Illinois Jacquet - God Bless My Solo

"Jacquet's big tenor sax sound comes on strong from the first beat and never lets up in this outstanding release from the French Black & Blue label…great sound married to a terrific performance. Every cut is outstanding…Pure Pleasure has done a good job of selecting a little known gem, mastering it well and pressing it on pristine Pallas vinyl. This is one of their best releases." Recording = 9/10; Music = 9/10 – Dennis D. Davis, Hi-Fi+, Issue 58

The solo referred to in the title, God Bless My Solo, is that in "Flying Home," which Illinois Jacquet made into a Decca Records microphone in May 1942. This solo became one of the two or three most influential solos in all of jazz history, an 80-second masterpiece. Nearly every tenor player who followed made it a priority to learn that solo, note for note. But "Flying Home" marked neither the beginning nor the end of Jacquet's seven-decade career. He was one of jazz's great survivors, thought of as an outrageous musician when he was young but hailed as a classic figure in old age. He was as effective with romantic jazz ballads as he was with the explosive performances with which he made his reputation. Jacquet is heard in top form throughout this quartet set, recorded for the French Black & Blue label, whilst touring throughout Europe in the 1970s.