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.
I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
Illinois Jacquet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!
I thought at last I'd found you, but other lovers surround you
And "I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!"
If you'd surrender just for a tender kiss or two
You might discover, that I'm the lover meant for you
And I'd be true, but what's the good of scheming
I know I must be dreaming
These lyrics speak to a longing for love and a feeling of hopelessness in attaining it. The singer is deeply in love with someone but feels that he has no chance of being with them due to the presence of other romantic interests in their life. Despite his desire to make a move and potentially win over the person he loves, he feels defeated and hopeless. He asks for just a chance--a tender kiss or two--in the hopes that they might see that he's the one meant for them, but ultimately feels like it's not even worth trying. He closes by acknowledging that this may all be a hopeless dream, but the longing for love remains.
Illinois Jacquet's rendition of this song is particularly notable for his expressive and soulful saxophone playing. While the lyrics themselves are filled with sadness and desperation, Jacquet's interpretation gives life to these emotions in a way that is both moving and deeply felt.
Line by Line Meaning
I need your love so badly, I love you, oh, so madly
I have an intense desire for your love because I am deeply in love with you
But I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!
However, I am aware that I have no hope of winning you over
I thought at last I'd found you, but other lovers surround you
I thought I had finally found you, but it seems that there are other people vying for your attention
And "I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!"
And this reinforces the fact that I have no chance with you
If you'd surrender just for a tender kiss or two
If you were to give in to my advances and allow me to kiss you
You might discover, that I'm the lover meant for you
You might realize that I am the one who is perfect for you
And I'd be true, but what's the good of scheming
I would remain faithful to you, but there is no point in trying to manipulate or plan a way to win your heart
I know I must be dreaming
I understand that my hopes are futile and just a figment of my imagination
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O CAPASSO, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, Victor Popular Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind