No historical perspective from the young hipster/listers. One is never going to agree with these lists – but they are great fun – keep them coming!I agree – Include Budd Johnson and Curtis Amy please…Gerry Mulligan way better than Al Cohn or Johnny Griffin or Dexter G.Thomas I should have placed Tubby in the top 10, rather than listing my top 8, and therefore leaving him out. People like Armstrong was the Mogdigliani of the trumpet– or Lester Young, and Coleman Hawkins were the Van Gogh’s and Monets of the saxophone. He made his recording debut in 1928 as a sideman, but, by the 30s, was leading his own swing band for which he was writing sophisticated charts that resulted in him doing arranging for the likes of From Baltimore, Maryland, Bartz plays both alto and soprano saxophones. He was a fearless improviser with an imposing but mobile sound.Born in Georgia and raised in New Jersey, Mobley came on the radar of jazz fans in the early 50s as a charter member of The Jazz Messengers, before embarking on a solo career that produced 25 albums for Blue Note. Smooth Jazz was perpetually unable to skimp on the gaudy, the plastic, or the convenient -- it was full of trills and glissandi and fancy-sounding chords. A fearless improviser.Though he was affectionately called The Brute, Ben Webster’s forceful style of playing was tempered with a high degree of tenderness, especially on ballads. I agree what a ludicrous list, that for example, al Cohn could be above Jaws. Your expertise and credibility are nil.I am glad (as much as I am surprised) to see Hank Mobley, one of my favourite, scoring so high.‘¿SIDNEY BECHET 25°, COLEMAN HAWKINS 7°? In tune with classic 1970s folk, Michael McArthur weaves a spellbinding tale of personal growth and hope for the future with "How to Fall in Love".Greta Gerwig's film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel Unleashing the power of love with a new single and music video premiere, Natalie Schlabs is hoping to spread the word while letting her striking voice be heard ahead of Rufus Wainwright has done Judy Garland, Shakespeare, and opera, so now it's time for Rufus to rediscover Rufus on West Coast pianist Denny Zeitlin creates a classic and adventurous live set with his long-standing trio featuring Buster Williams and Matt Wilson on Country/folk singer-songwriter Arlo McKinley's debut If you ever thought 2000s hard rock needed more guitar leads and solos, Viserra have you covered with Ryan Hamilton's "Oh No" features guest vocals from Kay Hanley of Letters to Cleo, and appears on I didn’t know who Steve Lacy and Teddy Edwards were ten years ago, and I’m still learning. To say he was so great there, given that Rollins, Coltrane and Griffin had been so inspired when they played with Monk, speaks eloquently of Rouse’s gifts.Otherwise, I take lists as what they are, subjective however knowledgeable, and there are probably no absolutes even if we are all passionate in our tastes. Art Pepper would have Been far more worthy if his years weren’t stolen from him. Hank Mobley (#9), Johnny Griffin (#10), Joe Henderson (#11), and Jackie McLean (#13) are all fine musicians, but significantly overrated here. Soon after, he made his first recordings and caught the ear with his reedy soprano blowing, which had a tremulous vibrato and emotional intensity. From the 70s onwards, Barbieri leaned towards smooth jazz settings for his music, though his brooding tenor saxophone never lost its visceral intensity.Baritone specialist Park “Pepper” Adams came from Michigan and was a stalwart of the Detroit scene, where he played with Donald Byrd in the late 50s and early 60s. He also did very well in the singer pollls. With its breathy timbre, virile tone and broad vibrato, Webster’s bluesy tenor saxophone sound is one of the most readily identifiable in jazz. "There used to be scores of these groups -- you'd hear 'Georgia on My Mind' done by an orchestra with no saxophones, then you'd hear a vocal by Engelbert Humperdinck or Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Lucky Thompson? You’ve GOT to be kidding. uDiscover Music celebrates the 50 best jazz saxophonists of all time.There’s no doubt that, if he were alive today, 19th-century Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax would be extremely surprised – and pleased, too, no doubt – at how the saxophone, which he invented and then patented back in 1846, has become universally popular, and was crucial in defining the sound of a 20th-century-born musical style called jazz. Both Charlie Parker and John Coltrane were fans.Henderson’s tenor sound was unmistakable: loud, robust and virile. Phil Woods missing? Even so, while his music always looked forward, Blythe never lost sight of the traditions of the best jazz saxophonists before him. I personally thank your father for his innovation and influence, and I’m pretty sure HE had some Coltrane influence (I hear it in his riffs) and took it to a different place.

Unique among the world’s best jazz saxophonists, Rivers was a multi-talented instrumentalist who played bass clarinet, flute and piano besides …

Just to think about some of the music mentioned puts me in too good a mood to carp, and certainly makes all the effing and blinding of some of the comments irrelevant. A prolific purple patch at the Impulse! While my Father never liked the term ‘smooth jazz’, he played everything from be-bop to pop to fusion to r&b to soul to gospel and then some. "Cred" matters, and Smooth Jazz sounds like it was stamped out of a mold.There is still an appetite for schmaltz out there, but it is the schmaltz of Smooth Jazz, in 2008, is finally nothing more than the aural air freshener it has always been. Rouse used the whole range of the tenor from the bottom up, well into the altissimo.