Ike Quebec’s ‘The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions’ Joins Tone Poet Series

Ike Quebec’s The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions is the latest classic jazz collection to receive a reissue through Blue Note’s Tone Poet Series. The compilation includes the New Jersey-born saxophonist’s work from 1959-1962, which was targeted towards the jukebox market.

The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions of Ike Quebec, produced by Joe Harley, is cut directly from Rudy Van Gelder’s original master tapes by Kevin Gray. The LPs, which are all analog, will be packaged in a deluxe tip-on trifold jacket that includes a booklet featuring never-before-seen photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by scholar Loren Schoenberg. There will also be a 2CD edition. The set will be released on October 10.

Quebec began as a pianist and dancer, before switching to the tenor saxophone. His career launched in the 1940s big band era, performing with bands and artists like Barons of Rhythm, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter, and more. The musician began recording for Blue Note around this time, releasing notable hits like “Blue Harlem” and “If I Had You.”

He also doubled as a talent scout for the record label, helping to launch the careers of Dexter Gordon, Thelonious Monk, and Bud Powell before leaving the music scene due to personal problems. Quebec’s music had a resurgence in 1959, when Blue Note executive Alfred Lion reintroduced his tunes with a series of 45 jukebox singles that ranged from ballads to blues. The saxophonist died shortly after his comeback in 1963. 

The Blue Note Tone Poet Series was launched in 2019 by producer “Tone Poet” Joe Harley, who handpicks every record reissued in the series. Quebec joins recent artists in the series like Stanley Turrentine, Chet Baker, Duke Ellington, Bobby Hutcherson, Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley, and Baby Face Willette.

Order The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions of Ike Quebec on vinyl or CD now.