Be Bop is often referred to as “The Golden Age” of Jazz, and its rhythm and harmony does indeed tend to heavily influence all modern forms of Jazz. These baritone saxophonists are all master improvisers and are fluent in the language of Bop.

Leo Parker

Leo Parker
Leo Parker was the proud owner of a big, beefy baritone sax tone and a fluent technique that struck a great match between the gritty, down-home feeling of R&B and the advanced harmonies of bebop. At first, he studied alto in high school, even recording with Coleman Hawkins' early bebop band at age 18 on...

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Serge Chaloff

Serge Chaloff
  November 24, 1923 - July 16, 1957 One of the great baritone-saxophonists and the first major soloist on that instrument to emerge since Harry Carney (he preceded Gerry Mulligan), Serge Chaloff was a drug addict during his prime years, resulting in broken friendships and lost opportunities. After playing with the orchestras of Boyd Raeburn...

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Claire Daly

Claire Daly
Bio from Claire's Website: Claire will tell you that her life changed on Sept. 23rd, 1971, when as a very (very) young girl, playing saxophone for 3 months, she heard a big band concert at the Westchester County Center. The saxophone section stood up for a soli, and Claire was on her chair screaming. After...

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Cecil Payne

Cecil Payne
December 14, 1922 - Nov. 27, 2007 Although he was one of the finest baritone saxophonists to emerge from the bop era, Cecil Payne has been underrated and frequently overlooked throughout his long career. Payne, who played guitar, alto and clarinet (and spent 1943-46 in the military) first played baritone with Clarence Briggs' band in...

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Jerome Richardson

Jerome Richardson
November 15, 1920 -- June 23, 2000 Jerome Richardson's point of origin was on the other side of the North American continent--Oakland, California, to be exact. Jerome started on alto saxophone at the age of eight. In his teens Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges and Willie Smith were his ideals. Through local musicians, Ben Watkins and...

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Jack Nimitz

Jack Nimitz
Jan 11, 1930 - June 10, 2009 Although he has had a long and productive career, Jack Nimitz has long been underrated, not getting a chance to lead his own record session until a 1995 set for Fresh Sound, when he was already 65. He started on the clarinet when he was 12, switching to...

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Bill Perkins

Born: July 22, 1924 in San Francisco, CA Died: August 9, 2003 in Sherman Oaks, CA Perennially popular West Coast reedman by Todd S. JenkinsCopyright © 2003 Todd S. Jenkins -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Perkins was one of the quiet lions of West Coast jazz, soft-spoken, humble and gentle in conversation, but capable of raising the roof...

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Sahib Shihab

Sahib Shihab
June 23, 1925 - October 24, 1989 Besides being one of the first jazz musicians to convert to Islam and change his name (1947), Sahib Shihab was also one of the earliest boppers to use the flute. But he was also a fluent soloist on the alto, as well as the baritone sax, the latter...

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Ronnie Ross

Ronnie Ross
Ronnie Ross' bio care of Wikipedia: "Albert Ronald "Ronnie" Ross (2 October 1933, Calcutta, India – 12 December 1991, London, England) was a jazz baritone saxophonist. Ross moved to England in 1946 and began playing tenor saxophone in the 1950s with Tony Kinsey, Ted Heath, and Don Rendell. During his tenure with Rendell he switched...

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Danny Harrington

Danny Harrington
Baritone saxophonist, Danny Harrington, was born in Providence, Rhode Island and now lives Newburyport, Massachusetts with his wife (Risa) and daughter (Nina). He is a Professor of Music at Berklee College of Music, a position he has held since 1978. He is a member of the college’s Harmony department, which teaches the theory of American...

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Tate Houston

Tate Houston
November 30, 1924 – October 18, 1974 Tate Houston was a Detroit based baritone and tenor saxophonist. He played with a number of notable musicians:Lionel Hampton, Billy Eckstine, Sonny Stitt and Milt Jackson, JC Heard’s, Hal Singer,g Big John Greer, Phil Hill, Milt Jackson, Alvin Jackson, Billy Mitchell and Tommy Flanagan, Curtis Fuller, Nat Adderley,...

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