Brilliant saxophonist, Illinois Jacquet would have been 100 years old on October 30, 2022. Born in Broussard, Louisiana, he liked to point out that his parents still spoke French at the beginning of the 20th century. It was, in any case, the fruit of an undeniable cultural mix which was expressed in its works and its positions throughout its existence. Partner of Nat King Cole, Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Illinois Jacquet was the contemporary of great jazz figures. The story of his life is an open book steeped in anecdotes and lessons.
When little Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet was born, Louis Armstrong and King Oliver were rising stars. They are the architects of a form of expression that is still in its infancy and that already defines the contours of what Afro-American swing will be. Illinois Jacquet is the youngest of a family of six children. Her mother is Native American and her father is a French-speaking Afro-European Creole. The young Jean-Baptiste will therefore grow up in a multicultural universe which will open his mind and nourish his musical eclecticism even though he was not destined for a career as a musician. At 21, Illinois Jacquet moved to California where he met the famous Nat “King” Cole. This meeting will be decisive and will lead to other more prestigious collaborations than the others.
Events rushed in the mid-1940s. In the space of a few months, he crossed paths with the greatest. Cab Calloway invites him into his orchestra. He accompanies singer Lena Horn on screen in the film “Stormy Weather” and meets producer Norman Granz, a white American who will spend his entire life supporting black musicians at a time when racial segregation was particularly fierce. This good Samaritan organized concerts entitled “Jazz at the philharmonic” which brought together virtuosos whose skin color did not matter. As long as the talent was there, that was enough for his happiness. This is how Illinois Jacquet finds himself on the bill for these great gala evenings in the company of the jazz stars of the time. He sympathizes with major personalities like Coleman Hawkins, Ray Brown, Jo Jones, Hank Jones, and ends up attracting the attention of a great conductor who offers him to replace Lester Young in his big band. This is Count Basie. Illinois Jacquet was not yet 25 when he rubbed shoulders with the jazz stars of yesteryear. He widens his eyes and ears, draws inspiration from his heroes and enjoys the present moment.
Illinois Jacquet loved to talk about his passion: music! He poured out rather little about his status as an African-American in a racist society. He preferred to give the image of a positive man, whose playful music brought happiness to the spectators. It should be noted, however, that this brilliant saxophonist was a man of heart unable to comply with the “Jim Crow” laws which, in the southern United States, divided the population into two categories: respectable citizens (whites) and citizens second class (the blacks). At the end of the 1930s, Illinois Jacquet rebelled against the methods of a hotel manager in Houston who asked black musicians to pass through the kitchens so as not to cross paths with the white bourgeois clientele. He was then only a young man of 17, but his self-confidence overcame the determination of his opponents.
However, he was repeatedly confronted with police intimidation. The most significant incident took place on October 5, 1955. Illinois Jacquet then accompanied Ella Fitzgerald in the company of Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson and Buddy Rich, among others… While he waited backstage for the moment to go on stage, the police burst into the dressing rooms and accuse all the black musicians present of indulging in illicit gambling. This abuse of power by the authorities will lead the whole orchestra to the police station, including Ella Fitzgerald. Norman Granz, the producer of the concert, will pay a heavy deposit for the release of the instrumentalists and the singer.
Illinois Jacquet never forgot this eventful concert with the “first lady of jazz”, Ella Fitzgerald, but he did not gargle about it. He had met so many giants during his long career that he was content to sometimes quote them on stage without ever trying to imitate them. Although he accompanied dozens of renowned artists, Illinois Jacquet never remained in the shadows for long. He had also set up his own orchestra in the 1940s, and had maintained this formation until the end of his life. His last concert was on July 16, 2004 at Lincoln Center in New York. A week later, he suffered a heart attack. He was 81 years old.