- George Baquet
George Baquet (b. 1882/1883 - d. Jan. 14, 1949) was an American
jazz clarinet ist, known for his contributions to early jazz inNew Orleans .His father,
Theogene Baquet , was also a clarinetist, as were his brothers, Achille and Harold. (Hal Baquet was stabbed to death, and the murder was once thought to have been carried out by Clarence Williams.)Baquet's professional career began in 1897 while he was still in his early teens. He played in the Lyre Club Symphony Orchestra and then on the road with
P.T. Wright 's Nashville Student Minstrels. He then joined theGeorgia Minstrels , but returned toNew Orleans in 1905, where he played withBuddy Bolden . In the 1900s and early 1910s he played off and on withJohn Robichaux ,Freddie Keppard , and theOnward Brass Band . Baquet and Keppard played inLos Angeles with the Original Creole Orchestra, and ensemble Baquet remained in until 1916. Both Keppard and Baquet considered recording at this time, but didn't; Keppard worried about the theft of his musical ideas, and Baquet had financial concerns.Later in the decade Baquet played in
New York City atConey Island . In 1923 he joinedSam Gordon and his band, the Lafayette Players, inPhiladelphia ; Baquet lived there until his death. He assembled several of his own groups, including the New Orleans Nighthawks and George Bakey's Swingsters ("sic"). In the 1920s, Baquet recorded withBessie Smith ; in 1929, he recorded withJelly Roll Morton , and in the 1940s withSidney Bechet .References
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jcfuxqe5ld6e~T1 George Baquet] at
Allmusic
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