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.
Get out of town
Illinois Jacquet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before it's too late, my love
Get out of town
Be good to me, please
Why wish me harm?
Why not retire to a farm
And be contented to charm
Just disappear
I care for you much too much
And when you're near, close to me, dear
We touch too much
The thrill when we meet is so bittersweet
That, darling, it's getting me down
So, on your mark, get set
Get out of town
The song "Get Out Of Town" by Illinois Jacquet is a love song with a twist. The singer implores their lover to leave town before it is too late. The urgency in the lyrics suggests that there is danger lurking in the shadows of their relationship. The singer is clearly very fond of the person they are addressing, and they care for them deeply. However, the intensity of their feelings seems to be too much to handle.
The first verse is a plea for the person to leave town. The second verse tries to appeal to the person's sense of self-preservation by suggesting that they retire to a farm and live a peaceful life. The third verse emphasizes the intensity of the couple's relationship. The singer admits that when they are together, they "touch too much." This could be a reference to a physical relationship, or it could imply that their passion is too much to handle.
Overall, "Get Out Of Town" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of love. The singer recognizes that their love is intense and potentially destructive. They implore their lover to leave before it is too late. The song is a reminder that sometimes it is better to let go than to hold on to something that could be harmful.
* Illinois Jacquet was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader who was born in Louisiana in 1922.
* He played with many legendary jazz musicians throughout his career, including Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie.
* "Get Out Of Town" was originally written for the 1957 musical "Leave It to Me!" by Cole Porter.
* The song has been covered by many other artists, including Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, and Peggy Lee.
* The song's lyrics have been interpreted in many different ways over the years.
* Some have suggested that the song is about a secret affair, while others have argued that it is a warning about the dangers of addiction.
* The song has been used in several films and TV shows, including the 1992 film "Leap of Faith" and the 2004 TV show "Nip/Tuck."
* The song's melody has been used as the basis for several other songs, including Richard Thompson's "Shoot Out the Lights."
* The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000.
* The chords for "Get Out Of Town" are Bb7, Gm7, C7, F7, D7, Gm7, C7, F7.
Line by Line Meaning
Get out of town
Advice to leave town
Before it's too late, my love
Leave town before something bad happens to you
Get out of town
Advice to leave town
Be good to me, please
Leave town and don't cause me any more pain
Why wish me harm?
Asking why someone would want to hurt you
Why not retire to a farm
Asking why not live a peaceful life instead of causing chaos
And be contented to charm
Instead of causing problems, why not live contentedly
The birds off the trees?
Enjoy the simple things in life, like nature
Just disappear
Leave without any trace
I care for you much too much
Expressing love and concern for the person
And when you're near, close to me, dear
Feeling overwhelmed by emotions when the person is close
We touch too much
Physical contact is too intense
The thrill when we meet is so bittersweet
Meeting the person is exciting but also brings pain
That, darling, it's getting me down
The emotional rollercoaster is affecting me negatively
So, on your mark, get set
Get ready to leave
Get out of town
Advice to leave town
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Antonio Betancourt
..y cuando llegue al salón..la invitare a bailar esta deliciosa pieza..
Shigeki Fujitani
This music was introduced in a Japanese book entitled 『聴かずに死ねるか! Jazzこの一曲』("You can't die without listening this song, my favorite Jazz.") wriiten by Mr. Yasukuni Terashima.