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Russell Jacquet Biography

russell-jacquet
  • Born: December 4, 1917 in Saint Martinville, LA
  • Years Active: 1940s-1980s
  • Genre: Jazz

The older brother of tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet, Russell often worked with his brother through the years but never achieved much fame. He originally played in the Midwest with the California Playboy Band (1934-1937), a group that also included another brother (Linton Jacquet) on drums. Jacquet worked with Floyd Ray (1939-1940) and then studied at Wiley College (1940-1942) and Texas Southern University (1942-1944), leading a big band at the latter college. In the meantime, Illinois had become famous. Russell recorded with his brother, led his own unsuccessful group and then worked with Illinois on and off during 1946-1954, often recording with his combo. He made further recordings with Illinois in 1965 and 1969 and occasionally led his own bands but primarily worked as a schoolteacher. Russell Jacquet, a decent trumpeter whose style fell between bop and swing, led a few titles for Globe (1944), Modern Music (1946), Savoy (1946), King (1948-1949), Imperial (1960), and his own Town Hall label (1964). ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi

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