Jean Baptiste “Illinois” Jacquet (Oct. 31, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was one of the all-time great tenor saxophonists and inventor of the Rhythm & Blues tenor style. His solo on “Flying Home” with Lionel Hampton in 1942 is considered the first R&B saxophone solo.
Beside Lionel Hampton, Jacquet also worked with Cab Calloway (1943-1944) and Count Basie (1945-1946) before he started his own medium-size band in 1946.
He recorded and toured regularly during the 1950s and was still a big name during the next few decades. Usually playing with smaller groups, he led a part-time big band from the late 1980s.
Port Of Rico
A beautiful, mellow and groovy swing tune, recorded with an all-star line-up: Illinois Jacquet (ts), Hank Jones (p), Count Basie (org!), Freddie Green (g), Ray Brown (b) and Jimmy Crawford (d).
Title: Port Of Rico
Artist: Illinois Jacquet
Recorded: July 22, 1952, NYC
Album: After You've Gone
Tempo: 130 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop
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Every Monday, I post a new “Song of the Week“.
You can find the songs also on my Spotify playlist or on 8tracks.
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