1. Lester Young – Granted, most modern players model themselves off of a more contemporary saxophonist (Brecker, Coltrane, etc.), but that doesn’t change the fact that Young generated tremendous interest in the instrument. He was one of the first pioneers of the saxophone, and, in addition to inspiring and influencing some of the greatest more modern players, particularly the school of Stan Getz and Zoot Simms, Young made the saxophone famous, an instrument of choice. Without him, it is debatable whether or not the saxophone would actually have become a prominent instrument in jazz.
2. Charlie “Bird” Parker – It is impossible not to say that Bird was one of the most influential musicians – not just saxophonists – to ever walk this earth. He, along with trumpet pioneer Dizzy Gillespie, created the form of jazz known as bebop. There is not a single saxophone player worth his salt who doesn’t have at least one Bird lick in his repertoire. Long story short, without Bird, bebop doesn’t happen and jazz doesn’t evolve out of the swing era.
3. John Coltrane – Trane’s influence is everywhere. What is perhaps more interesting about Trane is that he really did almost everything. From bop, to free jazz and everything in between, Trane left his mark forever. He was part of the modal jazz movement with Miles Davis and left his mark on the free jazz world with A Love Supreme. He revitalized the soprano saxophone with his recording of “My Favorite Things” and is heard in most every modern tenor player, such as Eric Alexander, Chris Potter and Joshua Redman.
4. Michael Brecker – Brecker more or less invented the ‘pop’ sound of the saxophone. He played with amazing soul and even more amazing technique. Brecker’s sound is revolutionary, and his work with the Brecker Brothers showed that jazz could be combined with so many other genres of music.
5. Coleman Hawkins – Hawkins was most important because of his embrace of the bebop era. At a time when there was a major clash among swing musicians and bop musicians, Hawkins embraced the change, paving the way for a transition in the jazz style. While Hawkins sound was decidedly swing, he made a conscious effort to learn bop and his recordings are still regarded as some of the greatest ever made. One also can not ignore the fact that he had one of the longest careers of almost any saxophone player in history.
With so many great saxophonists, it is nearly impossible to trim it to a list of five. So, here is a short list of honorable mentions (although even this list doesn’t scratch the surface of saxophone history): Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderly, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Chris Potter, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Sidney Bechet and Benny Golson
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