Sidney Bechet

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Sidney Bechet
Bechet at Jimmy Ryan's club, New York, 1947, photograph by William P. Gottlieb
Background information
Born	(1897-05-14)May 14, 1897 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	May 14, 1959(1959-05-14) (aged 62) Garches, France
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]