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Central Illinois Gazette

Remembering "Brother" Jack McDuff

Posted by: Tom Kacich

Friday, May 16, 2008 2:21 PM

Here's a story in today's "50 years ago" feature of The News-Gazette that it would have been fun to hear the famous Champaign-born organist/musician talk about ...

In 1958, Jay's Ranch, a tavern on North U.S. 45, was damaged in a $25,000 fire which saw the orchestra resume playing outside the building and a fire truck break down 100 feet away from the blaze. And Emperor Nero had nothing on the number of onlookers who gathered the watch the spectacle and partake of the refreshments that were hauled out of the burning building. Jay Scott, owner, said that about two-thirds of the furniture and stock was saved from the fire but that "people took a lot of the stuff." An impromptu jam session with members of the Ranch combo [--] the Jack McDuff trio [--] was held outside the burning building.