Jacquet, Illinois

▪ 2005

      American musician and bandleader (b. Oct. 31, 1922, Broussard, La.—d. July 22, 2004, New York, N.Y.), thrilled Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) audiences by playing tenor saxophone solos full of riffs, honking tones, and screaming high-register notes; his soulful blues playing and crowd-pleasing “freak” sounds were a major influence on rhythm-and-blues saxophonists. His two choruses on Lionel Hampton's recording of “Flying Home” (1942) constituted one of the most imitated solos of the decade. Though Jacquet was most noted for his big tone and aggressive, extroverted antics, he also had a sweetly melodic way of playing ballads and a care for solo form that made him a lasting influence on jazz saxophonists. Jacquet grew up in Houston, Texas, and played in Southwestern bands; he then moved to Los Angeles after he graduated from high school. Pianist Nat King Cole introduced him to Hampton, whose band he joined in 1941; Jacquet also played in the bands of Cab Calloway (1943–44) and Count Basie (1945–46). Meanwhile, in 1944 he appeared in the historic short film Jammin' the Blues (1944) and early JATP concerts, both produced by Norman Granz; from 1946 to 1957 then he joined the JATP troupe for annual tours of the U.S. and, eventually, around the world. Jacquet's own playing originated in swing stylists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, but he used bebop musicians in his own groups, which recorded hits such as “Black Velvet” and “Robbins Nest.” In the 1960s he startled listeners by playing jazz on the bassoon as well as the tenor. Jacquet, the subject of the 1991 documentary film Texas Tenor: The Illinois Jacquet Story, led a successful Basie-styled big band from 1983 until six days before his death.

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