The Space Book

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (30 ratings)

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ALBUM INFORMATION

Total Tracks: 4   Total Length: 35:37

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Landmark status

robertwingfield

This stands with Freedom Book as a landmark of the post-bop era. This quartet was the equal of any other in the world. Don't hesitate, just get it.

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why not booker ervin?

chexmix

It's a fun (if unreliable) treat to try listening to something one knows nothing about. In this case, I was attracted to the record by the star-spangled cover (I'm an astronomer, after all) and the positive review caught my eye. So I tried _The Space Book_, and was thoroughly surprised and delighted. Why, I wondered, is Booker Ervin not as straight-to-the-tongue name as, say, John Coltrane or Eric Dolphy? I have no answer to that question, but I also don't know why pianist Jaki Byard, who is likewise stellar on this disc, isn't better known. I've relished Byard's playing since hearing him on the great _Great Concert of Charles Mingus_ recording. Anyway, if you like bop hot and sweet, you will find it here. That's all I have to say.

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They Say All Media Guide

Tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin’s quartet with pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Alan Dawson was so strong and dynamic that it is surprising that it only existed in the recording studio, and only for two sessions. For the fourth and final of Ervin’s series of Books, the music is indeed somewhat spacey. The group explores two standards (“I Can’t Get Started” and “There Is No Greater Love”) along with a pair of Ervin originals (the intense “Number Two” and “Mojo”), stretching the boundaries of hard bop without totally abandoning the chord changes. This CD is a fine example of Booker Ervin’s unique style. – Scott Yanow