BILL EVANS | LEE KONITZ QUARTET - Together Again (1965-1990) RM | Unofficial Release | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The somewhat notorious bootleg label Moon, which has evidently ceased operations, will really frustrate jazz fans with this release. The quartet featuring both pianist Bill Evans and alto saxophonist Lee Konitz appears only on the closing medley and is marred by a continuous hum. Konitz appears with Niels Pedersen and Alan Dawson on "All the Things You Are" and "What's New?" Evans joins the rhythm section for "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Beautiful Love." The poor sound with occasional tape dropouts will make it appealing only to the most obsessive fans of Bill Evans and/or Lee Konitz. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1    All The Things You Are 10:03
J.Kern
2    What's New? 8:56
B. Haggart
3    Come Rain Or Come Shine 4:22
H. Arlen
4    Beautiful Love 3:21
Young / King / Van Alstyne
5    How Deep Is The Ocean / Detour Ahead / My Melancholy Baby 17:27
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Niels Henning Ørsted-Pedersen
Drums – Alan Dawson
Piano – Bill Evans

BOOKER ERVIN / DEXTER GORDON - Setting the Pace (1965-1993) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD reissue has the complete contents of two former LPs, both recorded at the same session. With very stimulating playing by pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Alan Dawson, tenors Booker Ervin and Dexter Gordon battle it out on marathon (19 and 22 1/2 minute) versions of "Setting the Pace" and "Dexter's Deck." Although Gordon is in good form, Ervin (who sometimes takes the music outside) wins honors. The other two selections ("The Trance" and "Speak Low") are by the same group without Dexter, and these long (19 1/2- and 15-minute) showcases also find Booker in top form, sounding quite distinctive and completely original playing inside/outside music. An exciting set. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Setting the Pace 19:07
Dexter Gordon
2     Dexter's Deck 22:47
Dexter Gordon
3     The Trance 19:36
Booker Ervin
4     Speak Low 15:07
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
Credits :
Bass – Reggie Workman
Drums – Alan Dawson
Piano – Jaki Byard
Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin, Dexter Gordon (# 1 and 2 only)

BOOKER ERVIN - The Trance (1965-1997) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded in Munich, Germany, in 1965, the three tracks that make up The Trance come from the same session that produced the invigorating Booker Ervin/Dexter Gordon tenor battles, Settin' the Pace. These remaining tracks feature Ervin's sole tenor on two of his compositions, the blues "Groovin at the Jamboree" and the haunting 19-minute title track, dedicated to the late bassist George Tucker. Also included is the standard "Speak Low," also clocking in at 19 minutes. Admittedly, tracks that long can get tiresome quickly in the wrong hands. Fortunately, Ervin's inspired exploratory tenor flights are consistently stirring, punctuated with piercing blues. The Trance delivers further documentation of Ervin's endless tenor inventiveness. The concrete rhythm section of Jaki Byard on piano and Alan Dawson on drums had worked with Ervin off and on for a number of years, while bassist Reggie Workman could comfortably switch between straight bop and outside playing, easily fitting in with this aggregation. by Al Campbell
Tracklist :
1     The Trance 19:39
Booker Ervin
2     Speak Low 15:09
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
3     Groovin' at the Jamboree 6:38
Booker Ervin
Credits :
Bass – Reggie Workman
Drums – Alan Dawson
Piano – Jaki Byard
Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin

THE BOOKER ERVIN SEXTET - Heavy!!! (1966-1998) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 1998 CD reissue differs from the original LP in that the immediately distinctive tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin is featured on a previously unreleased four-minute dirge, "Ode to Charlie Parker." The set matches Ervin with a remarkable rhythm section (pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Alan Dawson), plus trumpeter Jimmy Owens and trombonist Garnett Brown (who sometimes takes co-honors). The music is quite moody, soulful, and explorative yet not forbidding. Although the originals are fine (particularly Brown's "Bächafillen"), the main highlights are an inventive reworking of "Bei Mir Bist du Schön" and Ervin's quartet feature on an emotional rendition of "You Don't Know What Love Is." by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Bächafillen 8:15
Garnett Brown
2     You Don't Know What Love Is 8:43
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
3     Aluminum Baby 5:00
Jaki Byard
4     Not Quite That 7:54
Garnett Brown
5     Bei Mir Bist du Shoen 12:28
Sammy Cahn / Saul Chaplin / Jacob Jacobs / Sholom Secunda
6     Ode to Charlie Parker 3:57
Jaki Byard
Credits :
Bass – Richard Davis
Drums – Alan Dawson
Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens (faixas: 1)
Piano – Jaki Byard
Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin
Trombone – Garnett Brown (faixas: 1, 3 to 6)
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens (faixas: 3 to 6)