Happy birthday to Ernie Watts, 81 today — quite possibly the most-heard saxophonist most listeners have never named. If you have ever watched late-night television, heard a Marvin Gaye record, or caught the Night Court… Read More »Ernie Watts – First Call
Don Byas was the bridge between two eras of jazz — and after he crossed it, he left America standing on the far side. Born Carlos Wesley Byas in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on October 21, 1912,… Read More »Don Byas – The Tenor Who Chose Europe
In 1961, a Chicago tenor saxophonist recorded a two-minute single that became the first jazz record ever certified gold — over two million copies, a pop album sitting at #2 behind only Elvis Presley. Then… Read More »Eddie Harris – The Hit He Refused to Play
October 16th marks Tim Berne’s 72nd birthday, and few saxophonists have walked a more fiercely independent path through creative music. Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1954, Berne didn’t come up through the usual jazz… Read More »Tim Berne – Avant Garde Alto
October 16th would have been Lenny Hambro’s 103rd birthday. Born Leonard William Hambro in the Bronx in 1923, he was the kind of saxophonist the big-band era was built on: a lead alto player with… Read More »Lenny Hambro – Big Band Alto
October 11th is Alex Dean’s birthday — and for me it’s personal. Alex was my saxophone teacher, the player who shaped how I hear the horn. Alex Dean is one of Canada’s foremost jazz saxophonists,… Read More »Alex Dean – Canadian Tenor
Meet Ashley Keiko, a New York-based saxophonist, composer, vocalist, educator and entrepreneur bringing a distinctly contemporary voice to the saxophone. Blending smooth jazz, R&B, pop, hip-hop and gospel, Ashley has built a career that moves… Read More »Sax, Soul & Music Ed
Meet Marqueal Jordan, a Chicago-based saxophonist, vocalist, composer and producer whose music blends contemporary jazz with soul, R&B, funk and hip-hop. Known to many listeners through his longtime work with Brian Culbertson, Jordan has built… Read More »Marqueal Jordan’s Time is Now
Sonny Rollins, the tenor saxophonist universally known as the “Saxophone Colossus,” died on Monday, May 25, 2026, at his home in Woodstock, New York. He was 95 years old. His death was confirmed by his… Read More »Sonny Rollins, the “Saxophone Colossus,” Dies at 95: Jazz Loses Its Last Great Improviser
Born December 10, James Von Streeter is a saxophonist whose playing reflects the deep soul-music tradition of American jazz and R&B. With a tone that carries both warmth and grit, Von Streeter has carved out… Read More »James Von Streeter – Tenor Storyteller
