Artist Frank Catalano Quartet

Chicago sax player Frank Catalano tears into his leads with fluid, funky aggression, and can keep that boldness up through 10-minutes-plus live workouts on standards and his original compositions. This probably explains why he's been able to hold down gigs with both Santana and (yep) Ministry, but it also means he's best suited to push his way to the front of the mix and stay there. At least, that's how things tend to work out on studio albums like 2008's Bang! and live albums like 2001's Live At The Green Mill. 

Updated 01/28/2010