The Complete 45 Sessions (Remastered) Ike Quebec

• 1 A Light Reprieve (2005 Remaster) 04:36
• 2 Buzzard Lope (1999 Remaster) 06:15
• 3 Blue Monday (2000 Remaster) 05:03
• 4 Zonky (2000 Remaster) 04:33
• 5 Later For The Rock (2000 Remaster) 04:35
• 6 Sweet And Lovely (2000 Remaster) 04:16
• 7 Dear John (2000 Remaster) 06:51
• 8 Blue Friday (2005 Remaster) 05:02
• 9 Everything Happens To Me (Short Version / 2005 Remaster) 04:30
• 10 Mardi Gras (2005 Remaster) 06:12
• 11 What A Difference A Day Makes (2005 Remaster) 04:06
• 12 For All We Know (2005 Remaster) 04:10
• 13 Ill Wind 06:13
• 14 If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) (2005 Remaster) 06:02
• 15 I've Got The World On A String (2005 Remaster) 05:32
• 16 Me 'N Mabe (2005 Remaster) 05:10
• 17 Everything Happens To Me (Long Version / 2005 Remaster) 06:36
• 18 How Long Has This Been Going On 05:58
• 19 With A Song In My Heart (2005 Remaster) 03:54
• 20 Imagination (2005 Remaster) 05:07
• 21 What Is There To Say? (2005 Remaster) 04:32
• 22 There Is No Greater Love (2005 Remaster) 04:45
• 23 All Of Me (2005 Remaster) 02:55
• 24 Intermezzo (2005 Remaster) 03:42
• 25 But Not For Me (2005 Remaster) 03:42
• 26 All The Way (2005 Remaster) 03:52
• Total Runtime 02:08:09

Info for The Complete 45 Sessions (Remastered)

The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions of Ike Quebec collects a phenomenal body of work produced between 1959–62 by a key player in the Blue Note Story. The saxophonist had recorded for Blue Note and served as a talent scout in the 1940s before personal problems forced him off the scene.

The saxophonist had recorded a series of 78s for Alfred Lion in the 1940s and also served as a talent scout who encouraged Lion to record cutting-edge figures of the emerging bebop scene including Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. After a difficult period through the 1950s during which Quebec fell off the scene, Lion reconnected with his friend and began to reintroduce Quebec’s music to jazz fans in 1959 with a series of 45 jukebox singles that were well received and revealed a formidable stylist very much at the top of his game. His full-throated yet utterly relaxed sound was ideally suited to a wide range of material from ballads to blues.

The success of Quebec’s comeback inspired Lion to keep going, capturing four sessions of material with a revolving cast of musicians that yielded classic tracks including “A Light Reprieve,” “Blue Monday,” and “What A Difference A Day Makes.” Quebec would also go on to record several album sessions including the timeless soul jazz classics Heavy Soul, Blue & Sentimental, and Bossa Nova Soul Samba, capping a prolific end to a career that would be tragically cut short with his death from lung cancer in 1963.

“I was shocked when I first listened to Ike’s 45 sessions,” says Harley. “I had imagined it would consist solely of short groove-oriented tunes. No, these stunning sessions capture a player who had already lived a full musical life, playing fully fleshed-out tunes with restraint, emotional weight, and a blues-drenched approach that bridged R&B accessibility with jazz sophistication. The release of this set shines a light on a key player in the Blue Note story who deserves much wider recognition.”

“It has been more than three score years since Ike Quebec died in 1963 at the age of 44, and his tremendous contribution to the music he lived for has come into greater focus,” writes Schoenberg. “Although most of the music in this collection remained unknown or at best obscure until their release on a 1987 Mosaic box set, the performances are nonetheless nothing short of phenomenal… From 1959 through 1962, Ike Quebec was closely connected with Blue Note in a number of capacities, including talent scout, A&R man, and performing artist. That he was able to concentrate on the music to such an extraordinary degree during these sessions, when he had so many other responsibilities, is a testament to his talent.”

Ike Quebec, tenor saxophone
Edwin Swanston, organ
Clifton "Skeeter" Best, guitar
Charles "Sonny" Wellesley, bass
Les Jenkins, drums
Sir Charles Thompson, organ
Milt Hinton, bass
J.C. Heard, drums
Earl Van Dyke, organ
Willie Jones, guitar
Wilbert Hogan, drums
Earl Van Dyke, organ
Willie Jones, guitar
Sam Jones, bass
Wilbert Hogan, drums

Digitally remastered

Ike Quebec
(August 17, 1918 – January 16, 1963) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. His surname is pronounced KYOO-bek.

Critic Alex Henderson writes, "Though he was never an innovator, Quebec had a big, breathy sound that was distinctive and easily recognizable, and he was quite consistent when it came to down-home blues, sexy ballads, and up-tempo aggression." Born Ike Abrams Quebec in Newark, New Jersey, and an accomplished dancer and pianist, he switched to tenor sax as his primary instrument in his early twenties, and quickly earned a reputation as a promising player. His recording career started in 1940, with the Barons of Rhythm. Later on, he recorded or performed with Frankie Newton, Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, Trummy Young, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins. Between 1944 and 1951, he worked intermittently with Cab Calloway. He recorded for Blue Note records in this era, and also served as a talent scout for the label (helping pianists Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell come to wider attention). Due to his exceptional sight reading skills, Quebec was also an uncredited impromptu arranger for many Blue Note sessions.

Due in part to struggles with drug addiction (but also due to the fading popularity of big band music), Quebec recorded only sporadically during the 1950s, though he still performed regularly. He kept abreast on new developments in jazz, and his later playing incorporated elements of hard bop, bossa nova, and soul jazz.

This album contains no booklet.