0
John Stevens
John Stevens
English drummer
1
Evan Parker
Evan Parker
English saxophonist
2
Paul Rutherford
Paul Rutherford
English free improvising trombonist
3
John Russell
John Russell
English guitarist
4
Derek Bailey
Derek Bailey
British guitarist
5
Barry Guy
Barry Guy
British musician
6
Trevor Watts
Trevor Watts
English jazz musician
7
Larry Stabbins
Larry Stabbins
British musician
8
Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler
Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player
9
Howard Riley
Howard Riley
British musician
10
Lol Coxhill
Lol Coxhill
English free improvising saxophonist and raconteur (1932-2012)
11
Lindsay L. Cooper
Lindsay L. Cooper
Scottish bassist
12
Julie Driscoll
Julie Driscoll
English singer and actress
13
Steve Beresford
Steve Beresford
English musician
14
Louis Moholo
Louis Moholo
South African jazz musician
15
Phil Wachsmann
Phil Wachsmann
Ugandan musician
16
Tony Oxley
Tony Oxley
British musician
17
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy
American jazz musician; saxophonist, composer
18
Barre Phillips
Barre Phillips
American bassist
19
Maggie Nicols
Maggie Nicols
British musician and dancer
20
Dave Holland
Dave Holland
British musician
21
Jamie Muir
Jamie Muir
British musician
22
John Tilbury
John Tilbury
English pianist
23
Paul Dunmall
Paul Dunmall
Jazz saxophonist
24
Rhodri Davies
Rhodri Davies
British musician
25
Barbara Thompson
Barbara Thompson
English jazz saxophonist, flutist and composer
26
Terry Day
Terry Day
British saxophonist
27
Spring Heel Jack
Spring Heel Jack
English electronic music duo, consisting of John Coxon and Ashley Wales
28
Frode Gjerstad
Frode Gjerstad
Jazz saxophonist
29
Simon Fell
Simon Fell
bassist and composer
30
John Butcher
John Butcher
English tenor and soprano saxophone player
31
Tommy Smith
Tommy Smith
Scottish saxophone player
32
Han Bennink
Han Bennink
Dutch musician
33
Dominic Lash
Dominic Lash
British musician
34
Joe Gallivan
Joe Gallivan
American musician
35
Henry Lowther
Henry Lowther
British musician
36
Jeff Clyne
Jeff Clyne
British bassist
37
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Taylor
American jazz pianist and poet
38
Mark Charig
Mark Charig
British musician
39
John Surman
John Surman
British saxophonist and clarinetist
40
Keith Tippett
Keith Tippett
British pianist
41
Roger Turner
Roger Turner
British musician
42
Stan Tracey
Stan Tracey
British pianist
43
Martin France
Martin France
drummer
44
George Lewis
George Lewis
composer, electronic performer, installation artist, trombone player, and scholar
45
Elton Dean
Elton Dean
British saxophonist
46
Orphy Robinson
Orphy Robinson
British musician
47
Roswell Rudd
Roswell Rudd
American trombonist
48
Instant Composers Pool
Instant Composers Pool
Dutch jazz musicians project including music label and own ICP Orchestra
49
Kenny Dorham
Kenny Dorham
American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer
50
Peter Brötzmann
Peter Brötzmann
German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist
51
Misha Mengelberg
Misha Mengelberg
Dutch composer and jazz pianist
52
Charnett Moffett
Charnett Moffett
American musician
53
Ray Warleigh
Ray Warleigh
Australian musician
The SME playing in Islington, London, 1991. Roger Smith plays guitar and Nigel Coombes plays violin. John Stevens plays drums and cornet out of frame.

The Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME) was a loose collection of free improvising musicians convened beginning in the mid-1960s by the late South London-based jazz drummer/trumpeter John Stevens and alto and soprano saxophonist Trevor Watts. SME performances and recordings could range from Stevens–Watts duos to gatherings of more than a dozen players.