Ike Quebec
Encyclopedia
Ike Quebec was an American
jazz
tenor saxophonist
. His surname
is pronounced KYOO-bek.
Critic Alex Henderson wrote, "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."
, United States
, 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
.
In 1959 he began what amounted to a comeback with a series of albums on the Blue Note label. Blue Note executive Alfred Lion
was always fond of Quebec's music, but was unsure how audiences would respond to the saxophonist after a decade of low visibility. In the mid-to-late 1950s, Blue Note issued a series of Quebec singles
for the juke box market; audiences responded well, leading to a number of warmly-received albums.
Quebec's comeback was cut short by his death from lung cancer
.
:
with Grant Green
:
with Dodo Greene:
With Jimmy Smith
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
tenor saxophonist
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
. His surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
is pronounced KYOO-bek.
Critic Alex Henderson wrote, "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."
Biography
Born Ike Abrams Quebec in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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
Roy Eldridge
Roy David Eldridge , nicknamed "Little Jazz" was an American jazz trumpet player. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos and his strong influence on Dizzy Gillespie mark him as one of the most exciting musicians of the swing era and a...
, Trummy Young
Trummy Young
James "Trummy" Young was a trombonist in the swing era. Although he was never really a star or a bandleader himself, he did have one hit with his version of "Margie," which he played and sang with Jimmie Lunceford's Time-Life Orchestra.-Biography:Growing up in Savannah, GA and Richmond, VA, Young...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Benny Carter
Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...
and Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
. Between 1944 and 1951, he worked intermittently with Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
. He recorded for Blue Note
Blue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
records in this era, and also served as a talent scout
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
for the label (helping pianists Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
and Bud Powell
Bud Powell
Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
come to wider attention). Due to his exceptional sight reading
Sight reading
Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before. Sight-singing is often used to describe a singer who is sight-reading.-Sight-reading:...
skills, Quebec was also an uncredited impromptu arranger
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
for many Blue Note sessions.
Due in part to struggles with drug addiction (but also due to the fading popularity of big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
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
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
, bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
, and soul jazz
Soul jazz
Soul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...
.
In 1959 he began what amounted to a comeback with a series of albums on the Blue Note label. Blue Note executive Alfred Lion
Alfred Lion
Alfred Lion was a Jewish German-born American record executive who co-founded Blue Note Records in 1939 Blue Note recorded many of the biggest names in jazz throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.-Biography:...
was always fond of Quebec's music, but was unsure how audiences would respond to the saxophonist after a decade of low visibility. In the mid-to-late 1950s, Blue Note issued a series of Quebec singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for the juke box market; audiences responded well, leading to a number of warmly-received albums.
Quebec's comeback was cut short by his death from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
.
As leader
- From Hackensack to Englewood CliffsFrom Hackensack to Englewood CliffsFrom Hackensack to Englewood Cliffs is a compilation album by American saxophonist Ike Quebec, released in 2000 on Blue Note. The album compiles eight jukebox-oriented pieces recorded by Quebec in his first Blue Note session, which, coincidentally, would become the last Blue Note session ever...
(1959 released 2000, Blue NoteBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
) - The Complete Blue Note 45 SessionsThe Complete Blue Note 45 SessionsThe Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions is a compilation album by American saxophonist Ike Quebec. The album focuses on Quebec's 45 RPMs recorded throughout his short career between 1959 and 1962. It was first issued on Mosaic MR3/MD2-121 in 1988, then re-released on a now out-of-print Blue Note CD in...
(1959-62, released 2005, Blue Note) - Heavy SoulHeavy Soul (Ike Quebec album)Heavy Soul is the debut album by American saxophonist Ike Quebec, recorded in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars and stated "Thick-toned tenor Ike Quebec is in excellent form.....
(1961, Blue Note) - It Might as Well Be SpringIt Might as Well Be Spring (album)It Might as Well Be Spring is an album by American saxophonist Ike Quebec recorded in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
(1961, Blue Note) - Blue & Sentimental (1961, Blue Note)
- Easy LivingEasy Living (Ike Quebec album)Easy Living is an album by American saxophonist Ike Quebec recorded in 1962 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1987. The album collects all the material recorded in Januaury 1962, five tracks from which were released in 1981 as Congo Lament....
(1962 released 1987, Blue Note) containing all tracks on Congo Lament (released 1981) - Soul SambaSoul SambaSoul Samba is an album by American saxophonist Ike Quebec recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label...
(1962, Blue Note)
As sideman
with Sonny ClarkSonny Clark
Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.-Biography:...
:
- Leapin' and Lopin'Leapin' and Lopin'Leapin' and Lopin is a 1961 album by jazz pianist Sonny Clark, released on Blue Note Records. Michael Nastos of Allmusic writes that "Top to bottom Leapin' and Lopin' is a definitive recording for Clark, and really for all time in the mainstream jazz idiom." All About Jazz stated "Although...
(1961; Blue Note)
with Grant Green
Grant Green
Grant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....
:
- Born to Be BlueBorn to Be Blue (Grant Green album)Born to Be Blue is an album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring performances recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
(1962; Blue Note)
with Dodo Greene:
- My Hour of Need (1962; Blue Note)
With Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith (musician)
Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
- Open HouseOpen House (album)Open House is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1960, but not released on the Blue Note label until 1966...
(1960; Blue Note) - Plain TalkPlain Talk (album)Plain Talk is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1960 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1968...
(1960; Blue Note)