Booker Telleferro Ervin II (1930 – 1970) was an American hard bop tenor saxophone player. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hard bop is a style of Jazz that is an extension of Bebop (or "bop" music The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind He was perhaps best known for his association with bassist Charles Mingus. Charles Mingus ( 22 April 1922 &ndash 5 January 1979) was an American Jazz Bassist, Composer,
Ervin was born in Denison, Texas and after teaching himself tenor saxophone while in the United States Air Force moved to the Boston area and studied at Berklee College of Music. Denison is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 22773 at the 2000 census but Berklee College of Music, founded in 1945 is an independent music College in Boston Massachusetts. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing, perhaps inspired by growing up in the south.
He moved to New York to join Horace Parlan's quartet, with whom he recorded Up & Down (Blue Note), and Happy Frame of Mind (Blue Note). Horace Parlan (born 1931 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an American Hard bop and Post-bop Piano player Ervin worked with Charles Mingus from 1956 to 1963, appearing on "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on the album Mingus Ah Um or "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" on Blues and Roots, as well as Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus. Charles Mingus ( 22 April 1922 &ndash 5 January 1979) was an American Jazz Bassist, Composer, Mingus Ah Um is a Jazz album by Charles Mingus, recorded and released on Columbia Records in 1959. Blues & Roots is an Album by Charles Mingus, recorded and released in 1959 Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus is a 1963 (see 1963 in music) album by Jazz composer and Bassist Charles Mingus. During the 1960s Ervin also led his own quartet, recording for Prestige Records with ex-Mingus associate pianist Jaki Byard along with Richard Davis and Alan Dawson on drums. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Prestige Records was a Record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock ( October 2, 1928 &ndash January 14, 2006) Jaki (John Byard ( June 15, 1922 in Worcester Massachusetts – February 11, 1999 in New York City) was an American Richard Davis (born April 15, 1930) is an American Double bass player who has been a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Alan Dawson ( 14 July, 1929 - 23 February, 1996) was a respected jazz drummer and widely influential percussion teacher based in Ervin later recorded for Blue Note Records, and played with pianist Randy Weston. Randy Weston (born April 6, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American Jazz Pianist and Composer
He died of kidney disease in 1970, aged 39. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [1]
Notable recordings
- Booker Little and Booker Ervin Sounds of the Inner City (1960) with hard-bop trumpeter Little. Booker Little Jr ( 2 April, 1938 in Memphis Tennessee &ndash 5 October, 1961 in New York City, New York was an
- The Book Cooks (1960) Bethlehem Records. Bethlehem Records was a record label founded by Gus Wild and bought by King Records.
- That's It (1961) Candid Records
His most highly-regarded records are the nine he made for Prestige Records between 1963 and 1966:
- Exultation - (1963) -
- The Freedom Book (1963) - with his backing trio of Jaki Byard, Richard Davis and Alan Dawson. Candid Records was founded as a subsidiary of Archie Bleyer 's Cadence label in New York City in 1960. Prestige Records was a Record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock ( October 2, 1928 &ndash January 14, 2006)
- The Song Book,
- Booker Ervin and Pony Poindexter Gumbo - (1963) - the CD issue has the original Gumbo album with New Orleans saxist Poindexter plus a session made by Ervin and organist Larry Young in the same year. Norwood "Pony" Poindexter (Feb 8 1926 New Orleans, Louisiana - Apr Prestige Records. Prestige Records was a Record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock ( October 2, 1928 &ndash January 14, 2006)
- The Blues Book (1964) -
- The Space Book (1964) - also with Byard, Davis and Dawson.
- Setting The Pace (1965) - and more with the classic trio -
- The Trance,
- Heavy!.
After leaving Prestige in 1966 he moved to Pacific Records and then to Blue Note Records. Pacific Records has been the name of at least two Record labels of the 20th century Pacific Records (2004 Pacific Records was founded in 2004 Records from this era include:
- Structurally Sound (1966) -
- The In Between - (1968) - Blue Note Records
- Tex Book Tenor (1968) recorded the same week as 'The In Between, at Rudy Van Gelder's in New Jersey. Rudy Van Gelder (born November 2, 1924, in Jersey City New Jersey) is a recording engineer specializing in Jazz. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. with Woody Shaw and Kenny Barron. Woody Herman Shaw II ( December 24, 1944 &ndash May 10, 1989) ( United States) was a Jazz Trumpeter and Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943 in Philadelphia) is a United States jazz pianist. Blue Note Records
Sources
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