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Illinois Jacquet By LISA ROBINSON
For more than half a century, Illinois Jacquet has been building his reputation as the premier swing saxophonist of his time. He has been hailed by jazz critic Leonard Feather as "one of the five greatest saxophonists in jazz history." Jacquet burst onto the jazz scene at the age of 19, when he recorded his explosive "Flying Home" solo with the Lionel Hampton Band at Decca Records in New York City, on May 26, 1942. This very first recording of his career catapulted Jacquet to international fame and spawned a new, energetic style of playing, later to become known as the "Texas tenor style," for the tenor saxophone.
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| Illinois Jacquet (Photo by Gerard Lacay) |
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Two years later, at a concert in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium, Jacquet once again made the jazz world take notice when his innovative use of harmonics produced stratospheric high notes never before heard on the tenor saxophone. In his less-than-three-minute solo, later issued on record as "Blues Part Two," Jacquet had provided a point of departure for subsequent generations of both modern jazz tenor players and R & B saxophonists.Jean Baptiste Illinois Jacquet was born into a musical family in Broussard, La., on October 31, 1922. His first performing experience was tap dancing in front of his father's big band, and his brother Russell also went on to become a successful jazz musician.After starting out as a drum player, Jacquet first switched to soprano and then to alto sax. Then, when he joined Lionel Hampton's band, he changed to tenor sax to accommodate the leader. After leaving Hampton, Jacquet joined Cab Calloway's Band in 1943, a period captured by the film Stormy Weather. At the Nicholas Brothers' request, Jacquet created his composition "Rhythm Cocktail" as the background music for their famous dance sequence in the film.Following his stint with Calloway, Jacquet formed his own first small band, with Charles Mingus on bass. During his band's extended engagement at Hollywood's noted Swing Club in 1944-45, Jacquet's string of hit recordings created Apollo and Aladdin Records and vaulted them to major jazz label status. In 1944, Jacquet also appeared in the classic jazz film Jammin' the Blues. He played with the Count Basie Band in 1946-47, appearing on a number of the group's hit recordings. He left the Basie Band in 1947 to tour with Jazz at the Philharmonic and to form his own record-breaking small band that traveled throughout the United States and Europe and made many hit recordings, including Robbins' Nest and The Black Velvet Band.Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Jacquet continued to build his large European following with extensive tours and recording sessions as a trio with Jo Jones and Milt Buckner, and later as a quartet with Slam Stewart.In 1983 Harvard University appointed Jacquet as Kayden Artist-in-Residence, making him the first jazz musician to serve in a long-term residency at Harvard. Jacquet was so inspired by his students' enthusiasm for his music that he decided to form his own big band, which broke attendance records at the Village Vanguard at its premiere and has been performing ever since.
Jacquet's Grammy-nominated album of the big band for Atlantic Records, Jacquet's Got It, was released in 1988. Pre-eminent fashion photographer Arthur Elgort captures the spirit of Mr. Jacquet, his music, and his big band in his award-winning documentary film, Texas Tenor: The Illinois Jacquet Story, released in 1992. That same year, President Clinton invited the Illinois Jacquet Big Band to play at his inaugural ball. Mr. Clinton joined in to play "C Jam Blues" on Jacquet's gold saxophone, a gift from the Selmer factory in Paris.In November 2000, Jazz at Lincoln Center presented Jacquet with its Award for Artistic Excellence, making him the fifth recipient to be honored with this distinguished recognition. Last summer, Jacquet and his band closed Jazz at Lincoln Center's 2003 Midsummer Night Swing series.On May 21, Illinois Jacquet will receive Juilliard's Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
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