Illinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. He is also known as one of the writers of the jazz standard "Don'cha Go 'Way Mad." Although he was a pioneer of the honking tenor saxophone that became a regular feature of jazz playing and a hallmark of early rock and roll, Jacquet was a skilled and melodic improviser, both on up-tempo tunes and ballads. He doubled on the bassoon, one of only a few jazz musicians to use the instrument. |
Birth and Death Data: Born October 31, 1922 (Broussard (suburb city of Lafayette, located in Lafayette and St. Martin parishes, Louisiana, United States)), Died July 22, 2004 (Queens (borough in New York City, New York, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1941 - 1957
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor saxophone, leader, composer, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 34 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | E0VB-4656 | 10-in. | 5/22/1950 | My old gal | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, songwriter, leader | |
| Victor | E0VB-4657 | 10-in. | 5/22/1950 | Slow down baby | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, songwriter, leader | |
| Victor | E0VB-4658 | 10-in. | 5/22/1950 | Hot rod | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer | |
| Victor | E0VB-4659 | 10-in. | 5/22/1950 | You gotta change | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, songwriter, leader | |
| Victor | D7VB-2186 | 10-in. | 12/12/1947 | Robbin's nest | Count Basie ; Count Basie Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | D7VB-2854 | 10-in. | 12/18/1947 | Jet propulsion | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz octet | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer, leader | |
| Victor | D7VB-2855 | 10-in. | 12/18/1947 | King Jacquet | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz octet | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer, leader | |
| Victor | D7VB-2856 | 10-in. | 12/18/1947 | Try me one more time | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet ; Russell Jacquet | Jazz octet, with vocal refrain | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer, leader | |
| Victor | D7VB-2857 | 10-in. | 12/18/1947 | Embryo | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz octet | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer, leader | |
| Victor | D7VB-2889 | 10-in. | 12/19/1947 | Riffing at 24th street | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz nonet | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer, leader | |
| Victor | D7VB-2890 | 10-in. | 12/19/1947 | Mutton leg | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, leader | |
| Victor | D7VB-2891 | 10-in. | 12/19/1947 | Symphony in Sid | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, leader, composer | |
| Victor | D7VB-2892 | 10-in. | 12/19/1947 | A Jacquet for Jack the bellboy | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz nonet | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, leader, composer | |
| Victor | D9VB-0581 | 10-in. | 4/6/1949 | Big foot | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, leader, composer | |
| Victor | D9VB-0582 | 10-in. | 4/6/1949 | Black velvet | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer, leader | |
| Victor | D9VB-0583 | 10-in. | 4/6/1949 | B-yot | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, leader, composer | |
| Victor | D9VB-0584 | 10-in. | 4/6/1949 | Adams' Alley | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer, leader | |
| Victor | D9VB-2760 | 10-in. | 12/14/1949 | Blue satin | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, composer, leader | |
| Victor | D9VB-2761 | 10-in. | 12/14/1949 | Stay away | Illinois Jacquet Orchestra ; Illinois Jacquet | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, leader, songwriter | |
| Decca | 70100 | 10-in. | 12/24/1941 | Just for you | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 70101 | 10-in. | 12/24/1941 | Southern echoes | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 70102 | 10-in. | 12/24/1941 | My wish | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 70103 | 10-in. | 12/24/1941 | Nola | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 70771 | 10-in. | 5/26/1942 | Now I know | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 70772 | 10-in. | 5/26/1942 | Half a love is better than none | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jacquet, Illinois," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323040.
Jacquet, Illinois. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323040.
"Jacquet, Illinois." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Illinois Jacquet
Discogs: Illinois Jacquet
Allmusic: Illinois Jacquet
Grove: Illinois Jacquet
IMDb: Illinois Jacquet
Britannica: Illinois Jacquet
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Jacquet, Illinois - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83021444
Wikidata: Illinois Jacquet - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1658835
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/37102134
MusicBrainz: Illinois Jacquet - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/15ab8bb8-7348-4377-ab73-b7acdad1459c
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/108985 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/108985
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