Booker Ervin

Booker Ervin小時(shí)候就玩樂(lè)器了，不過(guò)當(dāng)時(shí)他玩的是老爸的伸縮號(hào)。直到加入了空軍服役后，靠著自學(xué)學(xué)會(huì)了薩克斯風(fēng)，自此才正式改行。 Ervin在五、六零年代間曾與抗議大王貝斯手Charles Mingus合作，一方面累積經(jīng)驗(yàn)與知名度，另一方面也從中學(xué)習(xí)到不少觀念。六零年代中期加入Prestige唱片并發(fā)行了許多張專輯，晚期則加入了Blue Note Records，發(fā)表了《The In Between》與《Tex Book Tenor》等專輯。 Ervin是六零年代間少數(shù)堅(jiān)持老派傳統(tǒng)根據(jù)和弦來(lái)即興的樂(lè)手，但這不表示他食古不化，他在創(chuàng)作上利用了不少調(diào)式〈Modal〉或其他新概念，然后用自己的傳統(tǒng)方式演奏；于是，「新舊交替」則成了Ervin音樂(lè)的正字標(biāo)記。
by Scott Yanow
A very distinctive tenor with a hard, passionate tone and an emotional style that was still tied to chordal improvisation, Booker Ervin was a true original. He was originally a trombonist, but taught himself tenor while in the Air Force (1950-1953). After studying music in Boston for two years, he made his recording debut with Ernie Fields R&B band (1956). Ervin gained fame while playing with Charles Mingus (off and on during 1956-1962), holding his own with the volatile bassist and Eric Dolphy. He also led his own quartet, worked with Randy Weston on a few occasions in the 60s, and spent much of 1964-1966 in Europe before dying much too young from kidney disease. Ervin, who is on several notable Charles Mingus records, made dates of his own for Bethlehem, Savoy, and Candid during 1960-1961, along with later sets for Pacific Jazz and Blue Note. His nine Prestige sessions of 1963-1966 (including The Freedom Book, The Song Book, The Blues Book, and The Space Book) are among the high points of his career.