Recommended Jazz Recordings and Saxophonists

The following suggested lists are only representative of the many fine current and historical saxophone artists and jazz recordings available for listening study and enjoyment.

Jazz Alto Saxophonists

Cannonball Adderley, Anthony Braxton, Benny Carter, Richie Cole, Ornette Coleman, Paul Desmond, Jerry Dodgion, Eric Dolphy, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Dorsey, Kenny Garret, Woody Herman, Johnny Hodges, Lee Konitz, Charlie Mariano, Jackie McLean, Frank Morgan, Oliver Nelson, Dick Oats, Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, David Sandborn, Bud Shank , Sonny Stitt, Phil Woods

Jazz Tenor Saxophonists

Bob Berg, Jerry Bergonzi, Michael Brecker, James Carter, George Coleman, John Coltrane, Pete Christlieb, George Garzon, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Henderson, David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Brandford Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, Hank Mobley, James Moody, Oliver Nelson, Rich Perry, Joshua Redman, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Stitt, Lew Tabackin, Stanley Turrentine, Ernie Watts, Ben Webster, Lester Young

Jazz Baritone Saxophonists

Pepper Adams, Nick Brignola, Harry Carney, Serge Chaloff, Ronnie Cuber, Charles Davis, Jerry Mulligan, Leo Parker, Gary Smulyan


Recommended Jazz Recordings

Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz


Cannonball Adderley
Cannonball & Coltrane
Cannonball Adderley and the Bossa Rio Sextet
Cannonball Adderley at the Lighthouse
Live In San Francisco 
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
Somethin’ Else

Louis Armstrong
Complete Hot Five and Hot SevenRecordings
Great Chicago Concert 1956

Count Basie
April In Paris
Atomic Basie
Complete Decca Recordings – 1937
Straight Ahead
Sinatra-Basie

Sidney Bechet
The Complete Sidney Bechet Vol. 1 & 2 (1932-1941)
Runnin’ Wild

Bob Berg
Live in Europe

Jerry Bergonzi
Lost Within the Shuffle
Just Within
Peek a Boo

Art Blakey
A Night at Birdland
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
The Big Beat
Moanin

Michael Brecker
Don’t Try This at Home
Michael Brecker
Nearness of You: The Ballad Book
Now You See it…Now You Don’t
Tales from the Hudson
Time is of the Essence
Two Blocks from the Edge

Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Study In Brown

Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck Quartet Live in Europe
Time Out

Ornette Coleman
Beauty is a Rare Thing
Free Jazz
The Shape of Jazz To Come
New York is Now
Sound Museum: Hidden Man

John Coltrane
Ballads
Blue Train
The Classic Quartet - Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings
The Complete Vanguard Sessions
Giant Steps 
A Love Surpreme
Live at Birdland
Lush Life 
My Favorite Things
Soultrane

Chick Corea 
Now He Sings, Now He Sobs
Three Quartets

Miles Davis
Basic Miles
Birth of the Cool
Bitches Brew
Dig
E.S.P.
Jazz Track
Kind of Blue
Miles Ahead
Miles Smiles
Milestones
My Funny Valentine
Nefertiti
Oleo
Porgy and Bess
Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet
Seven Steps to Heaven
Sketches of Spain, with Gil Evans
Steamin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet

Paul Desmond
Easy Living

Eric Dolphy
Out to Lunch
Outward Bound

Duke Ellington
And His Mother Called Him Bill
The Blanton-Webster Band
The Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings
The Centennial Edition: Highlighes
Ellington at Newport 1956
The Far East Suite
Such Sweet Thunder

Bill Evans
Complete Riverside Recordings
Conversations With Myself
Sunday at Village Vanguard
Waltz For Debby
We Will Meet Again

Gil Evans
Out of the Cool

Kenny Garrett
Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane
Songbook
Standard of Language
Triology

George Garzone
Alone
Four’s and Two’s
Moodioligy

Stan Getz
Best of the West Coast Sessions
Stan Getz & Bill Evans
Getz/Gilberto
Serenity

Dizzy Gillespie
Birks Works: The Verve Big-Band Sessions
Groovin’ High
The Sonny Rollins/Sonny Stitt Sessions
Sonny Side Up

Benny Goodman
The Complete Small Group Recordings
Live At Carnegie Hall 1938

Dexter Gordon
A Swingin’ Affair
Biting the Apple
Bouncin’ with Dex
Go
Homecoming, Live at Village Vanguard
More Power
Our Man in Paris
The Apartment
The Chase

Lionel Hampton
Swing Classics

Herbie Hancock
Complete Blue Note 60’s Sessions
Empyrean Isles
Headhunters
Maiden Voyage
The Prisoner

Coleman Hawkins
Body & Soul
Hawk In Hi-Fi

Joe Henderson
In ‘N Out
Inner Urge
Lush Life, Strayhorn Music
Page One

Woody Herman
Keeper of the Flame
Woody Herman and His orchestra

Johnny Hodges
Johnny Hodges Live at the Sportspalast

Thad Jones
Consummation

Stan Kenton
Artistry In Rhythm

Lee Konitz
Motion
Subconscious-Lee

Michel Legrand
Legrand Jazz

David Liebman
The Energy of Chance
John Coltrane’s Meditations
Return of the Tenor: Standards
Voyage

Joe Lovano
The Big Gun
From the Soul
OH!

Charlie Mariano
Adagio
An American in Italy
Deep In A Dream

Jackie McLean
Jackie’s Rag
Swing, Swang, Swingin’

Charles Mingus
Mingus Ah Um
Mingus Dynasty

Hank Mobley
Roll Call
Soul Station
Two Tenors

Thelonious Monk
Alone In San Francisco Thelonious in Action
Brilliant Corners
Complete Blue Note Recordings
Complete Riverside Recordings
The Columbia Years: 1962-1968
Misterioso
Plays Duke Ellington
Thelonious Monk Big Band
With John Coltrane

James Moody
Moody

Hank Morgan
Love, Lost and Found
Yardbird Suite
You Must Believe in Spring

Lee Morgan
The Best of Lee Morgan
Cornbread
The Sidewinder

Gerry Mulligan
Complete Pacific Jazz Quartet Recordings
The Best of The Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker
Night Lights

Oliver Nelson
Blues & the Abstract Truth

Charlie Parker
Bird & Diz
Bird at the Roost – The Complete Roayal Roost Performances Vol. 1 & 2
Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve
Bird/The Savoy Recordings
The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever / Jazz at Massey Hall
Groovin’ High
Now’s the Time
Summit Meeting at Birdland
Yardbird Suite, The Ultimate Charlie Parker Collection

Art Pepper
Landscape

Oscar Peterson
At Zardi’s
The Oscar Peterson Trio with Sonny Stitt
Night Train

Bud Powell
The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings
Jazz Giant

Joshua Redman
Elastic
Moodswing
Spirit of the Moment: Live at the Village Vanguard

Sonny Rollins
The Bridge
Newk’s Time
Night at the Village Vanguard, 1957
Plus Four
Saxophone Colossus
Swiss Nights
Tenor Madness
Way Out West

David Sandborn
A Change of Heart
Straight to the Heart
Voyeur

Wayne Shorter
Adam’s Apple
Atlantis
Encetera
JuJu
Native Dancer
Night Dreamer
Shizophrenia
Speak No Evil
Supernova

Horace Silver
Blowin’ the Blues Away
Cape Verdean Blues
Song for My Father

Sonny Stitt
Burnin’ Constellation
Night Crawler
Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt and the New Yorkers
Sonny Stitt Plays
Soul Electricity
Stittsville
Sunnyside Up

Lew Tabackin
Long Yellow Road
Phil Woods & Lew Tabackin

Art Tatum 
The Standard Sessions, 1935-1943

Stanley Turrentine
A Chip Off the Old Block
Sugar
Up at Minton’s

Ben Webster
King of the Tenors
Music for Loving: Ben Webster with Strings
There is No Greater Love

Phil Woods
Bouquet
Celebration
Live From New York Vanguard
Song for Sisyphus
Woodlore

Lester Young
Billie and Lester
The Lester Young Story
Lester Young Trio
Pres and Teddy

John Zorn
The Big Gundown
Masada 8