Sidney Bechet ranks among the greatest of the early masters of Jazz, up there with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. Born of a Creole family in New Orleans, and very conscious of the evils of slavery, his genius flowered at an early age. He is acknowledged as the greatest player ever of the soprano saxophone and he also played the clarinet. He toured widely in the US and Europe. During his short stay in England in 1919 he played before King George V and Queen Mary. From 1949 to his death in 1959 he lived in France where he is still revered today. Some of his compositions, such as petite Fleur, are considered jazz classics.