Spoiler : Jacquet, Illinois (birth name was Jean-Baptiste Jacquet) Born in Broussard, Louisiana 10/31/1922; died 7/22/2004 of a heart attack at his home in Queens, New York. Jacquet has been a resident of Queens since 1947, living in the Addisleigh Park neighborhood, near the homes of Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. Jacquet was the son of an American Indian mother and French-Creole father. He began performing at age three, singing and dancing with his three brothers. His father, a railroad mechanic, led a big band after the family moved to Houston, Texas. At age 15, he joined the Milton Larkin Orchestra, performing around Houston.

Spoiler : Jacquet and brother Russell moved to Los Angeles in 1940, where he met Nat King Cole, who recommended him to Lionel Hampton. Illinois is the tenor saxman that has the eighty second solo in Lionel Hampton's 1941 recording of Flying Home. Member of Cab Calloway's band, appeared with the group in Lena Horne's 1943 movie, Stormy Weather. Performed in other movies including 1955's Jammin' the Blues. He replaced Lester Young in Count Basie's Prchestra in 1946, Basie nicknamed him "The King." During his career, he recorded some 300 original compositions including Robbin's Nest, Port or Rico and Black Velvet. Known for wearing his trademark pork pie hat. He toured Europe and America for over two decades.

Spoiler : Over the years, Jacquet earned the nickname of Beast, because of his intemperate playing, but also because he tended not to suffer fools gladly. Though he remained a critic of his critics, and was a stern bandleader into old age, those that met him socially in later years found a much softer-tempered man.

Spoiler : He formed his Illinois Jacquet Big Band in 1981, then in 1983, was the first jazz musician to be named artist-in-residence at Harvard. Jacquet performed with then US President Bill Clinton on the White House lawn during the former president's 1993 Inaugural Ball.

Spoiler : Jacquet received an honorary doctorate of musical arts from the Julliard School of Music on May 2004. His final performance was with his big band on July 22, 2004 at Lincoln Center, in the last concert of the "Midsummer Night Swing" series, which he had closed for the last 16 years.