Russell Jacquet

Who was Russell Jacquet?

Russell Jacquet was an American trumpeter. Jacquet was born on December 14, 1917 in Saint Martinville, Louisiana. He was the elder brother of well-known tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet, who he worked with through the years. Jacquet had stints with Floyd Ray and Milt Larkin before he began studying music at Wiley College and Texas Southern University. He moved west and played with his brother's band for a time, later forming his own group which became the house band at the Cotton Club from 1945 to 1949. He then rejoined his brother's group. He later played with several small groups in Oakland, California, and in Houston with Arnett Cobb, and on a few dates in New York with his brother. He died on February 28, 1990 in Los Angeles.