BST 84283

Booker Ervin - The In Between

Released - 1968

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, January 12, 1968
Richard Williams, trumpet #1-5; Booker Ervin, tenor sax, flute; Bobby Few Jr., piano; Cevera Jeffries Jr., bass; Lenny McBrowne, drums.

2021 tk.6 Sweet Pea
2022 tk.8 The In Between
2023 tk.12 Mour
2024 tk.19 The Muse
2025 tk.26 Tyra
2026 tk.28 Largo

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
The In Between	Booker Ervin	January 12 1968
The Muse	Booker Ervin	January 12 1968
Mour	Booker Ervin	January 12 1968
Side Two
Sweet Pea	Booker Ervin	January 12 1968
Largo	Booker Ervin	January 12 1968
Tyra	Booker Ervin	January 12 1968

Liner Notes

BIG, FULL, OPEN, “LOUD.” There are other ways of describing Booker Ervin’s sound. Those just happen to be a few that I think are particularly appropos. “LOUD,” as I mean ¡t, connotes a basically honest projection of his emotions, without any special regard for modulation. That, coupled with his appreciation for the “big” “full” sound his instrument is capable of producing makes him seem “loud.” The important thing is, the fact that it’s Booker, and his way of doing it. Self-expression is indeed a precious possession.

On the other hand, Booker Ervin is a soft-spoken man. There is a kind of contradiction between his “horn sound” and his “voice sound.” (I don’t think they have to be totally similar.) There is nothing contradictory about his playing though. It’s as clear as the colors of the rainbow and just as bright.

Oh, but Booker is capable of being very blue. The way he caresses notes on a single thread of sound. The way he bends and twists them and makes them fit. To experience his playing on certain ballads, is to experience heart break or a love affair. (The choice is always Booker’s.)

He mixes moods very well too. (Dig Muse.) He wrote and recorded a tune shortly after the death of President Kennedy that he called A Day To Mourn. In it, he captures and unites joy and sadness perfectly.

Clarity, is another of Booker’s assets. His lines are always “spoken” in an uncluttered, orderly fashion. I get the impression that there is little, if any, room for excess notes in the construction of his ideas.

He seems to thrive on tempo. “Upstairs,” he is like a huge jetliner as it sucks in acres of air and thrusts itself skyward while all along it’s engines are whirling in furious precision. He climbs and climbs until he reaches his peak, then he levels off and just lays there, gliding like a giant eagle.

A second horn in Booker’s domain is always sure to bring forth some other truths about him. He thoroughly enjoys the art of jazz and has mastered the art of playing together. That’s exactly what’s happening ¡n this album.

Richard Williams is another player who is often found in and around big bands where there’s a lot of playing. This man is stimulated from head to toe, literally, whenever he plays his horn. Next time you see him watch his physical involvement while he plays. In the meantime, hear that same involvement translated into sound in his playing here. The Muse offers a perfect example of this man’s capabilities. I’d love to see Richard do a record date of his own, where he’d set it up exactly the way he’d like.

Lenny McBrowne is another player in the sense that he really digs playing his instrument. With a broad smile flashing through his Van Dyke, Lenny assumes his position and ignites a smile in his playing. He’s light, swift and thorough. He’s also a very eager man. That comes through quite a lot in his playing. Maybe “progressive” is a better word.

Bobby Few and Cevera Jeffries are both from Cleveland, and are new on the Booker Ervin podium. I’m quite impressed by what they’re doing here. If you feel the same way about it, then they’ve won a couple of very sincere friends, you and me.

So it is with the music (jazz), if you “let it BE,” natural, that is, and you in turn “BE” as natural and honest, a very fruitful and lasting friendship is bound to occur.

Booker Ervin is natural and he’s honest. If we accept him on those terms there can be no misunderstanding. With Booker, there really is no “In Between.”

—ED WILLIAMS “Maiden Voyage” WLIB FM