Jazz / Post-Bop; Hard Bop
Booker Ervin - Sax (Tenor)
Al Harewood - Drums
Barbara Long - Vocals
Billy Howell - Trumpet
Bob Porter - Producer
Dannie Richmond - Drums
George Tucker - Bass
Horace Parlan - Piano
Maude Gilman - Art Direction
Richard Gene Williams - Trumpet
Rudy Van Gelder - Mastering
Steve Backer - Executive Producer
Tom Wilson - Producer
This LP from 1978 reissues tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin's second session as a leader (with a quintet also including trumpeter Richard Williams, pianist Horace Parlan, bassist George Tucker and drummer Dannie Richmond) plus two songs ("When You're Smilin'" and "The Trolley Song") from an obscure set by singer Barbara Long that contain Ervin solos. The main session has four Ervin originals plus two standards. The intense tenor, whose sound had roots in early R&B but was open to the influence of the avant-garde, was instantly recognizable by 1960 and this music, although not essential (it has not yet been reissued in complete form on CD domestically), has many strong solos by Ervin, Williams and Parlan. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Booker Ervin
Active Decades: '50s and '60s
Born: Oct 31, 1930 in Denison, TX
Died: Jul 31, 1970 in New York, NY
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Hard Bop, Mainstream Jazz, Post-Bop
A very distinctive tenor with a hard, passionate tone and an emotional style that was still tied to chordal improvisation, Booker Ervin was a true original. He was originally a trombonist, but taught himself tenor while in the Air Force (1950-1953). After studying music in Boston for two years, he made his recording debut with Ernie Fields' R&B band (1956). Ervin gained fame while playing with Charles Mingus (off and on during 1956-1962), holding his own with the volatile bassist and Eric Dolphy. He also led his own quartet, worked with Randy Weston on a few occasions in the '60s, and spent much of 1964-1966 in Europe before dying much too young from kidney disease. Ervin, who is on several notable Charles Mingus records, made dates of his own for Bethlehem, Savoy, and Candid during 1960-1961, along with later sets for Pacific Jazz and Blue Note. His nine Prestige sessions of 1963-1966 (including The Freedom Book, The Song Book, The Blues Book, and The Space Book) are among the high points of his career.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
