Ike Quebec - 1961 - Blue & Sentimental

Ike Quebec

1961

Blue & Sentimental

01. Blue And Sentimental

02. Minor Impulse

03. Don't Take Your Love From Me

04. Blues For Charlie

05. Like

06. Count Every Star

Bass – Paul Chambers

Drums – Philly Joe Jones

Guitar – Grant Green

Piano – Sonny Clark (tracks: 6 only)

Tenor Saxophone – Ike Quebec

Recorded on December 16, 1961 (tracks A1 to B2) and on December 23 (track B3).

Influenced by Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster but definitely his own person, Ike Quebec was one of the finest swing-oriented tenor saxman of the 1940s and '50s. 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 came to down-home blues, sexy ballads, and up-tempo aggression. Originally a pianist, Quebec switched to tenor in the early '40s and showed that he had made the right decision on excellent 78s for Blue Note and Savoy (including his hit "Blue Harlem"). As a sideman, he worked with Benny Carter, Kenny Clarke, Roy Eldridge, and Cab Calloway. In the late '40s, the saxman did a bit of freelancing behind the scenes as a Blue Note A&R man and brought Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell to the label. Drug problems kept Quebec from recording for most of the 1950s, but he made a triumphant comeback in the early '60s and was once again recording for Blue Note and doing freelance A&R for the company. Quebec was playing as authoritatively as ever well into 1962, giving no indication that he was suffering from lung cancer, which claimed his life at the age of 44 in 1963.

Ike Quebec is known as one of the founding fathers for Blue Note and this is his best. The sound on this new RVG edition is outstanding. Rudy Van Gelder has his critics but I doubt they could fault him on this remastering. Certainly he and Ike Quebec knew each other well as Ike was the A & R man for Blue Note and worked with Van Gelder on many recordings. I also think the carefully spaced solos of Grant Green and Quebec lend themselves especially to RVG treatment. What took them so long is the question as this album is considered by many to be Quebec's best.

As usual Ike's selection of material is wonderful. There are two ballads, the title track and "Don't Take Your Love From Me" that Ike handles with such swinging ease and rich sound. It's easy to understand why Lorraine Gordon, the owner of The Village Vanguard still plays and is moved by Ike's music (and this woman, married to both Alfred Lion and Max Gordon has seen her share of greats). "Blues For Charlie" is mostly a Green vehicle and a tribute to Charlie Christian." Minor Impulse" and "Like" are up-tempo Quebec originals that highlight his command of the Blues. "That Old Black Magic" and "It's Alright With Me" are numbers that were left off the original album but sound just fine to my ears.

Finally " Count Every Star" is actually a number recorded and included on Green's " Born To Be Blue" album. I have always loved this number but used to grow impatient listening to Green's guitar work before Ike's solo. Now however I enjoy the intricate playing and Green's exquisite sound but with still a little impatience while anticipating the as near perfect and beautiful a solo as you will ever hear from any tenorman. So there you have it: a great new edition of a wonderful album by one of the best players to pick up a sax.

Ike Quebec's 1961-1962 comeback albums for Blue Note were all pretty rewarding, but Blue and Sentimental is his signature statement of the bunch, a superbly sensuous blend of lusty blues swagger and achingly romantic ballads. True, there's no shortage of that on Quebec's other Blue Note dates, but Blue and Sentimental is the most exquisitely perfected. Quebec was a master of mood and atmosphere, and the well-paced program here sustains his smoky, late-night magic with the greatest consistency of tone. Part of the reason is that Quebec's caressing tenor sound is given a sparer backing than usual, with no pianist among the quartet of guitarist Grant Green, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. It's no surprise that Green solos with tremendous taste and elegance (the two also teamed up on Green's similarly excellent Born to Be Blue), and there are plenty of open spaces in the ensemble for Quebec to shine through. His rendition of the Count Basie-associated title cut is a classic, and the other standard on the original LP, "Don't Take Your Love from Me," is in a similarly melancholy vein. Green contributes a classic-style blues in "Blues for Charlie," and Quebec's two originals, "Minor Impulse" and "Like," have more complex chord changes but swing low and easy. Through it all, Quebec remains the quintessential seducer, striking just the right balance between sophistication and earthiness, confidence and vulnerability, joy and longing. It's enough to make Blue and Sentimental a quiet, sorely underrated masterpiece. [Some reissues add three bonus cuts, all standards, which fit the program very nicely indeed.]