Jacquet was born to a Sioux mother and a Creole father in Broussard, Louisiana and moved to Houston, Texas as an infant. His father, Gilbert Jacquet, was a part-time band leader. As a child he performed in his father's band, primarily on the alto saxophone. His older brother Russell 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 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 sax.
One of the great tenors, Illinois Jacquet's 1942 "Flying Home" solo is considered the first R&B sax solo, and spawned a full generation of younger tenors (including Joe Houston and Big Jay McNeely) who built their careers from his style, and practically from that one song.
Jacquet, whose older brother Russell (1917-1990) was a trumpeter who sometimes played in his bands, grew up in Houston, and his tough tone and emotional sound defined the Texas tenor school. After playing locally, he moved to Los Angeles where, in 1941, he played with Floyd Ray. He was the star of Lionel Hampton's 1942 big band ("Flying Home" became a signature song for Jacquet, Hampton, and even Illinois Jacquet' successor Arnett Cobb), and also was with Cab Calloway (1943-1944) and well featured with Count Basie (1945-1946). Jacquet's playing at the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert (1944) included a screaming solo on "Blues" that 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 the 1960s, he sometimes doubled on bassoon (usually for a slow number such as "'Round Midnight") and it was an effective contrast to his stomping tenor. In the late '80s, Jacquet started leading an exciting part-time big band that only recorded one album, an Atlantic date from 1988. 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 died on July 22, 2004. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi
In 1942, at age 19, Jacquet soloed on the Hampton Orchestra's recording of "Flying Home", one of the very first times a honking tenor sax was heard on record. The record became a hit. a jazz classic as well as one of the first rock and roll records. 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 very 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 1944 he returned to California and started a small band with his brother Russell and a young Charlie Mingus. It was at this time that he appeared in the Academy Award-nominated short film Jammin' the Blues with Billie Holiday and Lester Young. He also appeared at the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert.
In 1946 he moved to New York City and joined the Count Basie orchestra, replacing Lester Young. 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. Jacquet became the first jazz musician to be an artist-in-residence at Harvard University in 1983. He played "C-Jam Blues" with President Bill Clinton on the White House lawn during Clinton's inaugural ball in 1993.
His solos of the early and mid 1940s and his performances at the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series, greatly influenced rhythm and blues and rock and roll saxophone style, but also continues to be heard in jazz. His honking and screeching emphasized the lower and higher registers of the tenor saxophone. Despite a superficial rawness, the style is still heard in skilled jazz players like Sonny Rollins, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Jimmy Forrest.
He died of a heart attack at his home in New York City in 2004.
Blue And Sentimental
Illinois Jacquet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were brothers but we weren't kin
Those neighborhood football games was the only time you might ever see
Us on different teams back then
Oh we'd cuss one another for all that the other was worth
But in our hearts we were only cussin' each other's shirt
I wore blue and he wore brown
But we both knew the colors didn't count
There was no doubt we were friends for life
I wore blue and he wore brown
We lost touch, I got a job working for the state
He did a crime and got some time, I'd never thought
That waitin' for the transfer bus to arrive at gate number one
When it pulled up he'd step off in the cuffs, oh how I fought
Back the tears as I led him down to cell block three
He said I know you're just doing your job, as I turned the key
And just like those football games that we played in
There we stood on different sides again
And I wore blue and he wore brown
But we both knew the colors didn't count
At the end of the day we'd walk away
There was no doubt we were friends for life
I wore blue and he wore brown
True friends are few and far between
But nothing comes between true friends
I wore blue and he wore brown
But we both knew the colors didn't count
At the end of the day we'd walk away
There was no doubt
I wore blue and he wore brown
I wore blue and he wore brown
The song "Blue and Sentimental" by Illinois Jacquet tells a powerful story about the bond between two friends. The lyrics describe two childhood friends who were inseparable like a pair of shoes, always together and never without each other. Despite being like brothers, they sometimes found themselves on opposite sides during neighborhood football games. However, they never let that come between their friendship. They would cuss each other out, but in their hearts, they knew they were only cussing the other’s shirt.
After growing up, life took them on different paths. The singer got a job working for the state, while his friend got involved in a crime that landed him in prison. The two friends reunited when the transfer bus arrived at gate number one, and the friend stepped off in cuffs. The singer struggled to hold back tears as he led his friend to cell block three. They found themselves on opposite sides again, just like during the neighborhood football games.
The song is a touching and poignant tribute to the power of friendship. It shows that true friends are rare and valuable, even when life throws them on different paths. The blue and brown colors represent the fact that in life, people may seem different, whether it be job titles or criminal records, but ultimately, these things don’t matter when it comes to true friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
We were like a pair of shoes, you never saw one of us without the other
We were inseparable, always together and never apart, just like the two shoes of a pair.
We were brothers but we weren't kin
Although we were not related by blood, we were like brothers to each other.
Those neighborhood football games was the only time you might ever see
Our love for football was so big that it was probably the only time we were seen apart.
Us on different teams back then
Even though we played against each other, we were still on the same field, only on different sides.
Oh we'd cuss one another for all that the other was worth
We would often swear at each other with great intensity in order to mock and tease each other.
But in our hearts we were only cussin' each other's shirt
Despite the seemingly harsh words we used against each other, we were really only making fun of each other's shirts.
I wore blue and he wore brown
I was wearing a blue shirt and he was wearing a brown shirt.
But we both knew the colors didn't count
We both understood that the color of our shirts did not matter in the grand scheme of our friendship.
At the end of the day we'd walk away
Regardless of the outcome of the football game, we would always leave as friends and head home.
There was no doubt we were friends for life
We both had a deep conviction that we would always be great friends, even into the future.
We lost touch, I got a job working for the state
We eventually fell out of touch, and I began working for the government.
He did a crime and got some time, I'd never thought
Unfortunately, he got into trouble with the law and was sent to prison, something that I never thought would happen to us.
That waitin' for the transfer bus to arrive at gate number one
As I waited for the transfer bus to arrive at the prison gate, I felt a sense of sadness and regret over what had happened to my friend.
When it pulled up he'd step off in the cuffs, oh how I fought
When the bus arrived, my friend stepped off in handcuffs, and I struggled with my emotions witnessing his current state.
Back the tears as I led him down to cell block three
I tried to hold back my tears as I escorted him to his prison cell in block three.
He said I know you're just doing your job, as I turned the key
Despite the difficult situation, my friend understood that I was just doing my job, and he reassured me of that as I locked his cell.
And just like those football games that we played in
In an eerie way, this situation felt as though we were back on the football field again, only this time the stakes were much higher.
There we stood on different sides again
Just like when we were on opposing teams during our football games, we were now on different sides of the law.
True friends are few and far between
Genuine friendships are not something that come easily, and are rather difficult to find.
But nothing comes between true friends
Even though we were now separated by prison walls, we knew that nothing could sever the bond of our true friendship.
Contributed by Dylan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gary S
Great sax and magnificent Hammond organ player Bill Davis!!! Thanks for posting.
John Benn
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a mad keen 74yo Aussie fan.