Booker Ervin - The Freedom Book (Hybrid SACD)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Booker Ervin, tenor sax [click here to see more products featuring Booker Ervin]
Jaki Byard, piano
Richard Davis, bass
Alan Dawson, drums
1 Hybrid SACD
Limited edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Stereo
Studio
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : Prestige
Recorded at Van Gelder’s Studio
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Produced by Don Schlitten
Remastered by Kevin Gray
Originally released in 1964
Reissued in 2022
Tracks :
- A Lunar Tune
- Cry Me Not
- Grant's Stand
- A day to Mourn
- Al's In
Reviews :
"In some ways tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin was the archetypal jazz player for the post-bop 1960s, combining the tradition of Texas sax with just the hint of edgy modernism, a sort of the Delta-meets-Morocco sound so accessible that it is easy to miss the chances Ervin took with his music. Although his career was short (cancer claimed him in the summer of 1970 when he was just shy of his 40th birthday), Ervin still managed to record some 20 albums as a frontman, most notably his "book" series, The Song Book, The Blues Book, The Space Book, and this fine session, The Freedom Book, which finds him working with a rhythm section of Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. Recorded on December 3, 1963, The Freedom Book is a near perfect set of modern hard bop, ranging just far enough out there to feel fresh but retaining a strong lifeline to bop tradition. Highlights of the session include an impressive Ervin original, "A Lunar Tune," a fine version of Randy Weston's "Cry Me Not," the deliberately strident "Al's In," and another Ervin composition, the moving "A Day to Mourn," an emotionally charged ballad written after the assassination of JFK.ballad written after the assassination of JFK. " AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett
"...the band's energy is clearly and dynamically captured, with a decent sense of air and focus. Kevin Gray did the mastering of this excellent QRP platter, so the quality of this welcome reissue is as good as it gets." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound Buyer's Guide 2016
Rating:
AllMusic 4.5/5 , Discogs 4.6/5 , The Absolute Sound : Music 4/5, Sonics 3.5/5