Search - Booker Ervin :: Freedom Book: Rudy Van Gelder Remasters Series

Avant-guarde jazz for people who don't like avant-guarde

Nobody important | 06/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many of the avant-guarde players strike me as naked emperors. We are told that they are geniuses, and that if we can't hear it, we aren't smart enough. For most of them, I don't buy it. Too many of the free jazz musicians play notes that sound suspiciously random. However, a few of them remain rooted in the blues, and their improvisations, while frequently dissonant, are never atonal. When Booker Ervin was at his best, he managed to straddle the line, as he did on this album. He is aided in no small part on this album by pianist Jaki Byard, whose flexibility and potential to play freely while retaining a blues base similarly aided Charles Mingus, Roland Kirk, and many others. The sound on this album is harsh, but it retains just enough melodic consistency that those who don't generally like avant-guarde jazz may find a way to appreciate it in some form. Like Sam Rivers' Fuschia Swing Song, this album takes a few ideas from Ornette Coleman without losing the swing. Oh, and who was the piano player on that one? That's right-- Jaki Byard."

At his best!!!

Angel Gonzalez Rodriguez | Laviana, Asturias, Spain | 04/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A classic. Booker Ervin's Prestige recordings are among the best from the sixties jazz scene. The four "books" are great, but The Freedom Book and The Space Book are awesome. Featuring Jaki Byard, one of the most innovative and creative pianists, this is a real masterpiece."