Famous Black Saxophone Players

This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

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John Coltrane

(One of the Most Influential Saxophonists in Music History)

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.

Fela Kuti

(Multi-Instrumentalist & the Creator of ‘Afro-beat’, a Genre that Fuses West African Music with American Funk & Jazz)

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.

Clarence Clemons

(Best Known as the Saxophonist of the Rock Band 'The E Street Band')

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.

Booker T. Jones

(Musician)

Birthdate: November 12, 1944

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Lester Young

(Musician)

Birthdate: August 27, 1909

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Woodville, Mississippi, United States

Died: March 15, 1959

Branford Marsalis

(Saxophonist primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet)

Birthdate: August 26, 1960

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, United States

Grover Washington, Jr.

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: December 12, 1943

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, United States

Died: December 17, 1999

Yusef Abdul Lateef

(Musician)

Birthdate: October 9, 1920

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States

Died: December 23, 2013

Albert Ayler

(Saxophonist, Composer)

Birthdate: July 13, 1936

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Died: November 25, 1970

Ravi Coltrane

(Saxophonist, Record Producer)

Birthdate: August 6, 1965

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Long Island, New York, United States

Joe Henderson

(Musician)

Birthdate: April 24, 1937

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Lima, Ohio, United States

Died: June 30, 2001

Abdullah Ibrahim

(Pianist, Composer)

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.

Archie Shepp

(Jazz Saxophonist)

Birthdate: May 24, 1937

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Jackie McLean

(Musician)

Birthdate: May 17, 1931

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.

Died: March 31, 2006

Eddie Harris

(Musician)

Birthdate: October 20, 1934

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chicago , Illinois, U.S.

Died: November 5, 1996

Oliver Nelson

(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)

Birthdate: June 4, 1932

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Died: October 28, 1975

Anthony Braxton

(Composer)

Birthdate: June 4, 1945

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Gene Ammons

(Musician)

Birthdate: April 14, 1925

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois

Died: August 6, 1974

Johnny Griffin

(Tenor Saxophonist)

Birthdate: April 24, 1928

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Died: July 25, 2008

Gary Bartz

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: September 26, 1940

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Illinois Jacquet

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: October 30, 1922

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Broussard, Louisiana, United States

Died: July 22, 2004

Jimmie Lunceford

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: June 6, 1902

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Fulton, Mississippi, United States

Died: July 12, 1947

Frank Morgan

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: December 23, 1933

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Died: December 14, 2007

James Moody

(American musician)

Birthdate: March 26, 1925

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Savannah, Georgia

Died: December 9, 2010

James Carter

(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)

Birthdate: January 3, 1969

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States

Henry Threadgill

(Composer)

Birthdate: February 15, 1944

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Charlie Rouse

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: April 6, 1924

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States

Died: November 30, 1988

David Murray

(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)

Birthdate: February 19, 1955

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States

John Gilmore

(Musician)

Birthdate: September 28, 1931

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Summit, Mississippi, United States

Died: August 20, 1995

Curtis Amy

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: October 11, 1929

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States

Died: June 5, 2002

Dewey Redman

(Musician)

Birthdate: May 17, 1931

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Died: September 2, 2006

Mark Turner

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: November 10, 1965

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Fairborn, Ohio, United States

Lucky Thompson

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: June 16, 1924

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Columbia, South Carolina, United States

Died: July 30, 2005

Ike Quebec

(Musician)

Birthdate: August 17, 1918

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States

Died: January 16, 1963

Johnny Dodds

(Musician)

Birthdate: April 12, 1892

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Died: August 8, 1940

Don Byas

(Musician)

Birthdate: October 21, 1912

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States

Died: August 24, 1972

Harry Carney

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: April 1, 1910

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Died: October 8, 1974

David S. Ware

(Musician)

Birthdate: November 7, 1949

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Plainfield, New Jersey, United States

Died: October 18, 2012

Nathan Davis

(Jazz multi-instrumentalist)

Birthdate: February 15, 1937

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Kansas City, Kansas, United States

Died: April 8, 2018

Von Freeman

(Saxophonist)

Birthdate: October 3, 1923

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Died: August 11, 2012

Russell Procope

(Clarinetist)

Birthdate: August 11, 1908

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Died: January 21, 1981

Prince Lasha

(Saxophonist, Clarinetist)

Birthdate: September 10, 1929

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Died: December 12, 2008

Buster Bailey

(Clarinetist, Saxophonist)

Birthdate: July 19, 1902

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Died: April 12, 1967

Benny Waters

(Musician)

Birthdate: January 23, 1902

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Brighton, Maryland, United States

Died: August 11, 1998

Moacir Santos

(Brazilian Composer)

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.