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Otto Hardwick
Otto Hardwick
American musician
1
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
American jazz musician, composer and band leader
2
Johnny Hodges
Johnny Hodges
American alto saxophonist
3
Butch Ballard
Butch Ballard
American jazz drummer
4
Billy Strayhorn
Billy Strayhorn
American musician, composer, lyricist and arranger
5
Mercer Ellington
Mercer Ellington
American musician
6
Jimmy Hamilton
Jimmy Hamilton
American jazz musician
7
Shorty Baker
Shorty Baker
American musician
8
Money Johnson
Money Johnson
American musician
9
Harry Carney
Harry Carney
American jazz musician
10
Sonny Greer
Sonny Greer
American jazz drummer
11
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor
American jazz bassist
12
Harold Ashby
Harold Ashby
American musician
13
Barrie Lee Hall, Jr.
Barrie Lee Hall, Jr.
American jazz musician, music director and band leader
14
Aaron Bell
Aaron Bell
American musician
15
Juan Tizol
Juan Tizol
Puerto Rican trombonist and composer
16
Ray Nance
Ray Nance
American musician
17
Lawrence Brown
Lawrence Brown
jazz trombonist
18
Taft Jordan
Taft Jordan
Jazz trumpeter
19
Booty Wood
Booty Wood
American jazz musician
20
Sam Woodyard
Sam Woodyard
American jazz drummer
21
Tricky Sam Nanton
Tricky Sam Nanton
American musician
22
Ben Webster
Ben Webster
American saxophonist
23
Cat Anderson
Cat Anderson
American jazz trumpeter
24
Russell Procope
Russell Procope
American musician
25
Norris Turney
Norris Turney
American musician
26
John Dankworth
John Dankworth
British musician (1927-2010)
27
Cootie Williams
Cootie Williams
American trumpeter
28
Freddie Jenkins
Freddie Jenkins
American musician
29
Bubber Miley
Bubber Miley
American jazz trumpet and cornet player, composer
30
Les Spann
Les Spann
American guitarist
31
Quentin Jackson
Quentin Jackson
American musician
32
Bill Berry
Bill Berry
American musician
33
Al Sears
Al Sears
American jazz tenor saxophonist
34
Buster Cooper
Buster Cooper
American trombonist
35
Wendell Marshall
Wendell Marshall
American jazz musician; double bassist
36
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
American jazz saxophonist
37
Dan Minor
Dan Minor
jazz trombonist
38
Jimmy Blanton
Jimmy Blanton
American musician
39
Rolf Ericson
Rolf Ericson
Swedish musician
40
Willie Smith
Willie Smith
American musician
Geezil Minerve
Cuban-born American musician

Geezil Minerve

Intro
Cuban-born American musician
Music

Harold "Geezil" Minerve (January 3, 1922 - June 4, 1992) was a Cuban-born jazz alto saxophonist and flautist.

Minerve was raised in Florida and began playing music at age 12. He played with Ida Cox early in his career, then worked as a freelance musician in New Orleans. Following stints with Clarence Love and Ernie Fields, Minerve served in the Army from 1943–46, then returned to play with Fields for a short time. He worked with Buddy Johnson from 1949-1957, then with Mercer Ellington (1960), Ray Charles (1962–64), and Arthur Prysock. In 1971 he joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra, filling Johnny Hodges's spot after Hodges's death. Minerve remained with the Ellington Orchestra until 1974, then returned to play with Mercer Ellington. He remained with the Duke Ellington orchestra under direction of Mercer Ellington (Duke's son). Following the success of the Broadway hit "Sophisticated Lady" when he played with the orchestra on stage and the touring company, he left the orchestra for a brief time with Ruth Brown's Black and Blue Review in Paris returning to Ellington in the 80's He did further freelance work later in the 1970s.