Your Top 5 Sax Players?


Ok jazz heads I know there are tons of Tenor and Alto players out there that can impress you on any given day, but who would qualify to be on your ALLTIME great list of five? I know it is hard to limit it to just five, but that is just to make you think a little harder on who really gets to your heart and soul the most. Some guys had very short careers and others had very long ones with many great recordings of exceptional merit. Some were better live and others were better in the studio, but what we want to know is who could REALLY play? Here are my five.

1. Stan Getz
2. Sony Rollins
3. John Cotrane
4. Sonny Stitt
5. Ben Webster
eddinanm3
Just to clarify Cincy Bobs list, Cecil Taylor does not play sax, he plays piano. His main man sax player was Jimmy Lyons who would make my top 10 if this was a top 10 list.
Cincy_bob's list is pretty extensive & he's covered ALMOST all my favourite sax players. I'd like to add one more - Art Pepper.
On a much lighter note I do like Clarence Clemmons (who used to play in Bruce Springsteen's E-street Band) & also John Helliwell, who used to play in the Supertramp band.

in no particular order...

ornette coleman
john coltrane
charlie parker
sonny rollins
eric dolphy