1, always: Coltrane. Easily the most influential saxophonist ever, he was able to navigate through a muse that was by turns turbulent then like the sweet, sweet musings of a smitten lover. On the one hand, there is the troubled beauty of "A Love Supreme," on the other is his touching recording with singer Johnny Hartman.
2: Pres. I loved Lester Young because he found a way to avoid the far-more-forceful Coleman Hawkins' awesome influence, at a time when no one could. He was more about floating rather than bashing. Best work is with Billie Holliday and Basie. A genius.
3: Sonny Rollins. His ability to turn unlikely material into true jazz brilliance, and his staying power as one of the most vital soloists ever, both push him into the top three. The last time I saw Rollins, he blew my hair straight back. And the man was more than 40 years past his Prestige-prime then.
4: Coleman Hawkins. Hey, what's wrong with bashing?? Consistently modern when people like Rollins and Coltrane were potty training. The first important tenor saxophonist still remains one of the most important.
5: Ben Webster. Ellington fans know why Ben is here: I loved the early stomps, and this guy was their very beating heart. Later, Webster's ballad work carried his sound to a new generation.
6: Joe Henderson. Easily marketable tribute albums in the early 1990s (Miles, Jobim, Strayhorn) couldn't mask the true brilliance of his playing. Henderson is still every bit the polished innovator he was in Horace Silver's 1960s band. A dash of Coltrane and Rollins, but with a heavy dose of welcome romanticism.
7: Wayne Shorter. He later played soprano, but the bulk of Shorter's legacy lies in his tenor (and composing) work with Miles: "ESP," "Pinocchio," "Nefertiti," "Prince of Darkness," among many others. He returned to the tenor late in the Weather Report period that followed.
8: Stan Getz. Known as "The Sound," perhaps the most perfect tenor player ever -- for pure tone. But he often had an unfortunate taste in material. When it was good, it was very good. When it was bad, though ... anybody remember that crap he did with the Echoplex? Hope not.
9: Illinois Jacquet. Recorded what is considered the first R&B sax solo on Lionel Hampton's "Going Home" when he was just 19 years old. Born in Broussard, La. in 1922, there is not a mainstream -- that is blues, rock or soul -- tenorman who does not owe something to his sound.
10: David "Fathead" Newman. Early work with Ray Charles ("Fathead," "Bill for Bennie," "Hard Times," "Willow Weep for Me") is outstanding. Later was part of Art Blakey's final recording, "Bluesiana," with Dr. John.
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