Saturday 31 October 2020

Illinois Jacquet born 31 October 1921


Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo.

Although he was a pioneer of the honking tenor saxophone that became a regular feature of jazz playing and a hallmark of early rock and roll, Jacquet was a skilled and melodic improviser, both on up-tempo tunes and ballads. He doubled on the bassoon, one of only a few jazz musicians to use the instrument.

Jacquet's parents were Creoles of color, named Marguerite Trahan and Gilbert Jacquet, When he was an infant, his family moved from Louisiana to Houston, Texas and he was raised there as one of six siblings. His father was a part-time bandleader. As a child he performed in his father's band, primarily on the alto saxophone. His older brother Russell Jacquet played trumpet and his brother Linton played drums.

At 15, Jacquet began playing with the Milton Larkin Orchestra, a Houston-area dance band. In 1939, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he met Nat King Cole. Jacquet would sit in with the trio on occasion. In 1940, Cole introduced Jacquet to Lionel Hampton who had returned to California and was putting together a big band. Hampton wanted to hire Jacquet, but asked the young Jacquet to switch to tenor saxophone

In 1942, at age 19, Jacquet soloed on the Hampton Orchestra's recording of "Flying Home", one of the first times a honking tenor sax was heard on record. The record became a hit. The song immediately became the climax for the live shows and Jacquet became exhausted from having to "bring down the house" every night. The solo was built to weave in and out of the arrangement and continued to be played by every saxophone player who followed Jacquet in the band, notably Arnett Cobb and Dexter Gordon, who achieved almost as much fame as Jacquet in playing it. 

It is one of the few jazz solos to have been memorized and played very much the same way by everyone who played the song. He quit the Hampton band in 1943 and joined Cab Calloway's Orchestra. Jacquet appeared with Cab Calloway's band in Lena Horne's movie Stormy Weather. In the earlier years of Jacquet's career, his brother Linton Jacquet managed him on the chitlin circuit

In 1944, Illinois Jacquet returned to California and started a small band with his brother Russell and a young Charles Mingus. It was at this time that he appeared in the Academy Award-nominated short film Jammin' the Blues with Lester Young.

                               

His solos of the early and mid-1940s and his performances at the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series, influenced rhythm and blues and rock and roll saxophone style, but also continue to be heard in jazz. His screaming solo on "Blues" found him biting on his reed to achieve high-register effects; the crowd went wild. He repeated the idea during his appearance in the 1944 film short Jammin' the Blues. In 1945, Jacquet put together his own band, and both his recordings and live performances were quite exciting. He appeared with JATP on several tours in the 1950s, recorded steadily, and never really lost his popularity.

In 1946, he moved to New York City, and joined the Count Basie orchestra, replacing Lester Young. In 1952 Jacquet co-wrote 'Just When We're Falling in Love'; Illinois Jacquet (m) Sir Charles Thompson (m) S. K. "Bob" Russell (l). Jacquet continued to perform (mostly in Europe) in small groups through the 1960s and 1970s.

Jacquet led the Illinois Jacquet Big Band from 1981 until his death and became the first jazz musician to be an artist-in-residence at Harvard University, in 1983. The big band  only recorded one album, an Atlantic date from 1988. He played "C-Jam Blues" with President Bill Clinton on the White House lawn during Clinton's inaugural ball in 1993. Jacquet's final performance was on July 16, 2004, at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Through the years, Illinois Jacquet (whose occasional features on alto are quite influenced by Charlie Parker) has recorded as a leader for such labels as Apollo, Savoy, Aladdin, RCA, Verve, Mercury, Roulette, Epic, Argo, Prestige, Black Lion, Black & Blue, JRC, and Atlantic.

Illinois Jacquet’s flashy playing, which worked countless crowds into a frenzy throughout his career, will likely be what the tenor great is remembered by most. However, true jazz and swing fans will also take into account his numerous sides done at slower tempi that communicate the sensitive side of the last of the big toned swing tenor saxophonists.

Illinois Jacquet died Thursday July 22, 2004 of a heart attack. Despite his fame and wealth he lived in a modest home in New York City’s borough of Queens. He was 81 years of age. He is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.  (Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic & Swingmusic)

5 comments:

boppinbob said...


For “Illinois Jacquet: Five Classic Albums (The Kid And The Brute / Swing’s The Thing
/ Illinois Jacquet Flies Again / Illinois Jacquet Collates / Groovin’ With Jacquet) (2CD)” go here:

CD1

https://www.upload.ee/files/12457974/Illinois_Jacquet_CD1.rar.html

1-6: ‘The Kid And The Brute’ (1955)
1. I Wrote This For The Kid
2. Saph
3. Mambocito Mio
4. The Kid And The Brute
5. September Song
6. Jacquet’s Dilemma

7-12: ‘Swing’s The Thing’ (1957)
7. LasVegas Blues
8. Harlem Nocturne
9. Can’t We Be Friends
10. Achtung
11. Have You Met Miss Jones
12. Lullaby Of The Leaves

13-15: ‘Illinois Jacquet Flies Again’(1959)
13. Sleeping Susan
14. Robbin’s Nest
15. Lean Baby

CD2

https://www.upload.ee/files/12458033/Illinois_Jacquet_CD2.rar.html

1-8: ‘Illinois Jacquet Flies Again’ (1959)
1. Bottoms Up
2. That’s My Desire
3. Black Velvet
4. Teddy Bear
5. Pleasingly Plump
6. I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
7. Potpourri
8. The King

9-16: ‘Illinois Jacquet Collates’ (1952)
9. All Of Me
10. Pastel
11. Speedliner
12. Later For The Happenin’
13. Groovin’
14. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
15. Cottontail
16. Weary Blues

17-24: ‘Groovin’ With Jacquet’ (1953)
17. Just A Sittin’ And A Rockin’
18. Mean To Me
19. One-Nighter Boogie
20. Little Jeff
21. Jacquet Jumps
22. Blue Nocturne
23. On Your Toes
24. R.U.One?

25. Robbin’s Nest (Alternative Take)

There never was another tenor player quite like Illinois Jacquet. He first came to jazz fans' attention in 1942 with his raucous solo on Lionel Hampton's Flying Home. In 1944 he participated in the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert organized by Norman Granz. He later became a regular member of the JATP touring group in the 1950s. While he did get his share of criticism for his squeals, honks and screams on his instrument, he was nevertheless a rhythmic accessible player whose style mirrored both Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. These sides from the early to late 1950s provide a great cross-section of Jacquet's playing and Avid should be commended for putting this retrospective together.

Eric said...

Later in his career, Jacquet played bassoon on some ballads. He had a nice tone, which cannot be said for all players who toy with the bassoon (Yusef Lateef).

boppinbob said...

Below is a selected discography taken from various music blogs. A big thank you goes to credites up-loaders with active links.

(1) bluesever @ theblues- thatjazz
(2) Mike1985 @ jazznblues club
(3) egroj @ egrojworld (PASSWORD; egroj)
(4) jazz-jazz.ru

1945-1950 - The Complete Illinois Jacquet Sessions 1945-50 [4CD Mosaic] (2) (flac)
https://filecat.net/f/qyGXrb

1946-1947 - The Ultimate Jazz Archive Vol.90 – Illinois Jacquet (1)
https://yadi.sk/d/hHHJZhVDbbiy2

1947 – Illinois Jacket vs. Flip Phillips - Mayhem In Manhattan (4)
https://turbobit.net/cwjn9tw05pyp.html?short_domain=turb.cc

1954 - Illinois Jacquet And His Orchestra ‎– Groovin' With Jacquet (1954) (1)
https://www.mediafire.com/file/qgegf44ze640170/IllnsJcqt-GwJ53.zip/file

1955 – Illinois Jacquet & His Orchestra - Illinois Jacquet (4)
https://turbobit.net/2z6v6prbhhim.html?short_domain=turbo.to

1963 - Illinois Jacquet with Kenny Burrell - The Message (3)
https://ulozto.net/file/iac9LdeQU/illinois-jacquet-with-kenny-burrell-o-the-message-rar

1966 – Illinois Jacquet - Go Power! (3)
https://ulozto.net/file/ytYC68qP5/illinois-jacquet-o-go-power-rar

1968 – Illinois Jacquet - The King! (4)
https://turbobit.net/nvs61vlsk7d1.html?short_domain=turb.to

1973 – Illinois Jacquet - The Man I Love (4)
https://turbobit.net/basrpchnthsi.html?short_domain=turb.to

1991 - Illinois Jacquet • Loot to Boot (3)
https://ulozto.net/file/t6xMhNYOoCnw/illinois-jacquet-o-loot-to-boot-rar

2002 - The Illinois Jacquet Story: Groovin' (2002 Proper) (2) (flac)
https://filecat.net/f/r30u5z

2002 - The Illinois Jacquet Story: Jumpin' Jacquet (2002 Proper) (2) (flac)
https://filecat.net/f/ovf215

2005 - Illinois Jacquet - Memories of You {4CD Quadromania) (2) (flac)
https://filecat.net/f/bgS97O

Bob Mac said...

Many thanks for a couple of Illinois Jacquet albums I found here today.

rntcj said...

Hi!

Thanx for ALL the Illinois Jacquet. One of the best & a bit lesser known.

Cheers!
Ciao! For now.
rntcj