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Joe Mondragon
Joe Mondragon
Woody Herman Band member
1
Zoot Sims
Zoot Sims
American jazz saxophonist
2
Bob Brookmeyer
Bob Brookmeyer
American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer
3
Larry Bunker
Larry Bunker
American musician
4
Carson Smith
Carson Smith
American musician
5
Richie Kamuca
Richie Kamuca
American musician
6
Russ Freeman
Russ Freeman
American musician
7
Osie Johnson
Osie Johnson
American jazz drummer, arranger and singer
8
Jack Montrose
Jack Montrose
American musician
9
Bill Perkins
Bill Perkins
American jazz musician
10
Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
American jazz baritone saxophonist, arranger and composer
11
Al Cohn
Al Cohn
American saxophonist
12
Claude Williamson
Claude Williamson
American pianist
13
Stan Levey
Stan Levey
American musician
14
Conte Candoli
Conte Candoli
American musician
15
Art Pepper
Art Pepper
American musician
16
Gene Quill
Gene Quill
American musician
17
Ernie Royal
Ernie Royal
American jazz trumpeter
18
Marty Paich
Marty Paich
American pianist, composer, arranger, record producer, music director and bandleader (1925-1995)
19
Nick Travis
Nick Travis
American jazz musician
20
Jimmy Bond
Jimmy Bond
American jazz bassist
21
Red Mitchell
Red Mitchell
American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet
22
Bob Cooper
Bob Cooper
West Coast jazz musician
23
Don Fagerquist
Don Fagerquist
American musician
24
Leroy Vinnegar
Leroy Vinnegar
American bassist
25
Bill Holman
Bill Holman
American composer, arranger, and conductor
26
Dave Bailey
Dave Bailey
American drummer
27
Pepper Adams
Pepper Adams
American saxophonist
28
Charlie Rouse
Charlie Rouse
American musician
29
Harry Babasin
Harry Babasin
American musician
30
Gus Johnson
Gus Johnson
American musician
31
Herb Geller
Herb Geller
American saxophonist (1928-2013)
32
Hod OBrien
Hod OBrien
American musician
33
Oscar Pettiford
Oscar Pettiford
American musician
34
Jimmy Rowles
Jimmy Rowles
American jazz pianist
35
Jon Eardley
Jon Eardley
American musician
36
Julius Watkins
Julius Watkins
American jazz musician
37
Jerome Richardson
Jerome Richardson
American jazz multi-instrumentalist
38
Jimmy Cleveland
Jimmy Cleveland
American jazz trombonist
39
Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino
American jazz trombonist
40
Pete Candoli
Pete Candoli
American musician (1923-2008)
41
Lucky Thompson
Lucky Thompson
American saxophonist
42
Kenny Dorham
Kenny Dorham
American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer
43
Mel Lewis
Mel Lewis
American musician
44
Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel
American jazz guitarist
45
Philly Joe Jones
Philly Joe Jones
American jazz drummer
46
Henri Renaud
Henri Renaud
French musician
47
George Roberts
George Roberts
American trombonist
48
Duke Jordan
Duke Jordan
American musician
49
Ben Webster
Ben Webster
American saxophonist
50
David Amram
David Amram
American musician
51
Kai Winding
Kai Winding
Danish-born American jazz musician and trombonist
52
Ray Linn
Ray Linn
American musician
53
Eddie Bert
Eddie Bert
American musician
54
Bob Enevoldsen
Bob Enevoldsen
American musician
55
Walter Bishop Jr.
Walter Bishop Jr.
American jazz pianist, recording artist
56
Ray Copeland
Ray Copeland
American musician
57
Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
American jazz pianist
58
Bill Crow
Bill Crow
American bassist
59
Herbie Harper
Herbie Harper
American musician
60
Charlie Rice
Charlie Rice
jazz musician
61
Chet Baker
Chet Baker
American jazz trumpeter and vocalist (1929-1988)
62
Paul Quinichette
Paul Quinichette
American saxophonist and jazz musician
63
Shorty Rogers
Shorty Rogers
American West coast jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, and arranger (1924-1994)
64
Joe Benjamin
Joe Benjamin
American musician
65
James Buffington
James Buffington
American musician
66
Leonard Gaskin
Leonard Gaskin
American musician
67
Jimmy Giuffre
Jimmy Giuffre
American clarinet and saxophone player
68
Doug Watkins
Doug Watkins
American jazz double bassist
69
Frank Capp
Frank Capp
American musician
70
Dave Pell
Dave Pell
American musician
Phil Urso
American musician, tenor saxophone

Phil Urso

Intro
American musician, tenor saxophone
Genres
Record Labels

Phil Urso (2 October 1925, Jersey City, New Jersey — 7 April 2008, Denver, Colorado) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer, perhaps best known for a long association with Chet Baker.

Urso learned clarinet as a child and switched to tenor sax while in high school. He served in the Navy during World War II and then moved to New York City in 1947. There he played with Elliot Lawrence (1948–50), Woody Herman (1950-51), Terry Gibbs, Miles Davis (1952), Oscar Pettiford (1953), Jimmy Dorsey, and Bob Brookmeyer (1954). In 1955, he first began working with Chet Baker, and was a prominent contributor to Baker's Pacific Jazz releases in 1956. Urso and Baker would collaborate sporadically for some 30 years.

Urso worked with Claude Thornhill late in the 1950s, but receded from national attention in later decades. He moved to Denver and continued performing locally into the 2000s.