0
Bobby Durham
Bobby Durham
American musician
1
Ricky Ford
Ricky Ford
American jazz tenor saxophonist
2
Frank Butler
Frank Butler
American jazz drummer
3
Hampton Hawes
Hampton Hawes
American jazz pianist
4
Richard Williams
Richard Williams
American jazz trumpeter
5
Chris Parker
Chris Parker
American drummer
6
Jimmy Woode
Jimmy Woode
American bassist
7
Dave Holland
Dave Holland
British musician
8
Pete La Roca
Pete La Roca
American drummer
9
Sonny Greer
Sonny Greer
American jazz drummer
10
Eddie Preston
Eddie Preston
American musician
11
Butch Ballard
Butch Ballard
American jazz drummer
12
Clifford Scott
Clifford Scott
American musician & saxophonist
13
Joey Baron
Joey Baron
American avant-garde jazz drummer
14
Charlie Persip
Charlie Persip
American jazz drummer
15
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
American jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader
16
Speedy Jones
Speedy Jones
American drummer
17
Julius Watkins
Julius Watkins
American jazz musician
18
George Coleman
George Coleman
American musician
19
Max Roach
Max Roach
American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer
20
Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
American jazz drummer
21
Michael Carvin
Michael Carvin
American musician
22
Julian Priester
Julian Priester
American jazz trombonist
23
Sam Woodyard
Sam Woodyard
American jazz drummer
24
Ronnie Boykins
Ronnie Boykins
American musician
25
Nat Adderley
Nat Adderley
American recording artist; jazz cornet and trumpet player
26
Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke
American jazz drummer
27
Charles Davis
Charles Davis
American musician
28
Frankie Dunlop
Frankie Dunlop
American jazz drummer
29
Steve Davis
Steve Davis
American jazz musician
30
Britt Woodman
Britt Woodman
American jazz trombonist
31
Snooky Young
Snooky Young
American musician
32
George Avakian
George Avakian
American record producer of Armenian descent
33
Roger Humphries
Roger Humphries
American musician
34
Lou Blackburn
Lou Blackburn
American musician
35
Jackie Kelso
Jackie Kelso
musician
36
Donald Bailey
Donald Bailey
American jazz drummer
37
Chris Columbus
Chris Columbus
American jazz drummer
38
Al Sears
Al Sears
American jazz tenor saxophonist
39
Ben Webster
Ben Webster
American saxophonist
40
Cat Anderson
Cat Anderson
American jazz trumpeter
41
Tete Montoliu
Tete Montoliu
Spanish jazz musician and pianist (1933-1997)
42
Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden
American jazz double bassist
43
Wild Bill Davis
Wild Bill Davis
American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger
44
Ed Thigpen
Ed Thigpen
American jazz drummer
45
Jimmy Garrison
Jimmy Garrison
American double bassist
46
Victor Lewis
Victor Lewis
American jazz drummer
47
Clark Terry
Clark Terry
American swing and bebop musician
48
Otto Hardwick
Otto Hardwick
American musician
49
Jackie Paris
Jackie Paris
American singer
50
Johnny Hodges
Johnny Hodges
American alto saxophonist
51
John Scofield
John Scofield
American jazz guitarist and composer
52
Onzy Matthews
Onzy Matthews
American jazz musician (1930-1997)
53
Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne
American jazz drummer
54
Louie Bellson
Louie Bellson
American jazz drummer, a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator
55
Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
American jazz baritone saxophonist, arranger and composer
56
Charlie Christian
Charlie Christian
American swing and jazz guitarist
57
Taft Jordan
Taft Jordan
Jazz trumpeter
58
Billy Cobham
Billy Cobham
American jazz drummer
59
Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette
American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer
60
Bill Evans
Bill Evans
American jazz saxophonist
61
Jon Faddis
Jon Faddis
Jazz trumpet player
62
Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid
American musician
63
Al Grey
Al Grey
American jazz musician
64
Buddy Tate
Buddy Tate
American musician
65
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
American jazz singer
66
Jackie McLean
Jackie McLean
American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader
67
Jack Walrath
Jack Walrath
Jazz Trumpeter, Composer, Bandleader
68
Leroy Williams
Leroy Williams
American jazz drummer
69
John Dankworth
John Dankworth
British musician (1927-2010)
70
Teddy Charles
Teddy Charles
American musician
71
Stan Tracey
Stan Tracey
British pianist
72
Teo Macero
Teo Macero
American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer
73
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
American jazz pianist and composer
74
Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan
American jazz pianist
75
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy
American jazz musician; saxophonist, composer
76
Jack Wilson
Jack Wilson
American pianist (1936-2007)
77
J. C. Moses
J. C. Moses
American musician
78
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer
Steve Ellington
American musician

Steve Ellington

Intro
American musician
Genres
Music

Bradford Steven "Steve" Ellington (July 26, 1941, Atlanta - March 22, 2013, Montgomery, Alabama) was an American jazz drummer.

Ellington picked up drums when he was four years old and played with Ray Charles when he was nine. In the latter half of the 1950s he played with Charles Brown, George Adams, and Duke Pearson. He studied for one year at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1961-1962, where he played with Sam Rivers, then worked with June Christy, Joe Castro, and Hampton Hawes. He began playing with Roland Kirk in 1964, with whom he would perform and record through 1970; aside from Kirk, he played as a sideman himself with Jackie McLean, Chet Baker, Stanley Turrentine, and Mose Allison. Concomitantly, he led his own band in 1965-1966, whose sidemen were Woody Shaw, Walter Davis, Jr., Wilbur Ware, and C. Sharpe.

In the 1970s Ellington worked with Billy Eckstine, Brick Jazz Funk Fusion, Hampton Hawes, Art Farmer, Freddy Cole, Freddie Hubbard, Ike Isaacs, Maxine Sullivan, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Dan Wall. He returned to work with Rivers in the period 1980-1982, played with Sonny Stitt and Dave Holland, then put together a new ensemble of his own, which was active from 1985 to 1990. He was the drummer for Michel Petrucciani's trio from 1988 to 1990, and in the 1990s worked with Hal Galper, Steve Grossman, James Moody, and Johnny Griffin.