0
Louis Hayes
Louis Hayes
American drummer
1
Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams
American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer
2
Percy Heath
Percy Heath
American musician
3
Ronnie Boykins
Ronnie Boykins
American musician
4
Billy Mitchell
Billy Mitchell
American jazz tenor saxophonist
5
Albert Heath
Albert Heath
American drummer
6
Idrees Sulieman
Idrees Sulieman
American musician
7
Jimmy Cobb
Jimmy Cobb
American jazz drummer
8
Modern Jazz Quartet
Modern Jazz Quartet
American jazz ensemble
9
Art Blakey
Art Blakey
American jazz drummer and bandleader
10
Thad Jones
Thad Jones
American jazz trumpeter
11
Roy Haynes
Roy Haynes
American jazz drummer and group leader
12
Bill Dowdy
Bill Dowdy
American musician
13
Don Lamond
Don Lamond
American musician
14
Lou Stein
Lou Stein
American musician
15
Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
American jazz pianist
16
Ed Shaughnessy
Ed Shaughnessy
American jazz drummer
17
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
American jazz singer
18
Gildo Mahones
Gildo Mahones
American pianist
19
Max Roach
Max Roach
American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer
20
Kansas Fields
Kansas Fields
American musician
21
Frank Wess
Frank Wess
American saxophonist and flautist, composer and arranger
22
David Amram
David Amram
American musician
23
Stan Getz
Stan Getz
American jazz saxophonist
24
Harry Edison
Harry Edison
American trumpeter
25
Don Byas
Don Byas
American musician
26
Sonny Payne
Sonny Payne
American jazz drummer
27
George Lewis
George Lewis
American musician
28
Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland
British pianist, composer, writer and radio host
29
Tal Farlow
Tal Farlow
American jazz guitarist
30
Melba Liston
Melba Liston
American jazz trombonist, musical arranger, and composer
31
Joe Morello
Joe Morello
American jazz drummer
32
Osie Johnson
Osie Johnson
American jazz drummer, arranger and singer
33
Al Dreares
Al Dreares
American jazz drummer
34
Buddy Collette
Buddy Collette
American musician
35
George Barnes
George Barnes
American musician
36
Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
American jazz drummer and bandleader
37
Herbie Nichols
Herbie Nichols
American musician
38
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
American jazz pianist and composer
39
Denzil Best
Denzil Best
American jazz drummer
40
Herb Ellis
Herb Ellis
American jazz guitarist
41
Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd
American recording artist; jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist
42
Kenny Dorham
Kenny Dorham
American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer
43
Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
American jazz musician, band leader
44
Elmo Hope
Elmo Hope
American musician
45
Beverly Peer
Beverly Peer
American musician
46
Wyatt Ruther
Wyatt Ruther
American musician
47
Donald Bailey
Donald Bailey
American jazz drummer
48
John Lewis
John Lewis
American jazz pianist, composer and arranger
49
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal
American jazz pianist
50
Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke
American jazz drummer
51
Tadd Dameron
Tadd Dameron
American pianist
52
Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
American musician
53
Peanuts Hucko
Peanuts Hucko
American jazz musician
54
John Hicks
John Hicks
American jazz pianist and composer
55
Cecil Scott
Cecil Scott
American musician
56
Richie Powell
Richie Powell
American pianist
57
Chet Baker
Chet Baker
American jazz trumpeter and vocalist (1929-1988)
58
Ed Thigpen
Ed Thigpen
American jazz drummer
59
Buster Bailey
Buster Bailey
American musician
60
Allan Ganley
Allan Ganley
British musician
61
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor
American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster, and educator
62
John Kirby
John Kirby
jazz bassist
63
Julius Watkins
Julius Watkins
American jazz musician
64
Red Callender
Red Callender
American string bass and tuba player, member of The Wrecking Crew
65
Blue Mitchell
Blue Mitchell
American musician
66
Bobby Timmons
Bobby Timmons
American pianist
67
Willie Bobo
Willie Bobo
American musician
68
Billy Strayhorn
Billy Strayhorn
American musician, composer, lyricist and arranger
69
Miles Davis
Miles Davis
American jazz musician (1926-1991)
70
Red Garland
Red Garland
American modern jazz pianist (1923-1984)
71
Lovie Austin
Lovie Austin
American pianist
72
Larry Young
Larry Young
American jazz musician
73
The Jazz Messengers
The Jazz Messengers
American jazz band
74
Shorty Baker
Shorty Baker
American musician
75
Dannie Richmond
Dannie Richmond
American drummer
76
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Taylor
American jazz pianist and poet
77
Charlie Shavers
Charlie Shavers
jazz trumpeter
78
Buster Williams
Buster Williams
American musician
79
Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger and big band leader
80
Ernie Wilkins
Ernie Wilkins
American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and music arranger
81
Ben Webster
Ben Webster
American saxophonist
82
Ernie Royal
Ernie Royal
American jazz trumpeter
83
Zoot Sims
Zoot Sims
American jazz saxophonist
84
Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan
American jazz pianist
85
Gigi Gryce
Gigi Gryce
American recording artist; jazz saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator
86
Mulgrew Miller
Mulgrew Miller
American pianist
87
Edmond Hall
Edmond Hall
American jazz clarinetist
88
Jimmy Raney
Jimmy Raney
American musician
89
John Coltrane
John Coltrane
American jazz saxophonist
90
Dave Bailey
Dave Bailey
American drummer
91
J. C. Heard
J. C. Heard
American musician
92
Barry Harris
Barry Harris
American bebop jazz pianist
93
Richard Williams
Richard Williams
American jazz trumpeter
Percy Brice
American musician

Percy Brice

Intro
American musician
Genres
Music

Austin Percy Brice Jr. (March 25, 1923 – November 2020), nicknamed Big P, was an American jazz drummer.

Brice was born in March 1923 in New York City. His professional career began around the end of World War II, when he played with Benny Carter, Mercer Ellington, Luis Russell, and Eddie Cleanhead Vinson. He played frequently in Harlem in the early 1950s with Tiny Grimes, Oscar Pettiford, Tab Smith, Lucky Thompson, and Cootie Williams, in addition to leading sessions at Minton's Playhouse. He then played with Billy Taylor (1954-1956), George Shearing (1956-1958), and Kenny Burrell (1958–59); from 1959 to 1961 he played behind Sarah Vaughan on tour.

Brice was Harry Belafonte's drummer for most of the 1960s; he also worked with Ahmad Jamal, Carmen McRae and Mary Lou Williams in that decade. He led a group called the New Sounds in the early 1970s, and worked with Sy Oliver and Illinois Jacquet, as well as in Broadway orchestras, later in his career. He died in November 2020 at the age of 97.