Ike Abrams Quebec (born August 17, 1918 in Newark, New Jersey, died on Janu… Read Full Bio ↴Ike Abrams Quebec (born August 17, 1918 in Newark, New Jersey, died on January 16, 1963) was a jazz tenor saxophonist. His surname is pronounced KYOO-bek.
Critic Alex Henderson writes, "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."
An accomplished dancer and pianist, he switched to tenor sax as his primary instrument in his early 20s, and quickly earned a reputation as a promising player. His recording career started in 1940, with the Barons of Rhythm.
Later on, he recorded or performed with Frankie Newton, Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, Trummy Young, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins. Between 1944 and 1951, he worked intermittently with Cab Calloway. He recorded for Blue Note records in this era, and also served as a talent scout for the label (helping pianists Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell come to wider attention) and, due to his exceptional sight reading skills, was an uncredited impromptu arranger for many Blue Note sessions.
Due in part to struggles with drug addiction (but also due to the fading popularity of big band music), Quebec recorded only sporadically during the 1950s, though he still performed regularly. He kept abreast on new developments in jazz, and his later playing incorportated elements of hard bop and soul jazz.
In 1959 he began a what amounted to a comeback with a series of albums on the Blue Note label. Blue Note executive Alfred Lion was always fond of Quebec's music, but was unsure how audiences would respond to the saxophonist after a decade of low visibility. In the mid-to-late 1950s, Blue Note issued a series of Quebec singles for the juke box market; audinences responded well, leading to a number of warmly-received albums.
Quebec's comeback was cut short by his death from lung cancer.
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. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi
Critic Alex Henderson writes, "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."
An accomplished dancer and pianist, he switched to tenor sax as his primary instrument in his early 20s, and quickly earned a reputation as a promising player. His recording career started in 1940, with the Barons of Rhythm.
Later on, he recorded or performed with Frankie Newton, Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, Trummy Young, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins. Between 1944 and 1951, he worked intermittently with Cab Calloway. He recorded for Blue Note records in this era, and also served as a talent scout for the label (helping pianists Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell come to wider attention) and, due to his exceptional sight reading skills, was an uncredited impromptu arranger for many Blue Note sessions.
Due in part to struggles with drug addiction (but also due to the fading popularity of big band music), Quebec recorded only sporadically during the 1950s, though he still performed regularly. He kept abreast on new developments in jazz, and his later playing incorportated elements of hard bop and soul jazz.
In 1959 he began a what amounted to a comeback with a series of albums on the Blue Note label. Blue Note executive Alfred Lion was always fond of Quebec's music, but was unsure how audiences would respond to the saxophonist after a decade of low visibility. In the mid-to-late 1950s, Blue Note issued a series of Quebec singles for the juke box market; audinences responded well, leading to a number of warmly-received albums.
Quebec's comeback was cut short by his death from lung cancer.
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. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi
Blue Samba
Ike Quebec Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Blue Samba' by these artists:
Michael Franks We said goodbye one last time at the Louvre Our long…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Ike Quebec:
All The Way When somebody loves you It's no good unless he loves you,…
Blue Turning Grey Over You Gee, how I miss Your tender kiss, And the wonderful things w…
But Not For Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true …
Count Every Star Count every star in the midnight sky Count every rose,…
Do I Love You Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
Dolores How I love the kisses of Dolores Aye-aye-aye Dolores Not Mar…
For All We Know For all we know We may never meet again Before we go Make…
How Long Has This Been Going On As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties, I…
I Surrender Dear Pride, sad, splendid liar, Sworn enemy of love Kept my…
I've Got the World On a String I've got the world on a string, sittin' on a…
If I Had You I could show the world how to smile I could be…
It Might As Well Be Spring I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm I'm as…
Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true J…
She's Funny That Way Once she dressed in silks and lace, Owned a Rolls…
Someone to Watch Over Me There's a saying old says that love is blind Still were…
Sweet And Lovely Sweet and lovely sweeter than the roses in May Sweet and…
That Old Black Magic Old black magic has me in its spell Old black magic…
The Man I Love The very thought of you makes my heart sing Like an…
There Is No Greater Love There is no greater love Than what I feel for you No…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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willie otoole
What a gorgeous tone! I wonder why we never heard more about this guy while he was still alive? I suspect because he wasn't doing weird and wonderful pyrotechnics a la Ornette Coleman and so was seen as old fashioned...? Ike was a straight ahead jazz man and, for my money, right up there with the best players. There is a simple truism that a lot of people seem to overlook: you don't have to be innovative to be good - to be great... well, maybe. Kenny Burrell provides some excellent guitar work on this set and though an accomplished all round musician always seems most comfortable and at his best when accompanying rather than soloing.
Ms. Porter
The master, Kenny Burrell, smooth strumming' like no other!
Lowell Boardman
There was a time when subtle style said it all. Elegant and eloquent phrasing.
hesaidawesome
In my opinion my cousin ikey is one of the best to ever do it!!!! Love listening to him.
morneb2000
this guy is very good!
elisabeth sauvage
J’adore ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Greg Dee
Well there's no actual Samba here but that's ok ... Sweet track.
Istvan Jenei
so great and cool!
HECTOR PINEDA SAX
Great !!!
MDWms
So Smooth!