Grant Green - Born to Be Blue

Guitarist Grant Green and tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec recorded very few sessions together. One of the best is contained on Born to Be Blue (Blue Note BST-84432). Born Ike Abrams Quebec in Newark, New Jersey, on August 17, 1918, Quebec was an accomplished dancer and pianist, who switched to tenor sax as his primary instrument in his early twenties, and quickly earned a reputation as a promising player. Blue Note's 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; and audiences responded well, leading to a number of warmly-received albums. Quebec's comeback, however, was cut short by his death from lung cancer on January 16, 1963. Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, on June 6, 1935 (although all the records released during his lifetime state he was born on June 6, 1931; he died on January 31, 1979), Grant Green was one of the most remarkable guitar players in jazz history. He started playing professionally at the age if 13 and during his career he played a variety of styles, moving on to rock & roll on his later years.

1) Someday My Prince Will Come
2) Born to Be Blue
3) Born to Be Blue (Alternate Take)
4) If I Should Lose You
5) Back in Your Own Back Yard
6) My One and Only Love
7) Count Every Star
8) Cool Blues
9) Outer Space