Oslo Jazz Festival 1996

Illinois Jacquet was always exciting and always unpredictable. He was scheduled to play with his big band at Cosmopolite on Wednesday night. There was a raging rainstorm but the house was full and the band was ready. At the last moment Illinois discovered he didn’t have the right shoes. He wouldn’t perform without the correct shoes but there were no cabs because of the rain. His valet took the band bus back to the hotel to get the shoes and the show went up half an hour late but nobody minded because Illinois made up the time.