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Famous Black Saxophone Players

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 1 
John Coltrane
(One of the Most Influential Saxophonists in Music History)
John Coltrane
4
Birthdate: September 23, 1926
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: HaHamlet, North Carolina, United States
Died: July 17, 1967
Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane is remembered for his significant influence on modern jazz. He was initially part of the Navy band and eventually collaborated with musicians such as Miles Davis. He won a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was canonized by the African Orthodox Church.
 2 
Fela Kuti
(Multi-Instrumentalist & the Creator of ‘Afro-beat’, a Genre that Fuses West African Music with American Funk & Jazz)
Fela Kuti
4
Birthdate: October 15, 1938
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Abeokuta, Nigeria
Died: August 2, 1997
Political activist and Afrobeat inventor Fela Kuti initially performed with his band Koola Lobitos and later renamed it Nigeria '70. He was inspired by the Black Power movement, which also gradually transformed his musical style. He married 27 women in 1978, to mark the anniversary of the Kalakuta Republic attack.
 3 
Clarence Clemons
(Best Known as the Saxophonist of the Rock Band 'The E Street Band')
Clarence Clemons
6
Birthdate: January 11, 1942
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Died: June 18, 2011

Clarence Clemons, also popular as The Big Man, gained fame as the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. While he joined the Maryland State College on both football and music scholarships, a car accident later ended his football dreams. He also had his own band, The Red Bank Rockers.

 4 
Booker T. Jones
(Musician)
Booker T. Jones
4
Birthdate: November 12, 1944
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
 5 
Lester Young
(Musician)
Lester Young
4
Birthdate: August 27, 1909
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Woodville, Mississippi, United States
Died: March 15, 1959
 6 
Branford Marsalis
(Saxophonist primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet)
Branford Marsalis
4
Birthdate: August 26, 1960
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, United States
 7 
Grover Washington, Jr.
(Saxophonist)
Grover Washington, Jr.
3
Birthdate: December 12, 1943
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, United States
Died: December 17, 1999
 8 
Coleman Hawkins
(American Saxophonist and Jazz Musician)
Coleman Hawkins
3
Birthdate: November 21, 1904
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Saint Joseph, Missouri, United States
Died: May 19, 1969
 9 
Yusef Abdul Lateef
(Musician)
Yusef Abdul Lateef
3
Birthdate: October 9, 1920
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Died: December 23, 2013
 10 
Femi Kuti
(Nigerian Musician)
Femi Kuti
3
Birthdate: June 16, 1962
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London, England
 11 
Albert Ayler
(Saxophonist, Composer)
Albert Ayler
3
Birthdate: July 13, 1936
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died: November 25, 1970
 12 
Joe Henderson
(Musician)
Joe Henderson
3
Birthdate: April 24, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lima, Ohio, United States
Died: June 30, 2001
 13 
Ravi Coltrane
(Saxophonist, Record Producer)
Ravi Coltrane
3
Birthdate: August 6, 1965
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Long Island, New York, United States
 14 
Abdullah Ibrahim
(Pianist, Composer)
Abdullah Ibrahim
3
Birthdate: October 9, 1934
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Cape Town

South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, known as Dollar Brand, is best remembered for his socially relevant music, such as the jazz piece Mannenberg, which became an anthem for anti-apartheid activists. As part of The Jazz Epistles, he was one of the first black South Africans to record a jazz LP.

 15 
Archie Shepp
(Jazz Saxophonist)
Archie Shepp
3
Birthdate: May 24, 1937
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
 16 
Jackie McLean
(Musician)
Jackie McLean
3
Birthdate: May 17, 1931
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.
Died: March 31, 2006
 17 
Eddie Harris
(Musician)
Eddie Harris
2
Birthdate: October 20, 1934
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago , Illinois, U.S.
Died: November 5, 1996
 18 
Gene Ammons
(Musician)
Gene Ammons
2
Birthdate: April 14, 1925
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Died: August 6, 1974
 19 
Anthony Braxton
(Composer)
Anthony Braxton
5
Birthdate: June 4, 1945
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
 20 
Johnny Griffin
(Tenor Saxophonist)
Johnny Griffin
2
Birthdate: April 24, 1928
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: July 25, 2008
 21 
Illinois Jacquet
(Saxophonist)
Illinois Jacquet
2
Birthdate: October 30, 1922
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Broussard, Louisiana, United States
Died: July 22, 2004
 22 
Gary Bartz
(Saxophonist)
Gary Bartz
2
Birthdate: September 26, 1940
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
 23 
Oliver Nelson
(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)
Oliver Nelson
3
Birthdate: June 4, 1932
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died: October 28, 1975
 24 
Jimmie Lunceford
(Saxophonist)
Jimmie Lunceford
2
Birthdate: June 6, 1902
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Fulton, Mississippi, United States
Died: July 12, 1947
 25 
Frank Morgan
(Saxophonist)
Frank Morgan
2
Birthdate: December 23, 1933
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Died: December 14, 2007
 26 
James Moody
(American musician)
James Moody
2
Birthdate: March 26, 1925
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Savannah, Georgia
Died: December 9, 2010
 27 
James Carter
(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)
James Carter
2
Birthdate: January 3, 1969
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States
 28 
Henry Threadgill
(Composer)
Henry Threadgill
2
Birthdate: February 15, 1944
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
 29 
Charlie Rouse
(Saxophonist)
Charlie Rouse
0
Birthdate: April 6, 1924
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Died: November 30, 1988
 30 
David Murray
(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)
David Murray
2
Birthdate: February 19, 1955
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States
 31 
John Gilmore
(Musician)
John Gilmore
2
Birthdate: September 28, 1931
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Summit, Mississippi, United States
Died: August 20, 1995
 32 
Curtis Amy
(Saxophonist)
Curtis Amy
2
Birthdate: October 11, 1929
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States
Died: June 5, 2002
 33 
Dewey Redman
(Musician)
Dewey Redman
2
Birthdate: May 17, 1931
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Died: September 2, 2006
 34 
Mark Turner
(Saxophonist)
Mark Turner
2
Birthdate: November 10, 1965
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Fairborn, Ohio, United States
 35 
Lucky Thompson
(Saxophonist)
Lucky Thompson
1
Birthdate: June 16, 1924
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Died: July 30, 2005
 36 
Ike Quebec
(Musician)
Ike Quebec
0
Birthdate: August 17, 1918
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died: January 16, 1963
 37 
Johnny Dodds
(Musician)
Johnny Dodds
1
Birthdate: April 12, 1892
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Died: August 8, 1940
 38 
Harry Carney
(Saxophonist)
Harry Carney
1
Birthdate: April 1, 1910
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: October 8, 1974
 39 
Don Byas
(Musician)
Don Byas
1
Birthdate: October 21, 1912
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States
Died: August 24, 1972
 40 
David S. Ware
(Musician)
David S. Ware
1
Birthdate: November 7, 1949
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Plainfield, New Jersey, United States
Died: October 18, 2012
 41 
Von Freeman
(Saxophonist)
Von Freeman
1
Birthdate: October 3, 1923
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: August 11, 2012
 42 
Nathan Davis
(Jazz multi-instrumentalist)
Nathan Davis
1
Birthdate: February 15, 1937
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Died: April 8, 2018
 43 
Russell Procope
(Clarinetist)
Russell Procope
0
Birthdate: August 11, 1908
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: January 21, 1981
 44 
Prince Lasha
(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)
Prince Lasha
0
Birthdate: September 10, 1929
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Died: December 12, 2008
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 45 
Buster Bailey
(Clarinetist, Saxophonist)
Buster Bailey
0
Birthdate: July 19, 1902
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Died: April 12, 1967
 46 
Benny Waters
(Musician)
Benny Waters
0
Birthdate: January 23, 1902
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brighton, Maryland, United States
Died: August 11, 1998
 47 
Moacir Santos
(Brazilian Composer)
Moacir Santos
0
Birthdate: July 26, 1926
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: State of Pernambuco, Brazil
Died: August 6, 2006

Moacir Santos was a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was also a music educator. Baden Powell, Bola Sete, and Wilson das Neves were some of his students. Santos was highly respected by his contemporaries in both Brazil and USA. As a composer, he often worked with Nara Leão, Roberto Menescal, and Sérgio Mendes.

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