For those unaware, this new 4CD collection contains eight original albums by American jazz tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec, covering almost his entire output for Blue Note.

Born 17 August 1918, Ike Abrams Quebec was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career in the big band era of the 1940s, then fell from prominence for a time, before launching a comeback in the years prior to his death in 1963.

An accomplished dancer and pianist in his youth, he switched to tenor sax as his primary instrument in his early twenties and quickly earned a reputation as a promising player. His performance career started in 1940 with the Barons of Rhythm. The Barons disbanded in 1941 when the USA entered the war, and they were never recorded.

This new collection contains eight original albums by Ike Quebec, which cover almost his entire output, including the aforementioned 78 rpm releases from the 1940s, his Blue Note singles from the mid to late 1950s, plus the five albums he released on Blue Note between 1959 and 1963.

A must-have compilation for jazz fans everywhere, a delight for beginners to the great man’s music, and a fine reminder for those already at least somewhat versed.

Ater his recording career with the Barons of Rhythm, he later recorded and/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). Due to his exceptional sight reading skills, Quebec was also 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 of new developments in jazz, and his later playing incorporated elements of hard bop, bossa nova, and soul jazz. Quebec also occasionally recorded on piano, as on his 1961 Blue & Sentimental album, where he alternated between tenor and piano, playing the latter behind Grant Green’s guitar solos.

In 1959 he began 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; audiences responded well, leading to a number of warmly received albums.

Disc 1:
Hard Tack; If I Had You; Topsy; Cup-Mute Clayton; Dolores; Sweethearts On Parade; A Light Reprieve; The Buzzard Lope; Blue Monday; Zonky; Later For The Rock; Sweet And Lovely; Dear John; Blue Friday; Everything Happens To Me; Mardi Gras; What A Difference A Day Makes; For All We Know

Disc 2:
Ill Wind; If I Could Be With You; I’ve Got The World On A String; Me ’N Mabe; All Of Me; Intermezzo; But Not For Me; All The Way; Acquitted; Just One More Chance; Que’s Dilemma; Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?; The Man I Love; Heavy Soul; I Want A Little Girl; Nature Boy

Disc 3:
It Might As Well Be Spring; A Light Reprieve; Easy - Don’t Hurt; Lover Man; Ol’ Man River; Willow Weep For Me; Blue And Sentimental; Minor Impulse; Don’t Take Your Love From Me; Blues for Charlie; Like; Count Every Star

Disc 4:
See See Rider; Congo Lament; Que’s Pills; I’ve Got A Crush On You; Nancy (With The Laughing Face); Easy Living; Loie; Lloro Tu Despedida; Goin’ Home; Me ’N You; Liebestraum; Shu Shu; Blue Samba; Favela; Linda Flor

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