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.
Satin Doll
Illinois Jacquet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out cattin' my satin doll
Baby, shall we go out steppin'? Careful, amigo, you're flippin'
Speaks Latin, my satin doll
He's nobody's fool and I'm playing it cool as can be
I'll give it a whirl, but I ain't for no boy catching me, swich-e-rooney
Telephone numbers, well, you know, I'm doing my rumbas with uno
Telephone numbers, well, you know, I'm doing my rumbas with uno
And that's my satin doll, and that's my satin doll
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
And that's my satin doll; what a doll
He is my satin doll
I had the craziest dream
The lyrics to Illinois Jacquet's song "Satin Doll" describe a playful interaction between two people who are clearly attracted to each other. The first verse mentions a cigarette holder, a classic accessory of the time, and how the man is admiring the woman from behind. He "digs" her, meaning he finds her very attractive. They are "out cattin'," which means they are out on the town, perhaps going to dance or socialize. The woman responds to the man's attention by suggesting they go out dancing. When he tries to speak to her in Latin, she responds with the titular line, "speaks Latin, my satin doll." This shows that she is sophisticated and worldly, and is not intimidated by the man's attempt to show off.
In the second verse, the woman sings that she is not a pushover and is not easily caught by any man. She may have been given several telephone numbers, but she is more interested in enjoying herself and dancing, which she refers to as "doing my rumbas with uno." This again shows her confidence and independent nature. The song ends with Illinois Jacquet declaring his admiration for the woman, saying "what a doll" she is, and how he had the "craziest dream" about her.
Line by Line Meaning
Cigarette holder which wigs me over my shoulder, he digs me
He holds a cigarette with such style that it makes me turn my head, he's into me
Out cattin' my satin doll
We're out having a good time, me and my lover
Baby, shall we go out steppin'? Careful, amigo, you're flippin'
Let's go dancing, but don't get too excited, my friend
Speaks Latin, my satin doll
He's sophisticated and cultured, my lover
He's nobody's fool and I'm playing it cool as can be
He's smart and I'm acting nonchalant
I'll give it a whirl, but I ain't for no boy catching me, swich-e-rooney
I'll dance and flirt, but I won't be easily won over by just any guy
Telephone numbers, well, you know, I'm doing my rumbas with uno
I'm having lots of fun dancing and flirting with different guys, but not getting too serious with any of them
And that's my satin doll
That's my lover, the one I'm really into
Telephone numbers, well, you know, I'm doing my rumbas with uno
I'm having lots of fun dancing and flirting with different guys, but not getting too serious with any of them
And that's my satin doll, and that's my satin doll
That's my lover, the one I'm really into
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm
And that's my satin doll; what a doll
My lover is amazing, perfect, and handsome
He is my satin doll
He's the one I really like and care for
I had the craziest dream
Changing subject or ending the song with a random statement
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, JOHNNY MERCER, BILLY STRAYHORN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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KateCat 1
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yoichiro tani
+Kate Cat Thank you, dear Kate!! Have a nice weekend, you too! ♡♫♡♫