Editing Booker Ervin (section)

==Biography==
Ervin was born in [[Denison, Texas]], United States.<ref name="LarkinJazz">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-580-8|page=137}}</ref> He first learned to play trombone at a young age from his father,<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> who played the instrument with [[Buddy Tate]].<ref name=TSHA>[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fer13 "Ervin, Booker T., Jr."] Texas State Historical Association.</ref> After leaving school, Ervin joined the [[United States Air Force]], stationed in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], Japan, during which time he taught himself tenor saxophone.<ref name=TSHA /> After completing his service in 1953, he studied at [[Berklee College of Music]] in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]].<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> Moving to [[Tulsa]] in 1954, he played with the band of [[Ernie Fields]].<ref name=TSHA />

After stays in Denver and Pittsburgh, Ervin moved to [[New York City]] in spring 1958,<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> initially working a day job and playing jam sessions at night. Ervin then worked with [[Charles Mingus]] regularly from late 1958 to 1960, rejoining various outfits led by the bassist at various times up to autumn 1964, when he departed for Europe.<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> During the mid-1960s, Ervin led his own quartet,<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> recording for [[Prestige Records]] with, among others, ex-Mingus associate pianist [[Jaki Byard]], along with bassist [[Richard Davis (double bassist)|Richard Davis]] and [[Alan Dawson]] on drums.

Ervin later recorded for [[Blue Note Records]] and played with pianist [[Randy Weston]], with whom he recorded between 1963 and 1966.<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> Weston said: "Booker Ervin, for me, was on the same level as [[John Coltrane]]. He was a completely original saxophonist.... He was a master.... 'African Cookbook', which I composed back in the early '60s, was partly named after Booker because we (musicians) used to call him 'Book,' and we would say, 'Cook, Book.' Sometimes when he was playing we'd shout, 'Cook, Book, cook.' And the melody of 'African Cookbook' was based upon Booker Ervin's sound, a sound like the north of Africa. He would kind of take those notes and make them weave hypnotically. So, actually the African Cookbook was influenced by Booker Ervin."<ref>[http://www.randyweston.info/randy-weston-discography-pages/1966monterey.html "Monterey '66"], Discography, Randy Weston African Rhythms website.</ref>

Between October 1964 to summer 1966, Ervin worked and lived in Europe, playing gigs in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands. Basing himself in [[Barcelona]], Spain, he featured regularly at the city's Jamboree Club. He recorded and broadcast while overseas, making albums with his own quartet, [[Dexter Gordon]] and Catalan vocalist [[Núria Feliu]], featuring on various radio programmes and appearing at several jazz festivals, including a guest slot at the 1965 [[Berlin Jazz Festival]], during which he performed a 25-minute improvisation. This performance was issued as "Blues For You" on the album ''Lament For Booker Ervin'' (Enja Records) in 1977.

Following his return to the United States in summer 1966, Ervin led his own groups in jazz clubs throughout the country, and appeared at both the [[Newport Jazz Festival]] (1967) and the [[Monterey Jazz Festival]] (1966) performing with Randy Weston; [[Monterey '66|a recording]] of their performance was issued on CD in 1994. In 1968, Ervin again appeared at clubs and festivals in Scandinavia, broadcasting with the [[Danish Radio Big Band]]. He recorded again for Prestige, but in late 1966 was signed to  West Coast label, [[Pacific Jazz Records|Pacific Jazz]], for whom he taped two albums, ''[[Structurally Sound]]'' and ''[[Booker 'n' Brass]]'' (1967), before switching to Blue Note. Ervin recorded two Blue Note albums under his own name, ''In Between'' and ''Tex Book Tenor'', the latter going unissued during his lifetime, initially being released in the 1970s as part of a double album shared with recordings (on which Ervin features) made under the leadership of [[Horace Parlan]] (''[[Back from the Gig]]''). In 2005, Blue Note issued as single CD of ''Tex Book Tenor'' in its limited edition Connoisseur series.

Ervin's final recorded appearance occurred in January 1969, when he guested on a further Prestige album headed by teenage multi-instrumentalist [[Eric Kloss]].

Ervin died of [[kidney disease]] in New York City in 1970, aged 39.<ref>[https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/booker-ervin/ "Booker Ervin"], biography at [[All About Jazz]], October 24, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2023.</ref> Most biographical accounts of Ervin's death give an incorrect date. His gravestone in The National Cemetery, [[East Farmingdale, New York]], clearly shows the date as August 31, 1970.

In 2017, Ervin was the subject of a mini-biography written by English saxophonist and author [[Simon Spillett]], published as part of an anthology package titled ''The Good Book'' (Acrobat Records)