Review
by Steve Leggett
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. [A bonus track, an interesting and brief treatment of Victor Young's "Stella by Starlight," a piece strongly associated with Charlie Parker, that was recorded at the Freedom Book session but originally released on the album Groovin' High, is included on the 2007 edition, further capping off a wonderful album.]
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-freedom-book-mw0000177151
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Reseña
por Steve Leggett
En cierto modo, el saxofonista tenor Booker Ervin fue el arquetipo de jazzista de los años 60 posteriores al bop, combinando la tradición del saxo tejano con un toque de modernismo vanguardista, una especie de sonido Delta-meets-Morocco tan accesible que es fácil pasar por alto las oportunidades que Ervin tomó con su música. Aunque su carrera fue corta (el cáncer se lo llevó en el verano de 1970, cuando estaba a punto de cumplir 40 años), Ervin se las arregló para grabar unos 20 álbumes como líder, sobre todo su serie de "libros", The Song Book, The Blues Book, The Space Book y esta magnífica sesión, The Freedom Book, en la que trabaja con una sección rítmica formada por Jaki Byard al piano, Richard Davis al bajo y Alan Dawson a la batería. Grabado el 3 de diciembre de 1963, The Freedom Book es un conjunto casi perfecto de hard bop moderno, que va lo suficientemente lejos como para sentirse fresco, pero conservando una fuerte línea de vida a la tradición del bop. Lo más destacado de la sesión incluye un impresionante original de Ervin, "A Lunar Tune", una buena versión de "Cry Me Not" de Randy Weston, la deliberadamente estridente "Al's In", y otra composición de Ervin, la conmovedora "A Day to Mourn", una balada cargada de emoción escrita tras el asesinato de JFK. [En la edición de 2007 se incluye un tema extra, un interesante y breve tratamiento de "Stella by Starlight" de Victor Young, una pieza muy asociada a Charlie Parker, que se grabó en la sesión del Freedom Book pero que se publicó originalmente en el álbum Groovin' High, lo que pone aún más la guinda a un álbum maravilloso].
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-freedom-book-mw0000177151
1 - A Lunar Tune - 7:43
2 - Cry Me Not - 4:49
3 - Grant's Stand - 7:56
4 - A Day To Mourn - 9:28
5 - Al's In - 9:47
Credits:
Bass – Richard Davis (2)
Drums – Alan Dawson
Liner Notes [Jan. 1964] – David A. Himmelstein*
Piano – Jaki Byard
Producer, Design, Photography By – Don Schlitten
Remastered By – Phil De Lancie
Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin
Written-By – Booker Ervin (tracks: 1, 3 to 5)
Recorded in Englewood Cliffs, NJ; December 3, 1963.
Recorded At – Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Label: Original Jazz Classics – OJCCD-845-2, Prestige – P-7295
Country: US
Released: 1995
Genre: Jazz
Style: Hard Bop
https://www.discogs.com/release/9815666-Booker-Ervin-The-Freedom-Book
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