Shellac (I). Illinois Jacquet - It's the Talk of the Town/Heads

This one presented a problem owing to the fact that I don't have any 78s by anyone whose surname begins with I. I do have several by the Ink Spots but they're with Ella Fitzgerald who, unsurprisingly, gets top billing. In the end I cheated and opted for Illinois Jacquet covering both I and J although there's plenty to chose from in the latter category.

Illinois, of course, was the original wild man of the tenor sax based on his recordings with Lionel Hampton and JATP. I saw him live at the North Sea Jazz Festival where he slugged it out with Arnette Cobb, Budd Johnson and Scott Hamilton. A battle royal if  there ever was one! 

Over the years he tamed down and this recording of It's the Talk of the Town for his old JATP boss Norman Granz's Clef label he reveals a more mellow side never straying too far from the melody although things do move up a gear on the flip side (remember that expression?).

The band is actually a septet with Russell Jacquet (trumpet); Matthew Gee (trombone); Cecil Payne (baritone sax); John Acea (piano); Al Lucas (bass) and Shadow Wilson on drums alongside Illinois on tenor. However, the label describes it as Illinois Jacquet and his orchestra which suggests banks of strings as far back as the eye can see as well as flutes, oboes, bassoons, French horns, kettle drums and goodness knows what else, all giving Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique a kick up the ass which would certainly be beyond these seven good men and true. Lance

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