There may not be a more apropos album title in all of recorded music than tenor saxophonist Ike Quebecs 1961 classic Heavy Soul. The session marked a comeback for a crucial player in Blue Note history.

Quebec had recorded a series of 78s for Alfred Lion in the 1940s and also served as a talent scout who encouraged Lion to record important figures of the emerging bebop scene including Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell.

After a difficult period through the 1950s, Lion began to reintroduce Quebecs music to jazz fans in 1959 with a series of 45 jukebox singles that were well received and inspired Lion to put the saxophonist back into the studio for a full album session. So, in November 1961 Quebec brought a 4-piece band into Van Gelder Studio