IKE QUEBEC “THE COMPLETE BLUE NOTE 45 SESSIONS” TONE POET VINYL SET OUT OCT. 10

August 20, 2025

Blue Note Records has announced the October 10 release of Ike Quebec The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions, a special Tone Poet Vinyl Edition that collects a magnificent body of work recorded between 1959-62 by an important figure in Blue Note history. Produced for release by Joe Harley, the 3-LP vinyl set is all-analog and cut directly from Rudy Van Gelder’s original master tapes by Kevin Gray. Pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, the LPs come packaged in a deluxe tip-on trifold jacket which includes a booklet with never-before-seen photos by Francis Wolff and an insightful, in-depth essay by scholar Loren Schoenberg. The collection will also be released as a 2-CD set and is available for pre-order now on the Blue Note Store.

The saxophonist had recorded a series of 78s for Alfred Lion in the 1940s and also served as a talent scout who encouraged Lion to record cutting-edge figures of the emerging bebop scene including Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. After a difficult period through the 1950s during which Quebec fell off the scene, Lion reconnected with his friend and began to reintroduce Quebec’s music to jazz fans in 1959 with a series of 45 jukebox singles that were well received and revealed a formidable stylist very much at the top of his game. His full-throated yet utterly relaxed sound was ideally suited to a wide range of material from ballads to blues.

The success of Quebec’s comeback inspired Lion to keep going, capturing four sessions of material with a revolving cast of musicians that yielded classic tracks including “A Light Reprieve,” “Blue Monday,” and “What A Difference A Day Makes.” Quebec would also go on to record several album sessions including the timeless soul jazz classics Heavy Soul, Blue & Sentimental, and Bossa Nova Soul Samba, capping a prolific end to a career that would be tragically cut short with his death from lung cancer in 1963.

“I was shocked when I first listened to Ike’s 45 sessions,” says Harley. “I had imagined it would consist solely of short groove-oriented tunes. No, these stunning sessions capture a player who had already lived a full musical life, playing fully fleshed-out tunes with restraint, emotional weight, and a blues-drenched approach that bridged R&B accessibility with jazz sophistication. The release of this set shines a light on a key player in the Blue Note story who deserves much wider recognition.”

“It has been more than three score years since Ike Quebec died in 1963 at the age of 44, and his tremendous contribution to the music he lived for has come into greater focus,” writes Schoenberg. “Although most of the music in this collection remained unknown or at best obscure until their release on a 1987 Mosaic box set, the performances are nonetheless nothing short of phenomenal… From 1959 through 1962, Ike Quebec was closely connected with Blue Note in a number of capacities, including talent scout, A&R man, and performing artist. That he was able to concentrate on the music to such an extraordinary degree during these sessions, when he had so many other responsibilities, is a testament to his talent.”

LP1

IKE QUEBEC, tenor saxophone; EDWIN SWANSTON, organ; SKEETER BEST, guitar; SONNY WELLESLEY, bass; LES JENKINS, drums. Recorded July 1, 1959, Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey

SIDE 1:

1. A LIGHT REPRIEVE (Ike Quebec) 4:34
2. BUZZARD LOPE (Quebec) 6:15
3. BLUE MONDAY (Fisher, Sharp, Singleton) 5:01
4. ZONKY (Edwin Swanston) 4:31

SIDE 2:

1. LATER FOR THE ROCK (Quebec) 4:37
2. SWEET AND LOVELY (Arnheim, Tobias, LaMare) 4:19
3. DEAR JOHN (Quebec) 6:53
4. BLUE FRIDAY (Swanston) 5:05

LP2

IKE QUEBEC, tenor saxophone; SIR CHARLES THOMPSON, organ; MILT HINTON, bass; J.C HEARD, drums. Recorded September 25, 1960, Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

SIDE 3:

1. EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME – SHORT VERSION (Adair, Dennis) 4:32
2. MARDI GRAS (Quebec) 6:13
3. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES (Grever) 4:07
4. FOR ALL WE KNOW (Coots, Lewis) 4:12
5. ILL WIND (Arlen, Koehler) 6:13

SIDE 4:

1. IF I COULD BE WITH YOU (Creamer, Johnson) 6:03
2. I’VE GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING (Arlen, Koehler) 5:34
3. ME ‘N MABE (Quebec) 5:12
4. EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME LONG VERSION (Adair, Dennis) 6:38

LP3

IKE QUEBEC, tenor saxophone; WILLIE JONES, guitar; EARL VAN DYKE, organ; SAM JONES, bass; WILBERT HOGAN, drums. Recorded February 5 & 13, 1962, Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey

SIDE 5:

1. HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON (Gershwin, Gershwin) 5:59
2. WITH A SONG IN MY HEART (Rodgers, Hart) 5:09
3. IMAGINATION (Burke, Van Heusen) 5:09
4. WHAT IS THERE TO SAY (Duke, Harburg) 4:33

SIDE 6:

1. THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE (Jones, Symes) 4:45
2. ALL OF ME (Marks, Simons) 2:58
3. INTERMEZZO (Henning, Provost) 3:45
4. BUT NOT FOR ME (Gershwin, Gershwin) 3:45
5. ALL THE WAY (Cahn, Van Heusen) 3:55

Compilation Produced by JOE HARLEY

Original Sessions Produced by ALFRED LION

Recording Engineer RUDY VAN GELDER

Photography by FRANCIS WOLFF