Illinois Jacquet stands among the premier tenor saxophonists, and his 1942 solo on “Flying Home” is widely regarded as the inaugural R&B saxophone statement; that single performance inspired an entire wave of younger players, among them Joe Houston and Big Jay McNeely, whose careers grew directly from Jacquet’s approach and, in many cases, from that very recording. His elder brother Russell, a trumpeter born in 1917 who occasionally joined Jacquet’s ensembles until his death in 1990, shared the family’s musical upbringing in Houston, where Jacquet’s robust timbre and impassioned delivery came to epitomize the Texas tenor tradition. Following local engagements, he relocated to Los Angeles and worked with Floyd Ray in 1941. Jacquet quickly became the featured soloist in Lionel Hampton’s 1942 orchestra, turning “Flying Home” into a signature piece for himself, for Hampton, and later for his replacement Arnett Cobb. He spent 1943–1944 with Cab Calloway and received prominent billing in Count Basie’s band from 1945 to 1946. At the inaugural Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in 1944, Jacquet delivered a high-register, reed-biting solo on “Blues” that electrified the audience; he recreated the effect that same year in the film short Jammin’ the Blues. Forming his own group in 1945, he maintained a steady output of both recordings and live dates that kept listeners engaged throughout the decade. Several further JATP tours in the 1950s sustained his visibility, and he continued to record without interruption. During the 1960s Jacquet occasionally switched to bassoon, employing the instrument effectively on ballads such as “’Round Midnight” as a striking counterpoint to his forceful tenor work. In the late 1980s he assembled an exciting part-time big band that produced only a single album, released by Atlantic in 1988. Across his career Jacquet also led sessions for Apollo, Savoy, Aladdin, RCA, Verve, Mercury, Roulette, Epic, Argo, Prestige, Black Lion, Black & Blue, JRC, and Atlantic; his occasional alto features reveal the clear imprint of Charlie Parker. Illinois Jacquet passed away on July 22, 2004.
