Hello, fellow jazz lover.
For today's album, I've chosen Booker Ervin's first album as a leader: The Book Cooks.
"Book" is best known for his association with bassist Charles Mingus in the late '50s - mid-'60s on such albums as Blues & Roots in 1959 or Mingus Ah Um also in 1959.
Published on label Bethlehem Records on April 6th, 1960 and recorded byyyyy??? Peter Ind (ahaha, Rudy has to sleep also 😉 ).
For info, Peter Ind was a British bass player who played in the early '50s with Lee Konitz on tour or on albums: "Lee Konitz at Harvard Square" and "Konitz". But this is another story.
This album features Booker Ervin and Zoot Sims (ts), Tommy Turrentine (tr), Tommy Flanagan (p), George Tucker (b) and Dannie Richmond (d).
The tune The book cooks, which gave the title of the album is a Teddy Charles' original. Teddy is also the producer on this album.
Except for Poor Butterfly, which is a standard, the rest of the songs are Book's original.
I'm really amazed to see the crew on this album. It's recorded by a bassist who established a recording studio in 1956. Theodore "Teddy" Charles Cohen was a Jazz vibraphonist, pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader.
Is it why those albums sound so great??
Have fun listening to this beautiful, soulful and powerful album.
See you on the next one. Greetings and long live the Jazz.