Hamp would ask me about tempos in the band: 'Jacquet,' he'd say, 'knock off that tempo.' A lot of jazz musicians didn't prefer to play for dancers, which was their loss, really. But good jazz has always had that dance… — Illinois Jacquet Copy Share Image
People like to hear songs that they can dance to. Even if they're sitting, they like being made to want to dance and move. By me being a dancer, I know how I'd dance at certain tempos. I was always… — Illinois Jacquet Copy Share Image
The patterns of big-band music are smooth and classical. It's got to be fresh. The brass section should crackle, like the sound of eggs… — Illinois Jacquet Copy Share Image
When I was 16 or 17 I heard the Count Basie band with Jo Jones and Lester Young and Herschel Evans and I couldn't… — Illinois Jacquet Copy Share Image
When I got my band in 1983, I knew what I had to do. If I'm going to have a big band, they're going… — Illinois Jacquet Copy Share Image
Their eagerness for the big-band music and their ability to grasp the essence of it made me realize that today's generation has not been… — Illinois Jacquet Copy Share Image
Hamp would ask me about tempos in the band: 'Jacquet,' he'd say, 'knock off that tempo.' A lot of jazz musicians didn't prefer to… — Illinois Jacquet Copy Share Image
People like to hear songs that they can dance to. Even if they're sitting, they like being made to want to dance and move.… — Illinois Jacquet Copy Share Image
