Famous Jazz Saxophone Players – Do You Know All 31?!

I might be slightly biased given my background as a saxophonist, but it’s still fair to say that the most famous saxophone players in history are responsible for a HUGE proportion of the greatest jazz albums and groups of all time.

From early pioneers such as Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins, to players like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane who brought the style into the mid-20th Century, we put together a list of, arguably, the best saxophone players who have ever lived.

We then expanded it with 10 of the most famous modern jazz saxophone players to bring us right up to date in the 21st Century.

And, if you hang around until the very end, we’ll show you why there are really TWO undeniable names when it comes to the ‘best’ saxophonists in history…

From soprano and alto to tenor and baritone, for many people the saxophone will always be the archetypal jazz instrument and the first thing that comes to mind when they think of the genre.

And for good reason too, given how often it was at the forefront of new emerging styles of jazz.

Of course, putting together a list of best sax players like this is always tricky and potentially controversial, as there are dozens of master musicians who could realistically be included here.

Hopefully though, this is a good springboard for you to discover (or rediscover) some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time.

So here’s our list of some of the best jazz saxophonists ever, along with an indication of their primary instrument and some further listening tips.

31. Ben Webster

Born not long after the turn of the 20th Century, American jazz tenor saxophonist Ben Webster was an early pioneer who made his mark on some of the most important albums in history.

Working extensively as a sideman in the 1930s and 1940s with the likes of Teddy Wilson, Fletcher Henderson, Cab Calloway and, most famously, Duke Ellington.

A relative late-comer as a bandleader, his recordings in the 1950s until his death in 1974 showcase his Coleman Hawkins-influenced tone and ear for melodic improvisation. 

Recommended Ben Webster album: Sophisticated Lady

Originally released as “Music For Loving”, this album was re-issued by Verve in 1957 and named “Sophisticated Lady”.

The original was arranged by Duke Ellington’s collaborator and friend, Billy Strayhorn. Reviewers lauded Webster’s playing as the gem on this record and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it was ranked #2 in Colin Larkin’s list of the 50 most overlooked jazz albums of all time.

30. Melissa Aldana

Melissa Aldana shot to fame in the jazz world when, aged 24 in 2013, she became the first female instrumentalist and the first South American to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition.

Originally from Santiago, Chile, her father is also a renowned tenor saxophonist, who was a semifinalist in the 1991 edition of the Monk Competition. Her grandfather played too, and Melissa continues to play his Selmer Mark VI tenor.

Now based in New York, she released a number of albums with her Crash Trio, before opting for a quintet, with Sam Harris on piano and Joel Ross on vibraphone, on 2019’s Visions, an homage to the visual artist Frida Kahlo.

A Berklee College of Music Graduate, her playing is notably influenced by Mark Turner and Sonny Rollins, who inspired her switch from alto to tenor as a teenager.

Recommended album: Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio

The recording contract with Concord that resulted in this 2014 album was part of Aldana’s prize for winning the previous year’s Monk Competition.

It features the Harry Warren standard ‘You’re My Everything’ and the Thelonious Monk classic ‘Ask Me Now’, alongside Aldana’s compositions. Bassist, fellow Chilean and longstanding collaborator Pablo Menares, and Cuban drummer Francisco Mela complete the sparse trio lineup.

29. Sidney Bechet

Born 1897 in New Orleans, Sidney Bechet was one of the first jazz soloists to be captured on record and a true trailblazer of the soprano saxophone.

An early jazz pioneer, he pushed the genre forward, transitioning from the constraints of ragtime into a freer, solo-based structure that modern jazz was built upon.

Those not familiar with his stated as one of the first famous saxophone players need look no further than a quote from the great Duke Ellington who described his as “very epitome of jazz.”

Recommended Sidney Bechet album: “Blues in Thirds”

Bechet was a master of the blues and his skills are on full display on this stripped-back blues from the beginning of the traditional jazz revival.

He joined forces with pianist and modern jazz pioneer Earl Hines, as well as influential drummer Baby Dodds who played with the likes of King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morten and trumpeter Louis Armstrong.

28. Mark Turner

Since the mid 1990s Mark Turner has emerged as one of the most impressive and influential tenor saxophonists in the jazz world, carrying on the torch for cool school players such as Warne Marsh and Lenny Tristano.

His highly distinctive sound has proved particularly popular with saxophone players the world over, and if you attend a jam session now, there’s a good chance that you’ll hear echoes of his tricky playing.

Known for a serious dedication to his art form, and for his softly spoken, modest demeanour, his career to-date has seen him release more than nine acclaimed albums under his own name and make dozens of appearances on other musicians’ projects.

Recommended Mark Turner album: In This World

The diverse repertoire on this album includes the Henry Mancini standard ‘The Days of Wine And Roses’ and the Beatles cover song ‘She Said She Said’, as well as a number of original compositions. One of these – including ‘Lennie Groove’ – is a tribute to the pianist Lennie Tristano.

Turner’s complex, snaking linear approach and his cool, dark sound, bring the sound of his other big influence – Warne Marsh – to mind. 

27. Vi Redd

Born in Los Angeles in 1928 as the daughter of a jazz drummer, Vi Redd is an American alto saxophone player (and sometimes singer) known for her work in the bebop and hard bop genres.

She started playing the saxophone at the age of 14 and was heavily influenced by Charlie Parker who was leading the charge in bebop at the time.

With her blues-inflected style, she performed as a side-woman with many of the greats of her time, including Earl Hines, Max Roach, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie.

Whilst she had success as a touring artist (including trips to Japan and a 10-week stint at London’s Ronnie Scott’s) she was heavily into education and spent her later years in this role.

Recommended Vi Redd album: Bird Call

Whilst she didn’t release a huge number of records under her own name, her 1962 debut Bird Call is well-worth a listen. We included her top of our list of famous female saxophonists here.

26. Chris Potter

Tenor saxophonist Chris Potter remains one of the most impressive jazz musicians to have emerged in the last 30 years and arguably took on the baton from the older generation of saxophone greats.

Blessed with awe-inspiring instrumental technique he emerged as a young prodigy in the early 1990s.

After cutting his teeth in bands led by various elder statesmen and women, he established himself as one of jazz music’s major soloists and sidemen, as well as a formidable bandleader and accomplished composer.

With albums on many of jazz’s most important record labels, featuring all-star colleagues, and a stylistic palette ranging from swinging standards to futuristic fusion, he is one musician to add to your must-see list.

In fact, go to a jam session in any major city with young, conservatory-educated saxophonists in attendance, there’s a good chance that you’ll notice his influence (or colleagues like Mark Turner and Joshua Redman) almost as often as you’ll hear echoes of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker or Wayne Shorter!

Recommended Chris Potter album: Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard

Chris Potter is at the top of his game on this 2004 live album from legendary New York jazz club The Village Vanguard.

He joined an illustrious list of saxophone players who recorded live at this Greenwich Village venue, including Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane.

Listen out for the climax: an impressive 13/4 arrangement of Charles Mingus’ “Boogie Stop Shuffle”, replete with an epic solo sax intro. 

25. Donny McCaslin

McCaslin moved to New York in the early 1990s and replaced Michael Brecker, one of his saxophone idols, in the fusion band Steps Ahead.

He then developed a reputation for his work in complex contemporary jazz, recording as a bandleader and as a sideman with the likes of alto saxophonist David Binney, pianist Danilo Perez and trumpeter Dave Douglas. He is also a long standing member of Maria Schneider’s Jazz Orchestra.

He found a wider audience when he was asked to play on David Bowie’s final album Blackstar in 2016, after the singer heard McCaslin’s band at the 55 Bar in New York.

Key Donny McCaslin recording: Blow

Capitalising on his musical relationship with David Bowie, McCaslin takes his music in adventurous art-rock direction on 2018’s Blow. Multitracking is used liberally, and the tenor saxophonist also doubles on clarinet and flute.

24. Miguel Zenón

Zenon was born and raised in San Juan, Peurto Rico before a move to Boston, USA, where, like a number of modern sax players on this list, he studied at Berklee College of Music.

The alto saxophonist has been awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship and the McArther “Genius Grant”, and his music explores the influence of various Latin American folk traditions within a sophisticated contemporary jazz framework. He has also appeared on albums by leading lights of left-field jazz including Miles Okazaki, Guillermo Klein and Jeff Ballard.

A renowned jazz educator, he holds teaching posts at the Manhattan School of Music and the New England Conservatory, and has lectured and given workshops around the world.

Recommended Miguel Zenón album: Jíbaro

The original compositions on this 2005 album are inspired by La Música Jibara, a folk style from rural Peurto Rico. It was released on Marsalis Music, Branford Marsalis’ label.

23. Dexter Gordon

Legendary tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon is perhaps the most fascinating jazz musician of the bebop and hard bop eras.

Whilst never achieving the ‘groundbreaking’ status of players like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman or Charlie Parker, he barely released even a mediocre album in a career spanning 40 years.

He was skilled at walking the line between accessible and experimental and consistently played soulful, interesting and complex music.

Recommended Dexter Gordon album: Go!

If Dexter Gordon ever released a perfect album, this may be it! The personnel consists of Gordon on tenor saxophone, Sonny Clark on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums.

And while each of these musicians is key to the success of this recording, it is clear right away that Gordon is in total control.

22. Joshua Redman

Redman is the son of legendary tenor player Dewey Redman, who played on pioneering free jazz records with Ornette Coleman in the 1960s, and in Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet in the ‘70s.

But he was actually on the path to a legal career, having just graduated from Harvard and been accepted by Yale Law School when he won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991 (above Eric Alexander and Chris Potter in second and third places respectively).

As his career took off he made sideman appearances on albums by Paul Motian, Joe Lovano, Elvin Jones and others, and formed a particularly popular quartet with Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on double bass and Brian Blade on drums, all of whom have gone on to be recognised as being amongst the finest players of their generation.

After last recording together on MoodSwing in 1994, the band reformed 26 years later to release RoundAgain in 2020.

Other projects and releases include organ trio sets, the orchestral Walking Shadows, a duo album with Mehldau, a collaborative effort with The Bad Plus, and Still Dreaming, a tribute to his father’s band Old and New Dreams.

If you’re a saxophone player yourself, you might be interested to check our guide to the mouthpieces, reeds & horns of the jazz greats, which includes Joshua Redman.

Key Joshua Redman album: Spirit of the Moment – Live at the Village Vanguard

Joshua Redman’s passionate, highly energetic playing style has won him a large fan base, and the audience’s excitement is plain to hear on this live album from 1995. Yet another killer album from New York’s Village Vanguard!

21. Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan was one of the first artists to popularise the idea of the baritone saxophone as an improvising solo jazz.

Rising to prominence in the Cool Jazz era, his light, delicate tone and highly melodic style are perhaps at odds with the baritone saxophone’s reputation as a powerfully honking, rather unwieldy horn.

Across a 50 year career, his work on Miles Davis’ seminal Birth of the Cool album, his innovative chordless quartets with Chet Baker and Bob Brookmeyer, his own popular Concert Jazz Band and later cross-cultural projects would all help to see him remembered as a jazz trailblazer, and undoubtedly the most famous baritone saxophone player of all time.

Recommended Gerry Mulligan album: Jeru

The title of this 1962 album was also Mulligan’s nickname and the name of one of the compositions he contributed to the famous Birth of the Cool sessions.

Jeru provides a relatively rare chance to hear him in an informal small group setting accompanied by a traditional piano-led rhythm section.

The fantastic Tommy Flanagan is at the keyboard, while the somewhat surprising inclusion of Alec Dorsey on congas lends things a rather happy-go-lucky air. Rarely played songs by Kurt Weil, Cy Coleman and Leonard Bernstein feature on this stimulating programme.

Check this – and many others – in more detail in our dedicated guide to Gerry Mulligan’s discography. 

20. Kenny Garrett

After playing saxophone in The Duke Ellington Orchestra (then under the leadership of Mercer Ellington, following Duke’s death) whilst still a teenager, Kenny Garrett did sideman work with major figures like Woody Shaw, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, appearing on various Davis albums including Amandla.

The saxophone player has sometimes been mentioned as part of the ‘Young Lions’ school, which emerged in the 1980s, spearheaded by Wynton and Branford Marsalis,  heralding a return to the popularity of acoustic, straight-ahead jazz.

Certainly he is comfortable playing standard material in a swinging small group setting, as evidenced by his debut, Introducing Kenny Garrett, which features Woody Shaw, but his bright-toned, funky alto saxophone style is equally at home in more fusion-orientated contexts.

His influence can be heard upon alto players around the world, and he remains incredibly popular as a touring artist.

The New York Times called him “one of the most admired alto saxophonists in jazz after Charlie Parker”.

Recommended Kenny Garret album: Triology

Other Garrett albums, like 1997’s Songbook, may have more crowd-pleasing original music and be an easier entry-point for beginner saxophone players, but Triology (1995) showcases the alto saxophonist in an exposed trio format with just double bass and drums for company.

It includes a burning rendition of John Coltrane’s famously tricky ‘Giant Steps’.

19. Hank Mobley

As many fans of Hank Mobley would agree, the hard bop tenor saxophone player may well be one of the most underrated musicians in jazz.

Rising to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s golden age of jazz, he was up against slightly elder and more established musicians like Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and John Coltrane who were at the height of their careers.

But whilst the careers of fellow sax players like Coltrane and Sonny Rollins are noted for their constant searching and transformational qualities, Mobley established himself firmly in the hard bop and soul jazz styles where he excelled.

With a more laid-back tone and melodic leaning, he was arguably the definitive sound of the Blue Note label, for whom he recorded, paving the way for a whole new generation of saxophone players.

Recommended Hank Mobley album: Soul Station

Soul Station is one of the definitive albums of the hard bop era and showcases this iconic tenor saxophonist at the height of his powers. 

18. Paul Desmond

Composer and alto saxophone player Paul Desmond is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, having played an integral role in the development of West Coast jazz with his smooth, easy tone. 

His long-term role in the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet saw him become a household name, with his laid-back solos and elegant style the the perfect complements to Dave Brubeck’s improvisational skills and musical vision.

But whilst this group dominates his legacy and discography, he took the opportunity to record with others both during and after the existence of the Dave Brubeck Quartet (which broke up in 1967) with notable collaborations including Gerry Mulligan, guitarist Jim Hall and the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Recommended Paul Desmond album: Time Out

Whilst this recording was released under Dave Brubeck’s name, it’s place as one of the biggest-selling albums in history (and the fact that it’s most popular song “Take Five” was written by Desmond) makes it an unavoidable first choice for any newcomer to this legendary alto man! 

Read our in-depth review of Time Out here.

17. Sonny Stitt

Sonny Stitt is something of an anomaly in this list, given that he has recorded acclaimed albums as both an alto and tenor sax player!

We’ve included him in the alto half due to the fact he emerged in the early 1940s with Charlie Parker as a key early influence. Suggestions that he was a ‘copy’ of the alto saxophonist great, though, are unfair; ​​as drummer Kenny Clarke said “even if there had not been a Bird, there would have been a Sonny Stitt.”

Playing with fellow bebop luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis and Dexter Gordon in his early days, his career saw the saxophonist tour and record relentlessly, with his final sessions coming just 6 weeks before his death in 1982.

With more than 100 recordings, we took on the unenviable task picking 5 essentials in our in-depth guide to Sonny Stitt here.

Recommended Sonny Stitt Album: New York Jazz

Produced by Norman Granz, it features a killer rhythm section including Jimmy Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Jo Jones on drums.

Stitt’s bebop stylings are on full display here, with blistering solos and hi-octane versions of jazz standards such as Twelfth Street Rag and I Know That You Know.

Despite the Parker comparisons, his playing his fresh, inventive and highly distinctive. The medium tempo versions of jazz standards ‘Alone Together’ & ‘Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’ give the listener another great insight into his hard-swinging, blues-inflected, hard-swinging style.

16. Greg Osby

Osby came to prominence, along with Cassandra Wilson, Steve Coleman and Geri Allen, as part of the M-Base Collective, the exact ethos of which is somewhat mysterious, but which is generally associated with a rhythmically complex brand of funky contemporary jazz.

His searing alto saxophone sound has been heard with elder statesmen like Jim Hall and Andrew Hill, as well as with forward-thinking contemporaries including Jason Moran and Gary Thomas.

His personal, highly modern sound comes out of deep study of the jazz tradition, and the New York Times called him one of the most “provocative musical thinkers of his generation”.

He founded a record label of his own, Inner Circle Music, which has released albums by promising young musicians, including Melissa Aldana’s first two records and a collaboration with Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz.

You can find the Jazzfuel 2020 Greg Osby interview here.

Key Greg Osby album: Banned in New York

This live recording was recorded with a MiniDisc on a table in front of the bandstand, but the low fi sound gives it a classic charm, as the quartet takes a highly exploratory look at standards by Monk, Ellington and Rollins.

Pianist Jason Moran was just 22 when it was recorded in 1997. Osby’s St. Louis Shoes is also excellent, and may prove slightly more accessible.

15. Seamus Blake

Seamus Blake is another winner of the Thelonious Monk Competition: he took first prize above John Ellis and Marcus Strickland in 2002.

As well as releasing 16 albums of his own, he has played with The Mingus Big Band, Victor Lewis and John Scofield, who called him “extraordinary, a total saxophonist.”

He was born in London, raised in Vancouver, made his name in the jazz clubs of New York, and is now largely based in Europe.

His powerful and versatile tenor sound is increasingly detectable as an influence upon young, conservatory-educated saxophonists.

Key Seamus Blake album: Reeds Ramble

Blake had a funky jazz-rock band called The Bloomdaddies in the 1990s, which included brilliant fellow tenor player Chris Cheek.

This 2013 album features the pair in a more straight-ahead two-tenor setting, playing an engaging mixture of material by composers ranging from Elmo Hope to Brian Wilson. Ethan Iverson, of The Bad Plus fame, is on piano.

14. Joe Henderson

Henderson showed huge talent as a teenager and was a devoted student of his musical forefathers, including saxophone players Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and others.

He emerged in the 1960s, becoming almost the in-house sax player for Blue Note Records.

His sideman appearances for the label ranged from the funky hard bop of Horace Silver’s Song For My Father and Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder, to the modal jazz of McCoy Tyner’s The Real McCoy, to the more Avant garde-flavoured Point of Departure by Andrew Hill.

His own Blue Note albums from that period are excellent too, including Page One, Our Thing, Inner Urge and Mode for Joe.

Later highlights include the live trio date State of the Tenor and his early ‘90s major label come back albums on Verve, which paid tribute to Billy Strayhorn, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Miles Davis respectively.

Recommended Joe Henderson album: Inner Urge

The title track of this 1966 classic has become something of a modal jazz standard, while the set finishes with a reharmonised version of Cole Porter’s ‘Night and Day’. McCoy Tyner, Bob Cranshaw and Elvin Jones form a brilliant rhythm section.

13. Lee Konitz

With a relentless commitment to “pure” improvisation, Lee Konitz was one of the most distinctive voices in jazz.

In the early part of his career the alto saxophonist was a disciple of the strict teaching method of Lennie Tristano and was associated with the so-called Cool jazz scene that emerged in the early 1950s.

But Konitz forged a sound and professional path that were all his own, recording and performing with an incredibly diverse range of collaborators over the course of a career that spanned more than seven decades.

Recommended Lee Konitz Album: Motion

1961’s Motion is perhaps the ultimate document of Konitz’s musical philosophy.

On a selection of five Songbook standards he declines to even state the melody at the start of each tune, instead diving straight into inspired off-the-cuff creation.

Check up our round up of 10 of the best Lee Konitz albums here.

12. Michael Brecker

Brecker is one of the most famous saxophone players since the death of John Coltrane.

Noted for his incredible technical prowess, and for his impressive range and versatility, he is often seen as the important link between the legends of the 50s and 60s and the modern jazz saxophone players who emerged in the 80s and 90s.

His career began in the late 1960s as fusion and jazz rock were becoming the dominant styles, with Brecker working with Steps Ahead and co-leading the Brecker Brothers with his trumpet-playing brother Randy.

However, the tenor saxophone player was no slouch when it came to playing in a more traditional, straight-ahead style either, as he proved with a stint in hard bop pianist Horace Silver’s quintet, and appearances on albums by elder statesmen Chet Baker, Ron Carter and Charles Mingus.

He also had a parallel career as an A-list session musician, contributing classic pop solos to songs by Paul Simon, Donald Fagen, Elton John and countless others.

Brecker died from complications of leukaemia in January 2007. He was inducted into the Downbeat Hall of Fame the same year and awarded a number of posthumous Grammy Awards, taking his total to 15.

Recommended Michael Brecker recording: Tales From The Hudson

Released in 1996, Brecker’s fourth album as a bandleader won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Album.

11. Kamasi Washington

Washington reached a level of fame that few jazz musicians can dream of when his third album, The Epic, was a surprising breakout hit in 2015, attracting the attention of mainstream music journalists and listeners.

His intense brand of spiritual contemporary jazz carries shades of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders and seems to work particularly well in big venues and at festivals.

Washington, along with a number of other Los Angeles jazz musicians, contributed to Kendrick Lamar’s multi Grammy-winning rap album To Pimp A Butterfly.

Interestingly, his playing style and career trajectory are somewhat different to that of the typical jazz saxophone star: most of the players on this list have attended an elite conservatory in Boston or New York, before establishing themselves as bandleaders and sidemen or women with major names in the jazz world.

Whilst Washington’s playing has had its detractors inside the jazz community, its wider appeal is perhaps explained by its communal feel, with arguably less of a focus on the individual soloist.

Recommended Kamasi Washington album: The Epic

Released on Brainfeeder, a label that has generally released experimental electronic music, The Epic is a remarkable three hours long. The 13-piece band features electric bassist Thundercat.

10. Lester Young

Coleman Hawkins’ heavy, muscular tone was very much the dominant early tenor style and something saxophone players of his generation aimed to imitate. But in the mid-1930s, Lester Young replaced Hawk in the tenor chair in Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra, and the younger man’s style caused quite a stir.

The President, or Prez, as he was nicknamed by Billie Holiday, executed his thoughtful linear ideas with a soft, lithe tone that was almost the opposite of Hawkins’.

After a traumatic experience in the military during the Second World War, Young suffered with substance abuse problems and ill health for the rest of his life, with the quality of his later work arguably suffering.

However, his early efforts with Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman and his own groups contain some of the most joyous saxophone playing ever recorded.

Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz and Zoot Sims are just some of the famous sax players who would name him as a primary influence, and the ‘Cool school’ that came to prominence in the 1950s was particularly indebted to him.

Young was also something of a cultural icon: he wore a distinctive pork pie hat and coined a number of expressions that are now commonplace, such as “cool” and the word “bread” to mean money.

Recommended recording: The Lester Young Story

This compilation includes classic work with Basie, plus plenty of tracks from his magical collaboration with Billie Holiday.

9. Art Pepper

Born in California in 1925, Art Pepper came to prominence during the 1950s as one of the major soloists of the West Coast and cool jazz movements. But his playing changed dramatically later in his career, as he took on the influence of new stylistic developments in the jazz world.

His personal life was eventful, intriguing and tragic: he struggled with various personal demons and a long-running drug addiction, which saw him spend time in prison and rehab. This partly explains why Pepper has made some of the most memorable appearances in jazz-related media, both in print and on film.

Recommended album: Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section

Recorded in 1957, this is one of Pepper’s most famous albums.

The rhythm section in question is composed of pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Jones; at the time the New York-based trio were all members of Miles Davis’ First Great Quintet.

Learn more about Art Pepper’s life and music here or check out our pick of the best Art Pepper songs.

8. Stan Getz

Getz was known as ‘The Sound’ for his famously lyrical tenor saxophone tone.

He first found fame in the jazz world as a member of Woody Herman’s ‘Second Herd’ big band in the late 1940s, with his ballad solo on ‘Early Autumn’ becoming a hit.

As he launched a career as a soloist, his light, Lester Young-inspired sound saw him categorised in the press as a Cool jazz player, although he was equally comfortable playing with bebop musicians like Sonny Stitt and Dizzy Gillespie.

In the 1960s he collaborated with Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto, spearheading the Bossa Nova craze that took the US by storm and finding huge commercial success with Getz/Gilberto and the single ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ in particular.

A peerless technician, he rarely sounds less than pristine and was always completely fluent, even at extremely fast tempos.

He is still in fantastic from on his final recordings, the duo sets with Kenny Baron, which were made shortly before his 1991 death from liver cancer.

Recommended Recording: Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio

In 1957 Getz recorded a swinging selection of standards as guest soloist with Oscar Peterson’s intimate drummer-less trio. His solo on the up-tempo ‘I Want To Be Happy’ is simply flawless.

7. Cannonball Adderley

Julian “Cannonball” Adderley was one of the most distinctive and important alto saxophone voices to appear on the jazz scene in the aftermath of Charlie Parker’s bebop revolution.

Adderley was certainly influenced by Bird, but had a distinctive and soulful style all his own.

In 1957 he met Miles Davis, who was impressed with the young alto sax player and agreed to play on Cannonball’s record Somethin’ Else (featured here in a list of great Cannonball Adderley albums) which would turn out to be one of the trumpeter’s final appearances as a sideman.

In return, the jazz saxophonist joined Davis’ group, recording the seminal albums Milestones and Kind of Blue, both of which were important documents of the new modal jazz approach that was being explored at the time.

Adderley also led a quintet with his brother, trumpeter Nat. Their group pioneered Soul jazz, a funky variation on hard bop, and would later experiment with funky electric instrumentation, including arguably the most famous of Cannonball Adderley tunes Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.

Recommended Cannonball Adderley album: Somethin’ Else

Cannonball’s most famous album features the alto saxophonist as his ebullient, blues-drenched best.

6. Coleman Hawkins

Hawk, or Bean as he was also sometimes nicknamed, was the father of jazz saxophone: remarkably it was not really considered a jazz instrument until his emergence in the 1920s.

He was a major soloist during the swing era, playing most notably with Fletcher Henderson’s big band, and his vibrato-laden, surprisingly complex arpeggiated lines influenced a generation of jazz saxophone players.

He was also present for the birth of bebop, playing on sessions with the likes of Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach.

Later his instantly recognisable tenor sound was heard in relatively Avant garde settings, like the 1963 album with Sonny Rollins and Paul Bley.

“When I heard Hawk, I learned to play ballads” – Miles Davis

Recommended Coleman Hawkins recording: Body and Soul

This compilation album features Hawkins’ most famous track. Almost entirely abandoning the melody, his two-chorus solo on the 1939 title track is one of the great improvisations in jazz.

Check out our pick of 10 essential Coleman Hawkins songs here

5. Wayne Shorter

Acclaimed saxophonist and composer, champion of the soprano saxophone, renowned sage and philosopher, Wayne Shorter has spearheaded jazz innovations for seven decades.

He was enlisted in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the late ’50s, seen by many to be a finishing school for future stars, contributing his concise tenor saxophone playing and many compositions.

From Blakey he went to Miles Davis, becoming an integral member of his Second Great Quintet before taking his place at the forefront of the Jazz fusion movement in the 70s and 80s.

That round up probably only scratches the surface, though, as this more in-depth look at Wayne Shorter shows.

Wayne Shorter died aged 89 in early 2023, marking the end of a true jazz era. 

Recommended Wayne Shorter album: Speak No Evil

Speak No Evil is the third of eleven Wayne Shorter dates for Blue Note and the choice of personnel highlights the crossroad he was at in the mid-1960s.

Former Messengers peer Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and new Miles Davis colleagues Herbie Hancock (piano) and Ron Carter (bass) are complemented by Elvin Jones at the drums.

The playing and writing on this album are an interesting counterpoint to his work at the time with Miles Davis, and an opportunity to hear what he composes when it is for himself alone.

4. Ornette Coleman

Alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman sent shockwaves through the jazz world when his quartet arrived in New York in 1959 with a much-discussed residency at The Five Spot.

His new free jazz stylings saw him abandoning traditional chord sequences and structures with a technique known as a ‘time-no-changes’, while Ornette has also referred, somewhat mysteriously, to the concept of ‘harmolodics’ in his music.

Coleman was a self-taught and highly unconventional sax player.

His high-profile detractors included Miles Davis and Charles Mingus and, while he couldn’t tear through chord changes at any tempo and in any key in the way that Stan Getz or Sonny Stitt could, for example, he had an impact upon the narrative of jazz that few others could match.

Recommended Ornette Coleman recording: The Shape of Jazz to Come

Despite the depth and brilliance of the Ornette Coleman discography, this one (from 1959) is undoubtedly his best know. It features a number of his most memorable compositions, including ‘Lonely Woman’ and ‘Peace’.

An utterly unique voice, his alto playing is somewhat unpolished, but undeniably melodic and steeped in the blues. Ornette’s most important collaborator, Don Cherry, is heard on cornet.

3. Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins’s tenor saxophone playing is marked by a supreme swagger and incredible rhythmic confidence.

A famed in-the-moment improviser, he is capable developing a simple melodic motif through a seemingly limitless number of variations without the well of ideas running dry.

As early as 1949, aged just 19, he was recording with famed bebop pianist Bud Powell. The mid-to-late ‘50s saw him make a brilliant run of albums under his own name, including Saxophone Colossus, Tenor Madness, The Sound of Sonny and Newk’s Time, among others.

Rollins is famously self-critical and between 1959 and 1961, feeling that his playing didn’t live up to the hype he was receiving in the press, he took a sabbatical from recording and performance, practising for up to 16 hours a day under the Williamsburg Bridge in New York.

His comeback album, The Bridge, is one of his finest and cemented his place as one of the best jazz musicians of all time.

Through the ’60s he explored raucous free jazz-inspired sounds on albums like Our Man in Jazz and East Broadway Rundown, while his later work has often taken on a calypso flavour.

Rollins has now retired from playing due to medical issues, but continues to give deeply insightful interviews.

Recommended Sonny Rollins recording: Saxophone Colossus

It was a hard choice (as our list of 10 amazing Sonny Rollins albums shows), but this 1956 set features ‘St Thomas’, Rollins’ best-known composition. His performance on ‘Blue 7’ has been analysed extensively for its use of clever motivic development.

So before we finish up this countdown, you may remember we mentioned TWO kings of jazz saxophone…

If we’re talking about musicians who changed the face of jazz and all that was to follow, separating virtuoso alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and iconic tenor saxophonist John Coltrane just doesn’t seem possible. 

Of course, these rankings are very subjective, but if you just landed on planet jazz and don’t know where to start, these two are you essential first listens.

So, without further ado…  

2. Charlie Parker

Few people have changed the vocabulary of jazz as drastically as iconic alto saxophone player Charlie Parker.

In fact, few musicians have proved so influential as the Kansas City-born player who was at the forefront of the bebop movement in New York in the mid-1940s. He created a new way of playing over chord changes, with chromatic passing notes linking chord tones together, and a fresh rhythmic vocabulary.

The music was also a resolutely intellectual affair, partially in response to the more populist Swing era that had dominated American music since the 1930s.

Parker’s playing was complex and virtuosic, yet bluesy and fabulously swinging. A number of his compositions – often new melodies written over the chord sequences of existing songs – have become part of the standard repertoire.

Sadly, he struggled with substance addiction, and was just 34 when he died in 1955.

Recommended recording: Charlie Parker with Strings

Much of Charlie Parker’s recorded output came before the LP era, and the live recordings are the place to go to hear him really stretch out.

But this album, with Parker accompanied by a classical string section and jazz rhythm section is essential.

The solo on ‘Just Friends’ is one of his most acclaimed.

1. John Coltrane

Arguably the most famous tenor saxophone player in history, John Coltrane was a relentless practiser who never stopped searching and striving to develop as an artist.

A relatively late bloomer amongst his fellow saxophone players, he did not make his first record as a leader until he was 30 years old. He initially made his mark with mid-‘50s hard bop, as a member of Miles Davis’ First Great Quintet and on his own albums like Blue Train.

In the mid-1950s and early ‘60s his own compositions – ‘Giant Steps’, ‘Countdown’ and ’26-2’ – explored new harmonic territory, with highly challenging harmonic sequences based on key centres moving quickly in thirds.

He was also present for the birth of modal jazz, appearing on Davis’ seminal Kind of Blue. As a saxophonist, ‘Trane is noted for his metallic, snaking tone (partly due to his choice of mouthpiece and saxophone) and his unique ‘sheets of sound’ approach.

His 1960s quartet is considered one of the all-time great jazz groups, while his work in his final years embraced the new free jazz movement and took on a deeply spiritual direction.

Recommended John Coltrane album: A Love Supreme

Coltrane’s 1964 masterpiece A Love Supreme features his classic quartet – with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones in the rhythm section – on an intense suite of religion-inspired modal jazz.

Check out our round up of 10 of his best album here.

Thanks for join us for this trip through some of the most famous saxophone players of all time. I hope it helped you (re)discover some brilliant jazz music in lots of different styles.

There are, of course, many other amazing saxophonists on both alto and tenor that we could have added. You can find many of these via our saxophone homepage here.