Achille Joseph Baquet (November 15, 1885 – November 20, 1955/1956) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

clarinetist and saxophonist. He was an early musician on the New Orleans jazz scene. Baquet was raised in a musical family. His father, Théogène Baquet, led the

Excelsior Brass Band The Excelsior Brass Band was a brass band from New Orleans active between 1879 and 1931. It was one of the earliest recognized brass bands on the New Orleans jazz scene. The Excelsior was founded in 1879 by Théogène Baquet, who led it until ...

, and his brothers,

Harold Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts ...

, and George, were both musicians, George being the most famous of the three. Achille was

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

(" Creole of Color" in the local terminology), but was light-

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

ned, and was the only member of the family who was able to

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits *Mountain pass, a lower place in a mounta ...

for

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

. He learned clarinet from Luis Tio, and played with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Papa Jack Laine's Reliance Brass Band, and the Happy Schilling Dance Orchestra. Baquet was thought to have been a member of the Whiteway Jazz Band, but the membership of this ensemble has never been established definitively.

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

, who assumed leadership of the Original New Orleans Jazz Band, hired Baquet in 1918. Baquet's credits as a composer include "Why Cry Blues", written with

. According to Papa Jack Laine, he co-wrote " Livery Stable Blues" with Yellow Nunez.

References

;Footnotes ;Further reading * Eugene Chadbourne, Achille Joseph Baquetat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

External links

Achille Joseph Baquet, My Dad's Dad
Family website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baquet, Achille 1885 births 1950s deaths Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz clarinetists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Original New Orleans Jazz Band members Excelsior Brass Band members