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Jimmy McGriff
Jimmy McGriff
American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader (1936-2008)
1
Lonnie Smith
Lonnie Smith
American jazz musician
2
Roy Haynes
Roy Haynes
American jazz drummer and group leader
3
Charlie Persip
Charlie Persip
American jazz drummer
4
Lucky Thompson
Lucky Thompson
American saxophonist
5
Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
American jazz saxophonist
6
Flora Purim
Flora Purim
Brazilian jazz singer
7
Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly
American jazz pianist
8
Jack Wilkins
Jack Wilkins
American musician
9
Chick Corea
Chick Corea
American jazz and fusion pianist, keyboardist, and composer
10
Bob Berg
Bob Berg
American musician
11
Cecil Payne
Cecil Payne
American jazz saxophonist
12
Bernard Purdie
Bernard Purdie
American drummer
13
Jon Faddis
Jon Faddis
Jazz trumpet player
14
Richard Holmes
Richard Holmes
American organist
15
Benny Golson
Benny Golson
American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger (born 1929)
16
Shad Collins
Shad Collins
American musician
17
Junior Mance
Junior Mance
American musician
18
Al Grey
Al Grey
American jazz musician
19
Jimmy Ponder
Jimmy Ponder
American guitarist
20
Steve Davis
Steve Davis
American musician
21
Mel Lewis
Mel Lewis
American musician
22
Jimmie Smith
Jimmie Smith
American jazz drummer
23
Jimmy Nottingham
Jimmy Nottingham
American musician
24
Curtis Fuller
Curtis Fuller
American jazz musician
25
Norman Granz
Norman Granz
American jazz musician and producer
26
O'Donel Levy
O'Donel Levy
American jazz guitarist (1945-2016)
27
Bennie Wallace
Bennie Wallace
American musician
28
Harold Vick
Harold Vick
American musician
29
Wade Legge
Wade Legge
Jazz pianist and bassist
30
Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
American jazz trumpeter
31
Sonny Burke
Sonny Burke
American musical arranger, composer, big band leader and producer (1914-1980)
32
Billy Harper
Billy Harper
American musician
33
Percy Heath
Percy Heath
American musician
34
Modern Jazz Quartet
Modern Jazz Quartet
American jazz ensemble
35
Bud Powell
Bud Powell
American pianist and composer
36
Max Roach
Max Roach
American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer
37
Joe Chambers
Joe Chambers
American jazz drummer, pianist, vibraphonist and composer
38
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
American jazz saxophonist
39
Lenny White
Lenny White
American drummer
40
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
American jazz tenor saxophonist
41
Ernie Royal
Ernie Royal
American jazz trumpeter
42
Ignacio Berroa
Ignacio Berroa
Cuban musician
43
Ron Holloway
Ron Holloway
American tenor saxophonist
44
Claudio Roditi
Claudio Roditi
Brazilian musician
45
Steve Wilson
Steve Wilson
American jazz musician
46
Joe Farrell
Joe Farrell
American saxophonist
47
Budd Johnson
Budd Johnson
American musician
Sonny Lester
American record producer

Sonny Lester

Intro
American record producer
Genres
Record Labels
Music

Sumner Lester (born November 15, 1924), better known as Sonny Lester, is a Grammy-award-winning music producer from New York City. He started his career as a musician in a big band jazz ensemble before being drafted into the U.S. Army. During the war he earned a Purple Heart and worked under Henry Kissinger, who was an intelligence officer at the time. Lester's recordings have been distributed over a number of labels, including Blue Note Records, United Artists, Capitol Records, Denon and CBS Records.