Born in Broussard, Louisiana in 1922, Illinois Jacquet moved to Houston when he was six months old. His father was a bassist with a railroad company band, and he had three brothers who were also musicians. Jacquet started on soprano and alto sax in the late 1930s and played with Lionel Proctor, Bob Cooper, and Milton Larkin's bands. He went to the west coast in 1941 and there joined Lionel Hampton in whose band his solo on "Flying Home" attracted wide attention and, in effect, started a whole new school of "big-toned, extrovert, erotic tenor sax stylists. "He worked with Cab Calloway from 1943 to 1944 and Count Basie from 1945 to 1946, then alternated between touring with his own band and JATP units from 1983, playing frequently for the remainder of his life.
The material in the Illinois Jacquet Collection chronicles the beginning of Mr. Jacquet's life and his musical career. The collection consists of a comprehensive taped interview of Mr. Jacquet over the course of two meetings over the span of two months. The interview is completely transcribed to 35 pages of text.
The oral history tapes are housed with the Oral History Collection OH 471, separate from MSS 403-the Illinois Jacquet Collection.
None.
Permission to publish or reproduce materials from the Illinois Jacquet Collection must be obtained from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center or the appropriate copyright holder.
Illinois Jacquet Collection. Collection Number MSS 403. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.
Donated by: Illinois Jacquet and George Haynes, June 1, 1990.
Processed by: Charles Stephenson and Tammy Jordan, April 7, 2007.