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Sidney Bechet | |
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![]() Bechet at Jimmy Ryan's club, New York, 1947, photograph by William P. Gottlieb | |
Background information | |
Born | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | May 14, 1897
Died | May 14, 1959 Garches, France | (aged 62)
Genres | Jazz, New Orleans jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
Instrument(s) | Clarinet, soprano saxophone |
Years active | 1908–1957 |
Formerly of | Louis Armstrong, Tommy Ladnier |
Sidney Joseph Bechet (/bɛˈʃeɪ/ beh-SHAY; May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong.[1] His erratic temperament hampered his career, and not until the late 1940s did he earn wide acclaim. Bechet spent much of his later life in France.[2]