Customer Reviews

Settin the Pace

5 star:		(2)
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Booker Ervin's music from the mid 60s can hold its own with any tenor player, and that includes 'Trane, Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter. His band of Jaki Byard, Richard Davis and Alan Dawson stayed together for several releases, and the results show. "The Freedom Book" and "The Space Book" rank easily in the top 50 of mid 60s jazz albums (no small feat!). "Setting the Pace" is only slightly behind these two in quality, but the tiny bit it lacks in quality it makes up in quantity. This album features two songs, the title track and "Dexter's Deck," in which Dexter Gordon joins the quartet. There is no one-upmanship here, just terrific playing. The other two tracks "The Trance" and "Speak Low" are just the quartet (by the way Reggie Workman repalces Richard Davis on bass for these recordings), but they in no way play second fiddle to the stuff with Dex. Anyone who likes mid 60s Blue Note recordings will be right at home with Booker Ervin's CDs.

To my mind, this is the best of Booker's CD's, including the Freedom Book, which is also a classic. Alan Dawson (one of Tony William's mentors) is an exceptional drummer and the rest of the band are all soulful session players. The creative synergy between Booker, Byard, Dawson and Workman is only surpassed momentarily on the second track with Dex and Booker trading fours.. these cats were exceptional players!! The whole CD is fantastic.. If you don't buy any other Booker E albums get this one and Freedom Book. If you're into hard bop, avante garde jazz with a half-life of 250,000 years, this is IT!