Pioneer and First Innovative Tenor

Coleman Hawkins


1920s

Barney Bigard
Happy Caldwell


Second Innovative Tenor

Lester Young


Swing Era

Chu BerryBen WebsterCharlie Barnet
Gene SedricHerschel EvansBuddy Tate
Dick WilsonBudd JohnsonBenny Waters


Chicago Dixieland

Bud Freeman - Eddie Miller


1940s Stompers - Swing to R&B

Illinois JaquetArnett Cobb
Flip PhillipsDon Byas
Ike QuebecGeorgie Auld
Eddie "Lockjaw" DavisAl Sears
Charlie VenturaHal Singer
Willis "Gator" JacksonJimmy Forrest


1940s Los Angeles Bop

Dexter GordonWardell Gray
Teddy EdwardsLucky Thompson


Cool School

Stan GetzZoot Sims
Al CohnHerbie Steward
Brew MooreAllan Eager
Jimmy GiuffrePaul Quinichette
Buddy ColletteBob Cooper
Bill PerkinsRichie Kamuca
Dave PellJack Montrose
Frank WessDick Hafer
Fraser McPhersonSpike Robinson


1950s

Sonny StittGene AmmonsPaul Gonsalves
Frank FosterJames MoodyBenny Golson
Wayne MarshJ.R. MonteroseJohnny Griffin
Harold LandJunior CookHank Mobley
Jimmy Heath


Third Innovative Tenor

Sonny Rollins


1960s

Yusef LateefCharlie RouseBooker Ervin
Clifford JordanSal NisticoGeorge Coleman
Joe HendersonJoe FarrellCharles Lloyd


Versatile Genius

Rashaan Roland Kirk


Fourth Innovator and Biggest Influence on Post 1960s Tenors

John Coltrane


Free Jazz / Avantgarde

John GilmoreArchie Shepp
Pharoah SandersAlbert Ayler
Dewey RedmanFrank Wright
Roscoe MitchellJoseph Jarman
Sam RiversCharles Tyler
Fred AndersonDave Liebman
John PurcellVon Freeman
Chico FreemanGeorge Adams
Evan ParkerJan Garbarek
Willem BreukerPeter Brötzmann
Vladimir ChekasinJoe McPhee
David MurrayCharles Gayle
David S. Ware


Modern Swing

Scott Hamilton - Ken Peplowski - Harry Allen


Soul Jazz to Crossover

Stanley TurrentineDavid "Fathead" Newman
Eddie HarrisHouston Person
Wilton FelderJohn Klemmer
Gato BarbieriTom Scott
Grover Washington jr.


Most Influential Tenors of the Past 20 Years

Wayne Shorter - Michael Brecker


1980s Onwards

Lew TabackinDon Menza
Pete ChristliebBennie Wallace
Billy HarperJohn Stubblefield
Odeon PopeRicky Ford
Eddie DanielsSteve Grossman
Billy PierceRalph Moore
Joe LovanoBranford Marsalis
David SanchezEdward Wilkerson
Bill EvansBob Mintzer
Bob BergBob Malach
Javon JacksonJean Toussaint
Courtney PineTommy Smith
Don BradenRalph Bowen
Todd WilliamsJoshua Redman
James Carter