Ike Quebec
★★★★★
The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions
BLUE NOTE. CD/LP
Groovy jukebox jazz from the late ’50s and early ’60s.
Cutting his teeth with the Minnie The Moocher singer Cab Calloway in the early ’40s, Quebec developed a smoky tenor sax sound indebted to the vibrato-rich tones of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster. He signed to Blue Note in 1944, releasing a series of swing-oriented 78s before rejoining the label in 1959 where, combining the roles of recording artist, A&R man, and talent scout, he became a trusted member of producer Alfred Lion’s backroom team. He cut four albums for the label, but less well-known are his string of excellent singles aimed at the jukebox market, which are now compiled into a magnificent retrospective. Shifting from slinky soul-jazz (Buzzard Lope) to honking rhythm and blues (Zonky), Latin grooves (Mardi Gras), and softly caressing ballads (Imagination), Quebec reveals himself as a supremely soulful saxophone master who was the missing link between swing and bop.