Illinois Jacquet Died

[tishaLA]

Tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet, who defined the jazz style called screeching and played with jazz legends including Lionel Hampton, Count Basie and Cab Calloway during a career spanning eight decades, died Thursday. He was 81.

Jacquet, who was known as much for his trademark pork pie hat as the innovative playing style, died of a heart attack in his Queens home, said his longtime friend and collaborator Dan Frank.

Jacquet played with nearly every jazz and blues legend of his time, including Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Jo Jones, Buddy Rich, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Gene Krupa. He played tenor sax in the Basie and Calloway bands and since 1981 performed with his own band, the Illinois Jacquet Big Band.ABCNews



Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

[Fenris]

1. Innovative style and a kick ass pork pie hat! Adios, Illinois!

:(

[Bundbuster]

2. An enviable career

He went W..A..Y back there!

I'd venture a guess that no one alive today played with so many grade-A jazz dudes and groups. One of my favorite CD's is "Joey Defrancesco Live At The 5-Spot", joined by various artists including Illinois Jacquet, still at the top of his game in 1993.

[NightTrain]

3. Another great talent gone.

Damn.... :(:cry:

[Bossy Monkey]

4. If there's a tenor sax heaven, you know we got a hell of a band

Swingin'est cat ever; I'll go play Black Velvet again in remembrance.