Booker ervin space book 1964 prestige londonjazzcollector. Booker ervin is a strong, powerful, earthy, bluesy player. Supported by trumpeter richard williams, pianist bobby few, bassist cevera jeffries and drummer lennie mcbrowne, ervin created an album that pushed the boundaries of hard bop. The freedom star goodreads meet your next favorite book. Bookers melancholy sound is the strange marriage of. Simon spillett prepared this piece on booker ervin to accompany a 2017 release on the acrobat label booker ervin. It both highlights ervins soulful, passionate playing as well as features an allstar plus backing band of zoot sims, the woefully under documented trumpeter, tommy turpentine stanleys brother, as well as an ace rhythm section. But it was his series of song books for prestige records that broadcast the stentorian announcement that a jazz orator of gigantic stature. Recorded at van gelder studio, englewood cliffs, nj, on 3 december 1963. Jun 11, 2019 two fantastic jazzmen who have yet to get their full due. With an approach somewhere between john coltrane and sonny rollins, though far more sinewy than both those players, booker ervin solos throughout this lp with amazing dexterity and panache. Booker ervin ts jaki byard p richard davis b alan dawson d recorded rudy van gelder studio, englewood cliffs, nj, december 3, 1963. Feb 14, 2017 booker ervin the space book 1964 posted on february 14, 2017 march 6, 2018 by adam maiorano any musician expecting to play for an extended period in charles mingus band had to find his own voice quickly and learn to play at the peak of his abilities. It both highlights ervin s soulful, passionate playing as well as features an all star plus backing band of zoot sims, the woefully under documented trumpeter, tommy turpentine stanleys brother, as well as an ace rhythm section.
May 09, 2007 the first of four thematically linked albums, tenor saxophonist booker ervin s the freedom book is an overlooked classic. Find similar albums to the freedom book booker ervin on allmusic allmusic. Booker ervin tenor saxophone, tommy flanagan piano, richard davis bass, alan dawson drums, don schlitten producer, design, photography, rudy van gelder recording engineer, dan morgenstern liner notes. Booker ervin freedom book 1963 prestige londonjazzcollector. A lunar tune immediately kicks the lp into a racetrack groove, with ervin blowing hard as his. Booker ervin the freedom book prestige 1964 flophouse. Well i bought this cd from amazon, and with the purchase of the blues book i now have six booker ervin albums. The freedom star, by jeff andrews very well written story, i absolutely was there in 1860 right along side of this authors characters. Of booker ervin s nine prestige albums, this one is special because it presents him exclusively in the contexts of standard songs. Ervin played on some of mingus greatest recordings, including the seminal lp mingus ah um. Booker ervin the freedom and space sessions 1979, vinyl. During 19631965, ervin led ten albums for prestige and each has its rewarding moments.
Booker ervin freedom book france admin april 8, 2020 april 9, 2020. This is my first exposure to booker ervin, love it. You really hear it when they let loose on the opening track of the freedom book. Only number two and mojo of this album are really all that spacey. Recorded at van gelder studio, englewood cliffs, nj, on 3. The song book, the blues book and the space book were all subsequently recorded in 1964 for prestige, but this seminal 1963 recording is a masterpiece of unconventional, advanced hard bop. The freedom book, recorded at the end of 1963, was one of ervin s masterpieces. The underrated and distinctive texas tenorist booker ervin 193070 is in inspired form on the first of his book sessions recorded in new jersey on december 3, 1963 with a superb rhythm section of jaki byardpiano. He is best known for his association with bassist charles mingus. Ervin s aggressiveness, his ferocity, his incomparable texas spaciousness of sound and style, are undiminished. Oct 08, 2012 booker erivns album freedom book, 1963 booker ervin, tenor sax jaki byard, piano richard davis, bass alan dawson, drums. He repeats himself a lot, and seems to have a relatively small vocabulary of riffs, scales and patterns, all of which he uses brilliantly.
Booker ervin and jaki byard both veterans of mingus, have paid their dues, and play edgy modern bop superb. Booker ervin the freedom book 200g lp stereo booker ervin. Booker ervin headed to blue note in 1968 for the in between, a record that found him continuing in the vein of his later prestige sessions. Booker telleferro ervin ii october 31, 1930 august 31, 1970 was an american tenor saxophone player. The third of ten titles recorded for prestige between 1963 and 1966, booker ervin s the freedom book finds the texasborn tenor player supported by the insync rhythm section of jaki byard piano, richard davis bass, and alan dawson drums. That best work is the halfdozen or so albums he made for prestige in the mid60s, and particularly the freedom book and the space book. Original jazz classics ojccd8962 booker ervin the space book prestige p24091 booker ervin the freedom and space sessions prestige pr 7417. I think stef would agree with me in that i dont think there is a single mediocre lp in the entirety of those mentioned above.
In some ways tenor saxophonist booker ervin was the archetypal jazz player for the postbop 1960s, combining the tradition of texas sax with just the hint of edgy modernism, a sort of the deltameetsmorocco sound so accessible that it is easy to. One of the obvious choices for rerelease is booker ervins initial recording as a leader, the book cooks. Van gelder studio, englewood cliffs, nj, december 3, 1963. I think this book should be read by everyone as a reminder of that time and what it was like for so many people living through it. See more ideas about roland kirk, jazz and jazz musicians. Buy booker ervin s album titled freedom book bonus track to enjoy in your home or car, or. Tenor saxophonist booker ervin s quartet with pianist jaki byard, bassist richard davis and drummer alan dawson was so strong and dynamic that it is surprising that it only existed in the recording studio, and only for two sessions. Considered the pinnacle of ervins book series blues, space and freedom. Booker ervin the freedom book full album free music.
Showcasing book booker on sale now on the internet. Booker ervin tenor saxophone, jaki byard piano, richard davis bass, alan dawson drums, don schlitten producer, design, photography, rudy van gelder recording engineer, david himmelstein liner notes. The underrated and distinctive texas tenorist booker ervin 19301970 is in inspired form on the first of his book sessions recorded in new jersey on december 3, 1963 with a superb rhythm section of jaki byardpiano. Booker ervin s version of a lunar tune ervin from his album the freedom book. Booker ervin vinyl records and cds for sale musicstack. The song book, the blues book and the space book were all subsequently recorded in 1964 for prestige, but this seminal 1963 recording is a masterpiece of unconventional, advanced hard bop less free than the title suggests, the album remains challenging. The two ervin originals number two and mojo are freefalling bottle rockets, fizzing and dangerous. Although his career was short cancer claimed him in the summer of 1970 when he was just shy of his 40th. Freedom book, song book, blues book, and space book, each with its own rotating cast of players. These days booker ervin is remembered for his association with charles mingus, a fruitful period that resulted in some amazing albums, but ervin also had a great run of solo records on prestige, the best of which are his book series which began with the release of the freedom book in 1964. If booker ervin had recorded his four book albums for bluenote records instead of prestige, they would be considered classic jazz records. For the fourth and final of ervin s series of books, the music is. Oct 22, 2014 the freedom book is one of booker ervins finest recordings.
In some ways tenor saxophonist booker ervin was the archetypal jazz player for the postbop 1960s, combining the tradition of texas sax with just the hint of edgy modernism, a sort of the deltameetsmorocco sound so accessible that it is easy to miss the chances ervin took with his music. He first reached a wide audience in 1958, when he began playing with the great bassist charles mingus. Booker ervin of course did end up with a blue note contract in the late 1960s, but his best work was behind him at that point. Jun 30, 2017 the sound of grief is audible everywhere in a state of freedom, but it never drowns out the voices insisting on their right to thrive. Freedom book bonus track by booker ervin 888072301603. One of the obvious choices for rerelease is booker ervin s initial recording as a leader, the book cooks. Original jazz classics ojccd9192 booker ervin groovin high. Booker erivns album freedom book, 1963 booker ervin, tenor sax jaki byard, piano richard davis, bass alan dawson, drums. Orthmann, published on july 21, 2004 at all about jazz. But still, the lineup for space book and the freedom book is among the best quartets ever assembled. To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
The freedom book has ervin interacting with the unbeatable rhythm section of pianist jaki byard, bassist richard davis, and drummer alan dawson. Browse a comprehensive variety of book booker in stock and ready for shipping here. Booker ervin the space book 1964 jazz of the spheres. The grossly underappreciated tenor saxophonist displays all his strong points. Let me tell you, this one can hold its own with the best of them. The freedom book is an album by american jazz saxophonist booker ervin featuring performances recorded in 1963 for the prestige label. The song book is an album by american jazz saxophonist booker ervin featuring performances recorded in 1964 for the prestige label.
Dec 27, 2011 booker ervin s version of a lunar tune ervin from his album the freedom book. The third of ten titles recorded for prestige between 1963 and 1966, booker ervins the freedom book finds the texasborn tenor player supported by the insync rhythm section of jaki byard piano, richard davis bass, and alan dawson drums. The item youve selected was not added to your cart. A lunar tune immediately kicks the lp into a racetrack groove, with ervin blowing hard as his fellows breathlessly tear into this furiously.
The third of ten titles recorded for prestige between 1963 and 1966, booker ervin s the freedom book finds the texasborn tenor player supported by the insync rhythm section of. Cover has some wear see photos and the seams have come apart not torn and require glue. Booker ervin, alan dawson, richard davis, tommy flanagan, maurice ravel, bert shefter, mitchell parish. It took me a while after finishing the book to get my thoughts in order, like most books that ive loved as an adult, this book wasnt written to please, rather to make you scratch your brain cells through your scalp. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and bluesgospel phrasing. Soon after he went on to record the book series for prestige. One of the most dynamic aspects of mukherjees flawed but. Booker ervin the freedom book lp prestige 1964 rvg mono. Booker ervin the freedom book prestige pr 7295 booker ervin, tenor sax. It is part of a series that byard later did for eventually blue note and includes structurally sound and the in between.
No lands man perkins artists frank strozier alto sax booker ervin tenor sax horace parlan piano butch warren bass walter perkins drums recorded rudy van gelder studio, englewood cliffs, nj, june 19, 1963 following the familiar path of military service, then college music education, the young texan booker ervin cut his. Stylistically and chronologically, it falls somewhere between the freedom book and the space book, but is definitely more rooted in the blues as the title indicates. Simon spillett authored this article on booker ervin to accompany a 2017 release on the acrobat label booker ervin. May 21, 2012 booker ervin ts jaki byard p richard davis b alan dawson d recorded rudy van gelder studio, englewood cliffs, nj, december 3, 1963. The freedom book rvg remaster by booker ervin on amazon. Tenor saxophonist booker ervin possessed one of the warmest and emotionally expressive tones in jazz. Booker ervinthe freedom book200 gram vinyl recordacoustic. But his style went beyond the classic texas tenor tradition to incorporate the intricacies of bebop and suggestions of the free jazz that was initiating one of the periods of selfrenewal that keeps jazz fresh and interesting. The good book acrobat acqcd 7121 which compiled his three earliest albums the book cooks, cookin and thats it. The first of four thematically linked albums, tenor saxophonist booker ervin s the freedom book is an overlooked classic.
Randy westons cry me not is strayhorn esque and beautiful. The freedom book rudy van gelder remasters booker ervin. My favorite musically of the prestige stereo series so far. The freedom book is one of booker ervin s finest recordings.
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