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Warren "Baby" Dodds (December 24, 1898-February 14, 1959) was a jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Baby" Dodds was the younger brother of clarinetist Johnny Dodds. He is regarded as one of the very best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era, and one of the most important early jazz drummers. Dodds was among the first drummers who improvised while performing to be recorded. He varied his drum patterns with accents and flourishes.

James "Boney James" Oppenheim, (born September 1, 1961 in Lowell, Massachusetts) is a saxophonist who popularized urban jazz (an updated version of contemporary jazz that contains elements of hip-hop). Boney James is a two-time Grammy nominee and a Soul Train Award winner. He has accumulated three Gold records. His current and tenth CD, Shine, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts, #6 on the R+B chart and #44 on the Pop Chart. James produced the CD as well as wrote 9 of the songs.

Arturo Sandoval (born November 6, 1949) is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in Havana Province, on Cuba. Sandoval, while still in Cuba, was influenced by jazz legends Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie, finally meeting him later in 1977. Gillespie promptly became a mentor and colleague, playing with Arturo in concerts in Europe and Cuba and later featuring him in The United Nations Orchestra. Sandoval defected to the United States of America while touring with Gillespie in 1990, and became a naturalized citizen in 1998

Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923?April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and an Academy Award-nominated actor. He is considered one of the first bebop tenor players. A famous photograph by Herman Leonard of Gordon smoking a cigarette during a set at the Royal Roost in New York City in 1948 is one of the more iconic images in the history of jazz.

Mose John Allison, Jr. (born November 11 1927) is an American jazz pianist and singer. He was born in Tallahatchie County, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. He played piano in grammar school and trumpet in high school. He went to college at the University of Mississippi and Louisiana State University. He received a BA in English. After serving in the U.S. Army, he moved to New York City and launched his jazz career.

Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 ? July 27, 1999), was born in Columbus, Ohio. He spent his early childhood in Kentucky, where he was introduced to music by an uncle. After moving back to Columbus at the age of 12, the young Edison began playing the trumpet with local bands. In 1933, he became a member of the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra in Cleveland. Afterwards he played with the Mills Blue Rhythm Band and Lucky Millinder. In 1937 he moved to New York and joined the Count Basie Orchestra. His colleagues included Buck Clayton, Lester Young (who named him "Sweets"), Buddy Tate, Freddie Green, Jo Jones, and other original members of that famous band.

John Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (25 July, 1907-11 May, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist and lead player of Duke Ellington's saxophone section, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He spent 38 years with Ellington, leaving to lead his own band from 1951 to 1955. Hodges started playing with Lloyd Scott, Sidney Bechet, Lucky Roberts and Chick Webb. When Ellington wanted to expand his band in 1928, Ellington's clarinet player Barney Bigard recommended Hodges, who was featured on both alto and soprano sax.

Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", (April 5, 1934 - September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family: his father was a saxophonist, his mother played stride piano, and his older brother Tommy played trumpet. He began his prolific career with blues and rhythm and blues bands, and was at first greatly influenced by Illinois Jacquet. In the 1950s he went on to play with Lowell Fulson, Earl Bostic, and Max Roach's bands.

Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27 1909-September 20 1973) was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. He had a tough, raspy, and brutal tone on stomps (with his own distinctive growls), yet on ballads he would play with warmth and sentiment. Stylistically he was heavily indebted to Hawkins, particularly for his low, muscular tone and his vibrato. But Webster was also significantly different from his main influence in that his sound was sleek...

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. (b. May 27, 1935) is an American jazz icon, composer, and pianist. Has been referred to as ?the great performer,?Ramsey Lewis Biography a title reflecting his performance style and musical selections which display his early gospel playing and classical training (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc.) along with his love of jazz and other musical forms. Ramsey Lewis recorded eighty-plus albums, has received five gold records, and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.