Booker Ervin, Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, and Alan Dawson formed one of the immortal tenor-and-rhythm units of the Sixties, a group worthy of comparison to the quartets of John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. Yet the Ervin foursome only existed in Rudy Van Gelder's recording studio, where it created two LP masterpieces for Prestige. The first, The Freedom Book (OJCCD-845-2), was acclaimed as an instant classic upon its release; and the present album, recorded ten months later, is arguably even more dynamic. Like Eric Dolphy (who also enjoyed making music with Byard and Davis), Ervin did not abandon chord changes but rather superimposed alternative harmonic patterns that stamped his music with an exploratory edge while keeping it tethered to more traditional forms. The impact of Ervin's conception when supported by this incredible trio comes across on both his hard-slamming originals (including his best-known tune "Mojo") and his passionate reading of standards.

with Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson