Sidney Bechet

February 16, 2006

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Profile America for the 16th day of Black History Month. Any fan of traditional jazz has to hear only a few notes to know that the performer on the recording he's listening to is Sidney Bechet. Bechet's large, warm tone and rapid vibrato on the soprano saxophone is a unique sound, and his virtuosity on the difficult instrument helped it to be recognized in the jazz world. His life paralleled the story of jazz — born in New Orleans, he played with marching bands before moving to Chicago and playing with greats such as King Oliver. He went on many European tours and, in 1951, made his home in Paris, where he became a folk hero. Today, jazz has a small but loyal following in the U.S., accounting for 3 percent of the sales of recorded music. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Photographs are for illustration purposes only.