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Kenny Dorham
Kenny Dorham
American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer
1
Jerome Richardson
Jerome Richardson
American jazz multi-instrumentalist
2
Julian Priester
Julian Priester
American jazz trombonist
3
Max Roach
Max Roach
American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer
4
Harold Land
Harold Land
American musician
5
Oscar Pettiford
Oscar Pettiford
American musician
6
Jimmy Cleveland
Jimmy Cleveland
American jazz trombonist
7
Herb Geller
Herb Geller
American saxophonist (1928-2013)
8
Sahib Shihab
Sahib Shihab
American jazz saxophonist and flautist
9
Clifford Jordan
Clifford Jordan
American jazz saxophone player
10
Percy Heath
Percy Heath
American musician
11
Art Taylor
Art Taylor
American jazz drummer
12
Julius Watkins
Julius Watkins
American jazz musician
13
Jo Jones
Jo Jones
American jazz drummer
14
Joe Benjamin
Joe Benjamin
American musician
15
Les Spann
Les Spann
American guitarist
16
Osie Johnson
Osie Johnson
American jazz drummer, arranger and singer
17
Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
American jazz pianist
18
Nat Adderley
Nat Adderley
American recording artist; jazz cornet and trumpet player
19
Louis Hayes
Louis Hayes
American drummer
20
Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
American jazz guitarist
21
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
American jazz saxophonist
22
Walter Davis
Walter Davis
American pianist
23
Johnny Griffin
Johnny Griffin
American musician
24
Eddie Jones
Eddie Jones
American musician
25
Ernie Wilkins
Ernie Wilkins
American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and music arranger
26
Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
American musician
27
Frank Wess
Frank Wess
American saxophonist and flautist, composer and arranger
28
Art Davis
Art Davis
American double-bassist
29
Sam Jones
Sam Jones
American double bassist and cellist
30
Danny Bank
Danny Bank
American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and flautist
31
Albert Heath
Albert Heath
American drummer
32
Joe Maini
Joe Maini
American musician
33
Wendell Marshall
Wendell Marshall
American jazz musician; double bassist
34
Henri Renaud
Henri Renaud
French musician
35
Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino
American jazz trombonist
36
George Morrow
George Morrow
American jazz bassist
37
Lucky Thompson
Lucky Thompson
American saxophonist
38
Phil Woods
Phil Woods
American saxophonist
39
Curtis Counce
Curtis Counce
American musician
40
Abbey Lincoln
Abbey Lincoln
American singer (1930-2010)
41
Reunald Jones
Reunald Jones
American musician
42
Cecil Payne
Cecil Payne
American jazz saxophonist
43
Ernie Royal
Ernie Royal
American jazz trumpeter
44
Clark Terry
Clark Terry
American swing and bebop musician
45
Bob Cranshaw
Bob Cranshaw
American musician
46
Gigi Gryce
Gigi Gryce
American recording artist; jazz saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator
47
Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke
American jazz drummer
48
Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger and big band leader
49
Billy Mitchell
Billy Mitchell
American jazz tenor saxophonist
50
Walter Bishop Jr.
Walter Bishop Jr.
American jazz pianist, recording artist
51
Idrees Sulieman
Idrees Sulieman
American musician
52
George Duvivier
George Duvivier
American musician
53
Philly Joe Jones
Philly Joe Jones
American jazz drummer
54
Pierre Michelot
Pierre Michelot
French jazz double bassist
55
George Coleman
George Coleman
American musician
56
George Barrow
George Barrow
American jazz musician
57
John Jenkins
John Jenkins
American jazz saxophonist
58
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
American saxophonist
59
Tommy Turrentine
Tommy Turrentine
American swing and hard bop trumpeter and composer
60
Ronnie Ball
Ronnie Ball
British musician
61
Zoot Sims
Zoot Sims
American jazz saxophonist
62
Ben Tucker
Ben Tucker
American double-bassist
63
Sonny Red
Sonny Red
American musician
64
George Tucker
George Tucker
American musician
65
Milt Bernhart
Milt Bernhart
American musician
66
Jack Nimitz
Jack Nimitz
American saxophonist
67
Cedar Walton
Cedar Walton
American hard bop jazz pianist
68
Henry Coker
Henry Coker
American musician
69
Barry Harris
Barry Harris
American bebop jazz pianist
70
Ben Riley
Ben Riley
American drummer
Walter Benton
American jazz musician

Walter Benton

Intro
American jazz musician
Genres
Music

Walter Benton (September 8, 1930 in Los Angeles – August 14, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

Benton first began playing saxophone as a high schooler in Los Angeles. After three years of service in the Army in the early 1950s, he played in 1954 with Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and Clifford Brown. From 1954 to 1957 he played with Perez Prado, including on a tour of Asia. He worked with Quincy Jones in 1957 and Victor Feldman in 1958-59. He led his own group from 1959, recording under his own name in 1960 with Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Tootie Heath. That same year he worked with Max Roach and Julian Priester. In 1961 he recorded with Abbey Lincoln, Roach again, Eric Dolphy, and Slide Hampton. Later in the 1960s he worked with Gerald Wilson and John Anderson. Benton retired from music in 1966 and became a real estate agent.