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 a series of 78s for Alfred Lion in the 1940s and also served as a talent scout who encouraged Lion to record important 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 at age 44 in 1963.

Produced for release by Joe Harley, the 3-LP vinyl set is all-analog and cut directly from Rudy Van Gelder’s original master tapes by Kevin Gray. Pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, the LPs come packaged in a deluxe tip-on trifold jacket which includes a booklet with never-before-seen photos by Francis Wolff and an insightful, in-depth essay by scholar Loren Schoenberg.

3LP Tracklist:

A1. A Light Reprieve
A2. Buzzard Lope
A3. Blue Monday
A4. Zonky

B1. Later For The Rock
B2. Sweet And Lovely
B3. Dear John
B4. Blue Friday

C1. Everything Happens To Me [Short Version]
C2. Mardi Gras
C3. What A Difference A Day Makes
C4. For All We Know
C5. Ill Wind

D1. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
D2. I've Got The World On A String
D3. Me 'N Mabe
D4. Everything Happens To Me [Long Version]

E1. How Long Has This Been Going On
E2. With A Song In My Heart
E3. Imagination
E4. What Is There To Say?

F1. There Is No Greater Love
F2. All Of Me
F3. Intermezzo
F4. But Not For Me
F5. All The Way

2CD Tracklist:

CD1
1. A Light Reprieve
2. Buzzard Lope
3. Blue Monday
4. Zonky
5. Later For The Rock
6. Sweet And Lovely
7. Dear John
8. Blue Friday
9. Everything Happens To Me [Short Version]
10. Mardi Gras
11. What A Difference A Day Makes
12. For All We Know
13. Ill Wind

CD2
1. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
2. I've Got The World On A String
3. Me 'N Mabe
4. Everything Happens To Me [Long Version]
5. How Long Has This Been Going On
6. With A Song In My Heart
7. Imagination
8. What Is There To Say?
9. There Is No Greater Love
10. All Of Me
11. Intermezzo
12. But Not For Me
13. All The Way

Ike Quebec

Ike Quebec - Heavy Soul LP (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)

Ike Quebec - Heavy Soul (UHQ-CD)

Ike Quebec - The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions (Tone Poet Vinyl Series)