Ike Quebec

Ike Abrams Quebec [ kju ː bɛk ] ( born August 17, 1918 in Newark, New Jersey; † January 16, 1963 in New York City ) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer.

Life and work

Quebec had received piano lessons in his youth and began his professional career on this instrument; In addition, he was also active as a professional dancer in the 1930s. His subsequent main instrument, the tenor saxophone, he was only around 1940. Like most of his colleagues, he formed his instrumental style on a model of Coleman Hawkins, the "father of the tenor saxophone ". A more important role than in " Bean " took in Quebec's game, however, from the outset the melodic language of the blues one: this expressive Musizierideal flowed especially in his ballads interpretations, which was quite unusual in the 40s. Quebec's colleague and mentor Ben Webster, whose ballad style is characterized similarly, praised the "good feeling" of the younger and clarified: " [ ... ] a different feel than most [ ... ]. Of course, then everyone stopped Bean, but Quebec had run a very unique thing. "

Although Quebec not extremely virtuoso was on his instrument, his professionalism made ​​him a sought-after studio musician and sideman on longer concert tours, of which he wrote many graduated with the sizes of the swing era - to his prominent employers included, for example, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter and Cab Calloway in particular. Under his own name Quebec in 1944 played with musicians such as Tyree Glenn, Tiny Grimes, Milt Hinton and Oscar Pettiford several singles for Blue Note one, including " Blue Harlem ", which was a jukebox hit.

The decline of the big bands of the late 40s turned professional before Quebec, and finally personal problems. Because of his drug addiction, he spent most of the 1950s in the substantial musical inactivity. Helpful side stood him in these difficult circumstances, his friend Alfred Lion, co-founder of the record label Blue Note Records. The saxophonist was active for the small company, first as a talent scout; on his recommendation, for example, came the now famous recording sessions concluded with the pianist Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, whose results are considered milestones in the work of these two musicians.

Since Quebec at the given task proven, entrusted Lions the musician ( the his drug problems gradually got to grips ) with increasingly more responsible tasks: from the mere agent he soon advanced to the Artists and Repertoire Manager of Blue Note, and finally he was able to recording sessions on their own conduct ( including but not limited productions with Dexter Gordon). In the social climate of the United States during the late 1950s, the trusting and friendly embossed cooperation of Lion and Quebec was a clear signal to overcome the still widespread racial segregation in the music industry.

The resultant about the same time as a subgenre of Hard Bop Soul Jazz came to meet the musical preferences of Quebec, which now started its operation again as an instrumentalist. The ground with some relatively successful recordings - such as the Blue and Sentimental Album with Grant Green - but comeback started came to an abrupt end when at Quebec in 1962, lung cancer was diagnosed at an advanced stage. The illness forced him to re- task his musical work. Ike Quebec died, only 44 years old, in January 1963 and did not live to the publication of the greater part of his later recordings.

Trivia

The tenor saxophonist Eddie Lockjaw Davis reported that he received significant support in his musical development by Ike Quebec in the early 1940s. The self-taught, which was often dubbed by his peers as "Little Ben ," Ike told by both his instrumental technique as well as in his Blue Feeling very significant impetus. When "Jaws" in the 1980s learned from the Mosaic albums, received a posthumous Findings of the Ike Quebec, he was moved almost to tears .....

Discography (selection)

• Ike Quebec 1944-1946 ( Classics ) with Buck Clayton, Milt Hinton, Oscar Pettiford, Grachan Moncur II
• It Might As Well Be Spring (Japanese Blue Note, 1961) with Freddie Roach, Milt Hinton, Al Harewood
• Blue And Sentimental ( Blue Note, 1961), with Sonny Clark, Grant Green, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones
• Heavy Soul ( Blue Note, 1961) with Freddie Roach, Milt Hinton, Al Harewood
• Bossa Nova Soul Samba ( Blue Note, 1962), with Kenny Burrell, Wendell Marshall, Willie Bobo, Garvin Masseaux
• Congo Lament ( Blue Note, 1962)

Collections

• The Complete Blue Note Forties Recordings of Ike Quebec and John Hardee ( Mosaic 1984) - 4 LPs with Tiny Grimes, Ram Ramirez, Milt Hinton, JC Heard, Jonah Jones Tyree Glenn, Oscar Pettiford, Buck Clayton, Keg Johnson, Grachan Moncur II, Shad Collins, John Collins - rest of the collection at John Hardee
• The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions of Ike Quebec ( 1959-62 ) ( Mosaic 1989/90? ) - 4 LPs with Edwin Swanston, Skeeter Best, Sir Charles Thompson, Milt Hinton, JC Heard, Sam Jones