Blue & Sentimental

Ike Quebec was already pretty obsolete by the time he signed to Blue Note in 1959. It was widely known that Albert Lion was such a huge Quebec fan that he signed the 41 year old sax player out of sheer love of his previous work, even know he was fully aware that there was almost no demand for new material from the seasoned vet. But damn it all if these Quebec Blue Note dates didn't yield some fucking great records, such as Blue & Sentimental. Albert was sentimental but not a fucking fool. And sentimental it is, this record brims with a nostalgic sadness, it IS blue, it IS sentimental. Sadly Quebec died of lung cancer in 1963 , in the midst of this amazing comeback. Quebec was a disciple of the Coleman Hawkins/Lester Young school of swoon, and he is at his best when blowing out a smoky ballad, which there are a few of here. Ike is joined on this date by a great band made up of Grant Green, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones.

Here