orig. John Cornelius Hodges
born July 25, 1906, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.
died May 11, 1970, New York, N.Y.
U.S. saxophonist, one of the greatest alto-saxophone stylists in jazz .
"Rabbit" Hodges was encouraged and influenced by Duke Ellington 's band in 1928 and quickly became its most prominent soloist. Except for a period when he led his own small group (1951–55), Hodges would remain with Ellington for the rest of his career. His peerless, soulful tone and rhythmic poise made him a master interpreter of both ballads and blues , and Ellington and {{link=Strayhorn, Billy">Billy Strayhorn composed many pieces expressly for him.