Jazz Musician. A talented tenor saxophonist, Ervin is best known for his association with jazz great Charles Mingus, with whom he recorded from 1956 to 1962. A native of Dension, Texas, he was noted as a very distinctive tenor with a hard, passionate tone and an emotional style that was still tied to chordal improvisation. This type of distinction made Booker Ervin a true original. Also a trombonist, Ervin became interested in music at a very young age, but it wasn't until he was serving in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, that he taught himself to play the saxophone. After his military service, Ervin studied music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He began his recording debut when he joined the rhythm and blues band of Ernie Fields in 1956. He then joined Charles Mingus for six years, and went onto play with the likes of Eric Dolphy, Horace Parlan, and Randy Weston, throughout the 1960s, before leading his own quartet. He recorded for Savoy, Candid, Bethlehem, Pacific Jazz, and Blue Notes, but it was his total of nine albums, for the Prestige Record Label between 1963 and 1966, that were the greatest moments of his career. These include The Blues Book, The Space Book, The Freedom Book, The Song Book, Setting The Pace, The Trance, and Exultation. He is also known for his recordings including, "Largo", "Little Jane", "Git It", "That's It", "Up & Down", "Happy Frame Of Mind", "Tex Book Tenor", and "The Book Cooks." Ervin died from kidney disease at age 39.
Jazz Musician. A talented tenor saxophonist, Ervin is best known for his association with jazz great Charles Mingus, with whom he recorded from 1956 to 1962. A native of Dension, Texas, he was noted as a very distinctive tenor with a hard, passionate tone and an emotional style that was still tied to chordal improvisation. This type of distinction made Booker Ervin a true original. Also a trombonist, Ervin became interested in music at a very young age, but it wasn't until he was serving in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, that he taught himself to play the saxophone. After his military service, Ervin studied music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He began his recording debut when he joined the rhythm and blues band of Ernie Fields in 1956. He then joined Charles Mingus for six years, and went onto play with the likes of Eric Dolphy, Horace Parlan, and Randy Weston, throughout the 1960s, before leading his own quartet. He recorded for Savoy, Candid, Bethlehem, Pacific Jazz, and Blue Notes, but it was his total of nine albums, for the Prestige Record Label between 1963 and 1966, that were the greatest moments of his career. These include The Blues Book, The Space Book, The Freedom Book, The Song Book, Setting The Pace, The Trance, and Exultation. He is also known for his recordings including, "Largo", "Little Jane", "Git It", "That's It", "Up & Down", "Happy Frame Of Mind", "Tex Book Tenor", and "The Book Cooks." Ervin died from kidney disease at age 39.
Bio by: The Silent Forgotten
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BOOKER T
ERVIN
TEXAS
A3C
824 MTR VEH SQ
AF
OCT 31 1930
AUG 31 1970
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