Ike Quebec - Heavy Soul (1962)

Edited blurb from the Blue Note website:

There may not be a more apropos album title in all of recorded music than tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec’s classic Heavy Soul. The session marked a comeback for a crucial player in Blue Note history. Quebec 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, Lion began to reintroduce Quebec’s music to jazz fans in 1959 with a series of 45 jukebox singles that were well received and inspired Lion to put the saxophonist back into the studio for a full album session. The resulting 8-song set is a soul jazz masterclass with Quebec’s robust tenor conjuring a variety of moods...

All they needed to say was "soul jazz masterclass" and I was all in. Quebec was a fantastic leader in that he allowed others in his band to share the spotlight. On his album Blue & Sentimental, Quebec steps aside and lets guitarist Grant Green shine; on Heavy Soul, the honors go to Freddie Roach on the B-3. There's a nice variety of tunes - from swinging originals or moving ballads - plus I just love Quebec's tone. The blurb above describes it as "robust" while reviewers use the adjectives "vital," "strong," and "fresh," but the word that always comes to my mind is "meaty."

Quebec - tenor saxophone
Freddie Roach - organ
Milt Hinton - bass
Al Harewood - drums

Original liner notes by Leonard Feather.

This particular 1995 reissue was part of Blue Note's short-lived, mid-1990s line, The Connoisseur Series, which were limited editions of classic hard bop albums on both CD and vinyl with promises of "rare photographs," "bonus tracks," and "Super Bit Mapping." The purchase of this CD from the used bin was the first I'd heard of the series. And now I'm down that rabbit hole.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "strong, vital sound"
• CashBox: "one of the most listenable tenor men currently wailing"
• Stereo Review: "this is a very good record, and there is some excellent saxophone playing on it"
• High Fidelity: "fresh and vital"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★½
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Of the above mentioned "swinging originals," I dig Acquitted and Que's Dilemma. But I enjoy the ballads even more: Just One More Chance, Brother Can You Spare A Dime, I Want A Little Girl, and the all too brief Nature Boy. Track 5, The Man I Love, gives us the best of both worlds, starting as a ballad then swinging about 3½ minutes in before slowing things down again at the end.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Blue & Sentimental (1963)

Ike Quebec - Blue & Sentimental (1963)

You didn't ask how I store my CDs, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I have them divided into five sections: classical, various artists compilations, soundtracks, Christmas, and everything else (rock, pop, jazz, blues, etc.). Within sections, they are alphabetized by composer, movie title, or artist name. Artists whose names begin with a "Q" make up the smallest section on the shelves, so it's a landmark day here at blog headquarters because, after 1722 posts, I'm finally featuring an artist from that small "Q" section.

Quebec was a popular big band musician in the '40s and into the early '50s before being derailed by a heroin addiction. He began a comeback on the Blue Note label in the early '60s before his death in January 1963, at the age of 44, from lung cancer. On this posthumously-released album of ballads and standards, Quebec plays tenor and the occasional piano, Grant Green on guitar, Paul Chambers on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums. Recorded December, 1961, released 1963. The band cooks, Quebec had a meaty tone that's perfect for these tunes, but it's Green who steals the show on most tracks. Most critics agree that Blue & Sentimental is Quebec's best album and they'll get no argument from me.

As is the custom with Blue Note's Rudy Van Gelder Editions, we're provided with the original album liner notes by Ira Gitler as well as newer notes from noted jazz critic Bob Blumenthal.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "he plays his heart out on this album"
• CashBox: "his most accomplished achievement"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999) (★★★★): "shows him at his best"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

In 1987, this album was selected by Blue Note (Europe) as one of the 25 Best Albums on the label.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Based on personal experience, both the sultry title track and Don't Take Your Love From Me are fantastic late-night tunes. Other top tracks are Count Every Star and the Green-penned Blues For Charlie.

Bonus tracks: When you're listening to an album with bonus tracks tacked on to the end, you can usually tell when the bonus tracks begin. Not the case here. The two tracks here, That Old Black Magic and It's All Right With Me not only fit right in, they're fantastic.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: none