Search - Ike Quebec :: Heavy Soul

A most welcome reissue!

Dr.D.Treharne | Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom | 04/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is proof that Quebec was about to move back to successfully resume a career that had previously been badly affected by his narcotic intake. He'd already appeared on sessions by Jimmy Smith. Duke Pearson & Sonny Clarke in the early 60's and "Heavy Soul" was the first of four albums under his own name, that he was to produce for Blue Note before his untimely death in early 1963.Quebec's tone and breathing make his playing very distinctive and it's heard to great effect on this album where the group also allow him space to express himself. Listeners looking for a place to start might listen to the reading of "Nature Boy" where he's accompanied only by Milt Hinton on bass. Of the up tempo tracks 'Acquitted' and the bonus track 'Blues for Ike' are a great showcase for the ensemble, with Roach in particular knowing when to sit back, and when to insinuate himself into the mix.Of the slower track the two outstanding ones for me are 'The Man I love' and "Just one more chance" both of which also show the understanding between Hinton and Quebec, both of whom had served time with the Cab Calloway Band.Al Harewood who plays drums throughout can be propelling when needed, but he also sits in well on the slower numbers. As ever it's to be hoped that, having re-released "Soul Samba" that Blue Note would get around to re-releasing "It might as well be spring' with the same personel and perhaps some more out-takes from the sessions. However, as with all Blue Note reissues the advice remains the same, "Buy it now before they delete it!""

Ike Quebec great tenor player

Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 08/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes it happens to me to think about what kind of gems common people is missing without even knowing. Or better without being able to appreciate them because they don't have the tools, the informations to understand. Listening to this album from Ike Quebec, recorded in 1961, I find myself thinking .."what an era of mediocrity for the arts is the one we're living". People is completly unaware of the magic things has been done in the past. Done in years a lot more important than the ones we're living for the arts, so they take for good, stuff that simply has no value at all. So they piss away their money buying stuff of no artistic significance ... and think that with the same money (or even less) they could buy something of sheer beauty like "Heavy Soul" from Ike Quebec. Or even worst, they Judge this music we love, Jazz, as old, dated, untrendy .. when its beauty is simply ETERNAL. This album from Ike is one of the famous four Blue Notes of his comeback of the sixties. It is an organ album with his tenor as the main voice. Ike was really great we have to say this. He is even underrated among Jazz fans. He was one of the best for ballads and a solid blues infected musician for more fast tunes. The most evident thing is the beauty of his tone with the tenor which is amazing, really superb. His phrasing is eloquent, not simple and not complicated. Just right. The line up is Ike, Freddie Roach at the organ, Milt Hinton double bass, Al Harewood drums. I have to correct the previous reviewer who said that generally they didn't use a bass palyer with the organ because they didn't want an abundance of bass frequencies. It's nothing like that. It is simply because organ players do play bass parts with their feet! So they are bass players themselves! Why having another? Here Roach obviously didn't play the bass pedals and left to Milt Hinton the bassist role. This is the reason. When there's an organist a lot of times there are not abass player because the organ has a pedalboard for the bass lines and the organist do them with the feet. This album is exceptional. And when ballads time comes (there are some here) Ike simply "clean the scene". Musthave."

The begining of an addiction

Todd M. Stellhorn | baltimore, MD | 07/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was the first Ike Quebec album I ever listened to and the sheer strenght of the man's tone pulled me in from the first note to the last. I would even go so far as to say that of all the big toned tenors (Ben Webster, Illinois Jacquet, Gene Ammons, etc.) Ike was the greatest, not solely because of the deep-spit-soaked-sound he could coax from his sax, but also for the wealth of ideas he had and the emotion which was always present. I've gotten everything else by Ike that I could find (including the wonderful "easy living")and I can say with out hesitation that Ike never put out an inferior product. Quite simply you can't go wrong with a blue note Quebec album.

"