Taken from The African-American Registry

Born on October 31, 1922 in Boussard, Louisiana, Jean Baptiste Jacquet and grew up in Houston, Texas. There he played in a band with his older brother, Russell, and worked in several bands around town before moving to Los Angeles in 1941. In L.A., he joined Hampton's big band. Jacquet wrote his signature on jazz immortality in 1942. Then, as a 19-year-old member of Lionel Hampton's big band, he played an incredible solo on Hampton's "Flying Home."

He has virtually built a career on that solo, which he claims, came from divine inspiration; it ranks as one of the best improvisational performances in the 20th century. His raw-boned tenor sound combining R&B boldness and jazz sophistication is his trademark. He performed in the Jazz At The Philharmonic series, appeared in the jazz documentary, Jammin' The Blues and in 1945 formed his own band. From the '50s to the present, Jacquet has recorded for many labels including Savoy, RCA, Mercury, Epic, and Atlantic.

Continuing performing on jazz recordings into the 1990s, he was a guest on the Modern Jazz Quartet's 1994 album A Celebration. As he explained in the closing statement of a 1988 Jazz Times interview, "With this kind of music you don't get old, because it takes 50 years to learn how to play it. I don't expect to retire."

Into the 21st century, Jacquet led one of the swingingest big bands on the scene and performed with the same intensity that marked his ascendancy more than 50 years ago. Illinois Jacquet died on July 21, 2004.