egroj world: Booker Ervin • The In Between

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Booker Ervin • The In Between

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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. 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. Every song on The In Between is an Ervin original designed to challenge the musicians. The music rarely reaches avant-garde territory -- instead, it's edgy, volatile hard bop that comes from the mind as much as the soul. Appropriately, Ervin balances his full-bodied tone with a forceful, aggressive attack that even sounds restless on the slower numbers. The result is a satisfying, cerebral set of adventurous hard bop that finds Booker Ervin at a creative peak.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-in-between-mw0000028245

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Reseña de Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Booker Ervin se dirigió a Blue Note en 1968 para The In Between, un disco en el que continuó la línea de sus posteriores sesiones de Prestige. Apoyado por el trompetista Richard Williams, el pianista Bobby Few, el bajista Cevera Jeffries y el baterista Lennie McBrowne, Ervin creó un álbum que empujó los límites del hard bop. Cada canción de The In Between es un original de Ervin diseñado para desafiar a los músicos. La música rara vez alcanza el territorio de la vanguardia, sino que es un hard bop nervioso y volátil que proviene tanto de la mente como del alma. Apropiadamente, Ervin equilibra su tono lleno de cuerpo con un ataque contundente y agresivo que incluso suena inquieto en los números más lentos. El resultado es un conjunto satisfactorio y cerebral de hard bop aventurero que encuentra a Booker Ervin en un pico creativo.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-in-between-mw0000028245

Tracks:
1 - The In Between - 7:39
2 - The Muse - 7:14
3 - Mour - 5:57
4 - Sweet Pea - 5:33
5 - Largo - 6:23
6 - Tyra - 7:28

Credits:
Bass – Cevera Jeffries Jr.
Drums – Lenny McBrowne
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Mastered By – Ron McMaster
Piano – Bobby Few Jr.*
Producer – Francis Wolff
Reissue Producer – Michael Cuscuna
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Composed By [All Compositions By] – Booker Ervin
Trumpet – Richard Williams (tracks: 1 to 4, 6)

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 12, 1968.

Label:    Blue Note – CDP 7243 8 59379 2 7
Series:    Blue Note Connoisseur Series
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Hard Bop, Post Bop
https://www.discogs.com/release/3017561-Booker-Ervin-The-In-Between