TOP 10 SOPRANO Saxophone Players of all Time

All Time Best Soprano Saxophone Players

Here are 10 of the best soprano saxophone players of all time. Keep in mind that these are limited to Jazz and popular music genres. We’re not including classical saxophonists here.

If I leave someone out that you think should be on the list, please mention them in the comments so everyone can go check them out. I’m going to go in mostly chronological order, so we can get a sense of the evolution of the instrument over time.

Also keep in mind that everyone on this list was known for playing other instruments as well, but they made a significant contribution to the development of the soprano saxophone in particular.

Sidney Bechet

First up, we have Sidney Bechet. Bechet is pretty much the Founding Father of the soprano saxophone and one of the earliest pioneers of jazz music. He started his career on the clarinet in his hometown of New Orleans and later moved to Paris where he enjoyed the status of a musical hero of sorts.

Apparently he spent a year in a French prison for wounding three people with gunshots, none of whom were his intended target though. Luckily he was a better saxophone player than marksman. Bechet got into an argument with another musician either over chord changes or a woman, and challenged this person to a pistol duel, which I guess was still a thing in 1920’s Paris.

Unfortunate incidents aside, Sidney Bechet had a truly individual sound and playing style. His characteristic New Orleans clarinet like bravado and warm tone are easily recognizable from the first note. His best known recording is his composition, Petite Fleur.

BetterSax Burnin’ Soprano Mouthpiece

By the way, this video is inspired by the release of the BetterSax Burnin’ soprano mouthpiece. With its release the Burnin’ family of hard rubber mouthpieces is now complete.

If you’re looking for a great soprano sax mouthpiece that projects nicely while having a balanced warm tone, this is a great choice for you. You can find more information on the Burnin’ Soprano here.

Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy’s first album in 1957 was titled Soprano Sax. His third album was titled The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy. That should give you an idea of how novel the instrument was at the time. He was one of the few saxophone players to be fully committed to the soprano and he was really the first in decades after Sidney Bechet.

Although he started out as a Dixieland musician, he later became known for avant garde jazz. He became an acolyte of Thelonious Monk’s music, including it on nearly every album he made after a brief stint playing in Monk’s group. Steve Lacy also moved to Paris in 1970, where he lived until the end of his life in 2004.

Lucky Thompson

Lucky Thompson was an established tenor saxophone player who recorded with many of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. He also lived in Paris for a time in the early 1960s where he picked up the soprano saxophone, which was still being mostly ignored by everyone else in jazz.

Thompson can be credited with helping to lift the soprano saxophone out of obscurity in mainstream Jazz.

John Coltrane

Of course John Coltrane is primarily known for his work as a tenor saxophonist but he is also responsible for popularizing the soprano saxophone with his My Favorite Things album, released in 1961.

He was reportedly inspired to pick up the instrument after hearing Steve Lacy play it, and was gifted a soprano saxophone by Miles Davis while they were on tour together in, take a wild guess, Paris! Where else? There’s something about Paris and the soprano saxophone.

The My Favorite Things album was a pivotal moment for the soprano saxophone and Coltrane’s sound on the instrument became the natural point of comparison for everything that would follow.

Wayne Shorter

Wayne Shorter began his career as a renowned tenor saxophonist working with Miles Davis and recording his own solo albums, but later shifted to concentrating mainly on the soprano saxophone in the late 1960s. This shift also coincides with the development of jazz fusion marked by the release of the Miles Davis album In A Silent Way, where we hear Shorter playing soprano saxophone.

He would then go on to co-found the jazz fusion group Weather Report, where he recorded extensively on the soprano.

David Liebman

David Liebman began his career in the height of the jazz fusion era of the early 1970s, working with Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and Elvin Jones. He was also a major player in the New York Loft Jazz scene which from what I’ve heard, was a pretty crazy time.

He went on to record numerous albums as a leader of his own groups. His style can be described as intense and original while pushing the boundaries of contemporary music. Liebman has also been a very influential music educator for decades.

Jan Garbarek

Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek is a genre defying musician. He credits John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, and Norwegian folk music as important influences on his music. He recorded a number of jazz albums in the 1970s with Keith Jarrett which are well worth checking out.

Then in the ’90s he had a huge commercial success with his album Officium, which finds him accompanying a quartet of male vocalists singing Gregorian chants. It’s unexpected and beautiful and very cool in a unique way.

Garbarek has a gorgeous soprano sound that is the envy of jazz and classical saxophone players.

Grover Washington Jr.

Grover Washington Jr is considered the Godfather of smooth jazz, even though that term wasn’t even being used until long after he found commercial success with his 1975 album, Mr Magic.

His collaboration with Bill Withers on the tune Just the Two of Us from his Winelight album is probably the pinnacle of his career. While he did play a lot of alto and tenor saxophone, he was certainly a soprano specialist and his playing style has been a major influence on all smooth jazz and R&B saxophonists since.

Kenny G

One of those being Kenny G, who is without a doubt the saxophonist most closely associated with the soprano saxophone ever. He has likely done more for the popularity of the saxophone globally than any other individual because his music has had tremendous commercial success, selling over 75 million albums, making him by far the best selling instrumental musician of all time.

Despite that he is oddly not celebrated by all of his fellow saxophonists and has endured significant backlash from the Jazz community towards his music. Kenny G’s music more or less defined the smooth jazz genre in the late 80s and ’90s, he’s got a beautiful soprano tone, impeccable technique, and as a saxophonist I certainly appreciate how his success has had a positive impact on the entire saxophone community, myself included.

Branford Marsalis

Finishing off our list, we have my favorite soprano saxophonist, Branford Marsalis. Of course, Branford plays a lot of tenor, but his soprano work across multiple genres, has been masterful.

Check him out playing soprano with Sting on Roxanne, or in a traditional jazz quartet setting, or playing classical music.

For me, Branford is the modern model for exemplary soprano saxophone playing, whether it’s jazz, pop, classical, or any of the various fusion projects he’s done. That’s a high standard to strive for.

It’s always difficult to make these lists because there’s just so many great saxophone players to choose from. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and be sure to watch my top 10 alto players from the classic Jazz era video here, and my top 10 tenor sax players from the classic Jazz era video here.