Give It Up For Booker!

[felser]

Booker Ervin, Booker T. Jones, Cory Booker, I'm a big fan of all three, especially Mr. Ervin.  And there's always

[Peter Friedman]

I have somewhat mixed thoughts about Booker Ervin. I really liked his album on Candid and also some of his other "early" recordings. But 2 things caused me to lose a bit of my enthusiasm about his playing.

One was what Chuck said about Booker having just 2 solos.. There was a sameness to his solos that indicated he was less creative than I had earlier thought. The other was his very lengthy solos on a number of albums. In general, with some limited exceptions, I tend to find very long solos less than satisfying. While that is true (for me) for many musicians, it seemed to be even more of a problem when the very long solo was by Booker Ervin.

I agree that his intensity is often a big plus, especially when his solos are not too long.

So to sum up, I do like a number of Booker Ervins recordings, but my overall opinion of his playing is less positive that it was in the beginning. 

[JSngry]

[kh1958]

He does not sound like he has only two solos to me.

[AllenLowe]

On 3/23/2003 at 0:34 PM, JSngry said:

May I recommend

 

?

 

Although it's Bill Barron's date, this is some of the finest Booker Ervin on record, as is

 

many years ago I talked to Bill Barron about that album and I said to him it was and amazing thing to go up against a player like Ervin and really hold your own; he was very modest about this, but clearly quite proud. Bill was a good guy.

Edited April 4, 2020 by AllenLowe

[JSngry]

26 minutes ago, AllenLowe said:

 Bill was a good guy.

And clearly deserving of a good Mosaic set.

[felser]

This one is spectacular:

1 minute ago, JSngry said:

And clearly deserving of a good Mosaic set.

As is Ervin, for that matter.   But I guess we won't see anything but Binglerosie (your great term) from them, sales concerns being what they are.

[AllenLowe]

from my favorite Booker album:https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=structurally+sound+youtube+boker+ervin&docid=608024397850610719&mid=E64F4FF34AE915A3FF82E64F4FF34AE915A3FF82&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

[Late]

This is my favorite Ervin record. The last track, "Tyra," should be played during the end credits of a noir film.

[HutchFan]

I decided to pick up this thread because I've been enjoying Booker Ervin so much lately.   I've loved his music for years.  Just listening to it again a lot lately.  And getting bowled over by it as much as ever.

Also, looking thru the thread, I noticed no one's mentioned a Booker album that I think is really wonderful:

I've had this CD for decades, but -- for whatever reason -- it's just really GRABBED me lately.  Now, it just might be my single favorite Booker record!

It's a sort of variation on the Space Book and Freedom Book records -- with Jaki Byard & Alan Dawson -- but here Reggie Workman subs for Richard Davis.  Of course, the other difference is Dexter sits in on two of the four cuts.  All of it was recorded in Munich in 1965.  (Originally, the two cuts with Dexter were released on LP as Setting the Pace.  The other two cuts w/o Dexter -- plus "Groovin' at the Jamboree," which isn't on this CD -- were on Booker's LP The Trance.)   

I love the whole two tenor thing.  I think this is a really extraordinary example.  And the two cuts with sans Dex are tremendous too.

 

Since I've been on a Hammond B3 kick lately, I also wanted to mention Booker's records with Don Patterson:

  

The Exciting New Organ is available on the Patterson & Ervin Legends of Acid Jazz CD.   Hip Cake Walk is (unfortunately) spread across two CDs: the same Legends of Acid Jazz disc, as well as another CD in the series, Legends of Acid Jazz: Just Friends (with Patterson, Booker and Houston Person).  

 

And finally here's one more with Booker, Patterson AND Sonny Stitt.  Also outstanding.

FYI - Booker plays on five of this CD's seven tracks.

Hooray for Booker Ervin!  

 

 

On 4/6/2020 at 2:25 PM, Late said:

This is my favorite Ervin record. The last track, "Tyra," should be played during the end credits of a noir film.

 

I need to get that LP!   It's one of the few Ervin-led dates that I don't have.  

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by HutchFan

[bertrand]

On 4/4/2020 at 6:16 PM, kh1958 said:

He does not sound like he has only two solos to me.

Yes, that statement is an oversimplification.

PS: Just read the original post which suggests there was a conspiracy to hide the alleged shortcomings. That made me laugh.

Edited August 21, 2020 by bertrand

[kh1958]

Setting The Pace was one of the first jazz records I bought, circa. 1974. The recently released Art Blakey and the New Jazz Men is sort of a companion to Setting the Pace/The Trance, as the liner notes on Prestige refer to concerts with that group.

[mikeweil]

3 hours ago, HutchFan said:

Since I've been on a Hammond B3 kick lately, I also wanted to mention Booker's records with Don Patterson:

  

The Exciting New Organ is available on the Patterson & Ervin Legends of Acid Jazz CD.   Hip Cake Walk is (unfortunately) spread across two CDs: the same Legends of Acid Jazz disc, as well as another CD in the series, Legends of Acid Jazz: Just Friends (with Patterson, Booker and Houston Person).  

That is because they recorded two sessions that both yielded more material than would fit on an LP. Booker's Legends of Acid Jazz has the complete first session except for one track that was only on a 45 rpm single, and the other CD has the second session, including three tracks that were only released years later on two different Patterson compilation LPs with unissued tracks. See my Patterson disco .... 

[HutchFan]

1 minute ago, mikeweil said:

That is because they recorded two sessions that both yielded more material than would fit on an LP. Booker's Legends of Acid Jazz has the complete first session except for one track that was only on a 45 rpm single, and the other CD has the second session, including three tracks that were only released years later on two different Patterson compilation LPs with unissued tracks. See my Patterson disco .... 

Yep. From a session point of view, the way that those two CDs are assembled makes perfect sense. 

But listeners do lose out on the original LP sequencing -- if you want to hear things from that perspective -- at least when it comes to Hip Cake Walk.  (Unless you happen to have both CDs and you make a playlist, like I did. )

 

[mikeweil]

That will be a never ending cause for argument - session order vs. "original LP" order. In the end it depends on listening habits. You expect a certain track when you've grown up with the LP. But sometimes session order gives the tracks a different sense of dynamics which I find very interesting. 

[HutchFan]

57 minutes ago, mikeweil said:

That will be a never ending cause for argument - session order vs. "original LP" order. In the end it depends on listening habits. You expect a certain track when you've grown up with the LP. But sometimes session order gives the tracks a different sense of dynamics which I find very interesting. 

I agree with you.  There's no "right" way.  Just preferences. 

Plus, having the music in digital form makes it easy to (re)sequence it however one wishes. 

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by HutchFan

[soulpope]

Really love Booker Ervin .... 

[Late]

On 8/18/2020 at 11:01 AM, HutchFan said:

I need to get that LP!   It's one of the few Ervin-led dates that I don't have.  

You're gonna love it. It's always seemed a little more heartfelt to me than his Prestige dates. The young Bobby Few on piano adds a slight twist.

[HutchFan]

On 8/18/2020 at 3:58 PM, kh1958 said:

Setting The Pace was one of the first jazz records I bought, circa. 1974. The recently released Art Blakey and the New Jazz Men is sort of a companion to Setting the Pace/The Trance, as the liner notes on Prestige refer to concerts with that group.

You came roaring out of the gates, kh!  Great way to start a jazz collection!   

 

59 minutes ago, Late said:

You're gonna love it. It's always seemed a little more heartfelt to me than his Prestige dates. The young Bobby Few on piano adds a slight twist.

Fantastic!