballads. - Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and an Academy Award-nominated actor. He is considered one of the first bebop tenor players. A famous photograph by Herman Leonard of Gordon smoking a cigarette during a set at the Royal Roost in New York City in 1948 is one of the more iconic images in the history of jazz. - Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7 1930 in New York City) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Sonny Rollins has had a long, productive career in jazz, beginning his career at the age of 11 and playing with piano legend Thelonious Monk before reaching the age of 20. Rollins is still touring and recording today, having outlived several of his jazz contemporaries such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Art Blakey, all performers with whom he recorded. - Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods (born November 2 1931) is an American jazz bebop alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer. He also performed in other jazz mediums, such a Progressive jazz, post bop and hard bop. Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and studied music with Lennie Tristano, who influenced him greatly, at the Manhattan School of Music and at The Juilliard School. - Art Pepper
Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr. (September 1 1925-June 15, 1982) was an American cool jazz alto saxophonist. He began his musical career in the 1940s playing with Benny Carter and Stan Kenton. In the 1950s Pepper became one of the leading lights of West coast jazz, along with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Shelly Manne, and others. Pepper was born in Gardena, California, but lived for many years in the hills of Echo Park, in Los Angeles. He became a heroin addict in the 1940s, … - Jackie McLean
John Lenwood (Jackie) McLean (May 17 1931 - March 31 2006; some sources give 1932 as his year of birth) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City. - Benny Golson
Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and Red Rodney. After graduating from Howard University Golson joined Bull Moose Jackson's rhythm and blues band; Tadd Dameron, … - Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson (born November 1,1926) is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker's improvisational approach. His first recordings were with bop emissaries Milt Jackson and Thelonious Monk in 1952, … - Wardell Gray
Wardell Gray (1921-1955) was an American jazz bebop tenor saxophonist. - Gilad Atzmon
Gilad Atzmon (born June 9, 1963) is a jazz musician, author and anti-Zionist activist, who was born in Israel and currently lives in London. He was born a secular Israeli Jew in Tel Aviv, and trained at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. He studied philosophy in Germany and moved to London at age 32. - Eddie Vinson
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (December 18, 1917 - July 2, 1988) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist and blues shouter. After working in the Milton Larkins and Cootie Williams orchestras, he established his own big band in 1945. In 1947 he had a major rhythm and blues hit with "Old Maid Boogie/Kidney Stew Blues". Vinson recorded both jazz and rhythm and blues. He wrote "Tune Up" and "Four" for Miles Davis, … - Lucky Thompson
Eli (Lucky) Thompson (June 16, 1924, Columbia, South Carolina - July 30, 2005, Seattle, Washington) was an African American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist. He is considered, alongside Steve Lacy, to have brought the soprano saxophone out of obsolescence, playing it in a more advanced boppish format, which inspired John Coltrane to take it up in the early 1960s. After playing with the swing orchestras of Lionel Hampton, Don Redman, Billy Eckstine, Lucky Millinder, … - Sam Rivers
Samuel Carthorne Rivers (born September 25, 1923, El Reno, Oklahoma) is a jazz musician and composer. He performs on soprano and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, flute, and piano. - Frank Foster
Frank Foster (b. 23 September 1928) is an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, arranger, and composer, who is best known for his work in different periods with the Count Basie orchestra, as well as under his own name. His playing style has been influenced by that of John Coltrane, but has remained very much his own. Foster was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and educated at Wilberforce University. In 1949 he played in Detroit with local musicians such as Wardell Gray, … - Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928) is an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist. Like many other successful musicians from Chicago, he studied music at DuSable High School under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe, alto sax and finally, shortly after joining Lionel Hampton's Orchestra, tenor sax. While still at high school, at 15 Griffin was playing alongside T-Bone Walker in a band led by Walker's brother. - Teddy Edwards
Theodore Marcus "Teddy" Edwards (April 26, 1924 - April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist based on the West Coast of the US. Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone and then clarinet. Edwards' first professional job was with The Royal Mississippians with Doc Parmley. His uncle sent for him to come to Detroit to live because he felt opportunities were better. - Arnett Cobb
Arnett Cobb (10 August 1918-24 March 1989) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Cobb was born Arnette Cleophus Cobbs in Houston, Texas. His musical career began with the local bands of Chester Boone, from 1934 to 1936, and Milt Larkin, from 1936 to 1942 (which included a period on the West Coast with Floyd Ray). He replaced Illinois Jacquet in Lionel Hampton's band in 1942, staying with Hampton until 1947. - Richie Cole
'Richie Cole' (born February 29, 1948) is a Jazz alto saxophonist born in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. He started on alto saxophone when he was ten, encouraged by his father who owned a jazz club in New Jersey. Winning a scholarship, he attended Berklee for two years before beginning his professional career. He is widely known for his creative jazz/bebop style of play. - Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 - August 6, 1974) was an American jazz tenor saxophone player, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons. Ammons began to gain recognition when he went on the road with trumpeter King Kolax band in 1943, at the age of 18. He became a member of the Billy Eckstine and Woody Herman bands in 1944 and 1949 respectively, and then in 1950 formed a duet with Sonny Stitt. - Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott (January 28 1927 - December 23 1996) was a British jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz-club owner. - Don Byas
Carlos Wesley (Don) Byas (October 21, 1912-August 24, 1972) was an African American jazz tenor saxophonist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in the United States. Although his long residence in Europe kept him out of the public eye in the United States, he is often considered to be one of the great jazz musicians on his instrument. - George Holmes Tate
George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (born February 22, 1913 in Sherman, Texas and died February 10, 2001 in Chandler, Arizona) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who played tenor saxophone. He has been counted as one of the great tenor saxophonists of his generation and was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame. He began on alto saxophone, but quickly switched to tenor making a name for himself in bands like Andy Kirk's. - Paul Gonsalves
Paul Gonsalves (July 12, 1920, Brockton, Massachusetts - May 15, 1974, London, England), an American jazz tenor saxophonist of Cape Verdean (mixed Portuguese-black African) blood, was considered one of the best and most tasteful players on his instrument. But no review of his musicianship is ever left untouched by the performance that made his name in the first place---the near-riot he caused at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, with an arresting, 27-chorus solo, … - Flip Phillips
Flip Phillips (February 26, 1915-August 17, 2001) was a jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1946 to 1957. Over a long career, he played on many albums, retired to Florida for fifteen years, came back to music, and recorded a CD for Verve Records when he was in his 80s. Phillips performed in a variety of genres, not just jazz. - Cecil Payne
Cecil Payne (born December 14, 1922) is a jazz baritone saxophonist born in Brooklyn, NY. Payne can also play the alto saxophone and flute. He has played with other jazz greats, such as Illinois Jacquet, Machito, Woody Herman, Randy Weston, Duke Jordan, Wynton Kelly, Kenny Dorham, Harold Mabern and Count Basie, in addition to his solo work as bandleader. - Tony Coe
Anthony George Coe (born November 29, 1934 in Canterbury, England) is a jazz musician who is trained on clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor saxophone. He cites Paul Gonsalves as an influence. Coe is noted for his versatility. His early experience in jazz was with Humphrey Lyttelton's band from 1957-1962. Later, he worked in the John Dankworth orchestra and the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland big band. In the 1980s and 1990s, he began branching out beyond jazz, … - John Laporta
John LaPorta was a Philadelphia-born jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. LaPorta's sound has been compared to that of fellow jazz experimenter Jimmy Giuffre. He is usually considered a member of the "Cool" school in jazz and his improvisations identify him as a well-schooled, thoughtful player. LaPorta began studying clarinet at the age of nine and studied methods at the Mastbaum School in Philadelphia, where one of his classmates was fellow clarinettist Buddy DeFranco. - Georgie Auld
Georgie Auld (born May 19, 1919 in Toronto; died January 8, 1990 in Palm Springs, California) was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader. Auld lived in the United States from the late 1920s onward, and was most noteworthy for his work with Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Porcino, Billy Eckstine, Tiny Kahn, Frank Rosolino, and many others. Primarily a swing saxophonist, he did many big band stints in his career, … - Jimmy Hamilton
Jimmy Hamilton (25 May 1917 - 20 September 1994) was an American jazz clarinettist, tenor saxophonist, arranger, composer, and music educator, best known for his twenty-five years with Duke Ellington. Hamilton was born in Dillon, South Carolina, and grew up in Philadelphia. Having originally learnt to play piano and brass instruments, in the 1930s he started playing the latter in local bands, before switching to clarinet and saxophone. - Serge Chaloff
Serge Chaloff (November 24, 1923-July 16, 1957) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist, and the son of noted Boston piano teachers, Margaret Chaloff and Julius Chaloff. He is one of the few major jazz performers on his instrument, and the first major bebop performer, and was originally influenced by Charlie Parker. He first became well known as one of the "Four Brothers" reed section in Woody Herman's Second Herd. He also played with Boyd Raeburn, Georgie Auld, … - Eddie Davis
Edward Davis (March 2, 1922-November 3, 1986), who performed and recorded as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He played with Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie, as well as leading his own bands and making many recordings as a leader. He played in the swing, bop, hard bop, Latin jazz, and soul jazz genres. Some of his recordings of the 1940s also could be classified as rhythm and blues. - Aaron Sachs
Aaron Sachs (born July 4, 1923 in New York City), is a well known jazz saxophone and clarinet player. - Jesper Thilo
Jesper Thilo (born November 28, 1941) is a Danish jazz tenor and alto saxophonist and clarinettist born in Copenhagen, perhaps best-known for his work with Ernie Wilkins from in the 1980s called "Ernie Wilkins's Almost Big Band". Thilo also appears on the Miles Davis album "Aura" recorded in 1985. In 1991 he worked with Hank Jones in a quintet on an album that was released on Storyville Records. - Sonny Criss
William "Sonny" Criss (October 23, 1927 - November 19, 1977) was an American jazz musician. An alto saxophonist of modest prominence during the bebop era of jazz. Like his partial namesake, Sonny Stitt, Criss was never considered a true innovator (see Charlie Parker), but was a stylist and exceptional player in his own right, and furthered the bebop vocabulary. - Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo on December 2, 1916 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died January 17, 1992 in Pleasantville, New Jersey) was a tenor saxophonist and bandleader. He had his first successes working with Gene Krupa. In 1945 he won the Down Beat readers' poll in the tenor saxophone division. In the late 1940s he ran a few successful ensembles and went on to be known for "bop for the people." That stated he began in swing. - Herbie Steward
Herbie Steward, b. Herbert Steward, May 7, 1926, Los Angeles, is an American jazz saxophonist, best known for being the tenor saxophone player in Four Brothers, part of Woody Herman's Second Herd, a big band. As of 2007, he is the only surviving member of the quartet. - Pete Christlieb
Pete Christlieb (b. February 16, 1945) is a jazz bebop, West Coast jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist born in Los Angeles, California and son of Don Christlieb. Christleib has worked with many jazz musicians, such as Louie Bellson, Chet Baker, Woody Herman, Doc Severinsen and Bill Holman, to name only a few.
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