Originally from Texas, Booker Ervin started out on the trombone and later taught himself how to play the tenor saxophone while he was in the air force. He later studied in Boston from 1953 to 1954. His 1st important playing opportunities came in 1958 when he joined the Charles Mingus group—he performed with Mingus off and on through the mid-1960s. Here are some of his early significant recordings with Mingus.
Booker Ervin - Episode 1
| Composition | Artist | Album | Year |
| Nostalgia in Times Square | Charles Mingus | Mingus in Wonderland | 1959 |
| Open Letter to Duke | Charles Mingus | Mingus Ah Um | 1959 |
| Goodbye Pork Pie Hat | Charles Mingus | Mingus Ah Um | 1959 |
| Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul | Charles Mingus | Mingus Ah Um | 1959 |
| Bugs | Charles Mingus | The Complete Candid Recordings | 1960 |
| Prayer for Passive Resistance | Charles Mingus | Mingus at Antibes | 1960 |
Booker Ervin - Episode 2
This podcast features his first albums as a bandleader. These recordings show that he is beginning to show a great deal of originality and establish an identifiable sound. In his early work you can hear the influences of Coltrane, Rollins, and few other “Texas” tenors in his sound. The sound is compact and bright. At times he comes close to overblowing the instrument, but does not. In addition to be a great interpreter of the blues he can handle ballads equally as well—check out Uranus. Over the next few years he would do a series of memorable albums with words “book” or “cook” in the title.
| Composition | Artist | Album | Year |
| The Book Cooks | Booker Ervin | The Book Cooks | 1960 |
| Little Jane | Booker Ervin | The Book Cooks | 1960 |
| Dee Da Do | Booker Ervin | Cookin' | 1960 |
| Autumn Leaves | Booker Ervin | Cookin' | 1960 |
| Uranus | Booker Ervin | That's It | 1961 |
| Boo | Booker Ervin | That's It | 1961 |
Booker Ervin - Episode 3
Booker steps out as a bandleader and important stylist on the tenor sax. His playing undergoes a number of changes due to his work with Mal Waldron, Eric Dolphy, and other musicians whose work is influenced by the newer avant-garde/free jazz movement. This approach allows for more melodic and rhythmic freedom.
| Composition | Artist | Album | Year |
| Up and Down | Horace Parlan | Up and Down | 1961 |
| Status Seeking | Mal Waldron Sextet | The Quest | 1961 |
| Al's In | Booker Ervin | The Freedom Book | 1963 |
| Grant's Stand | Booker Ervin | The Freedom Book | 1963 |
| True Blue | Booker Ervin | The Blues Book | 1964 |
Booker Ervin - Episode 4
In the mid 1960’s Ervin was very busy recording with a number of well known and up and coming musicians on the jazz scene. He formed an outstanding studio quartet that featured Richard Davis on bass, Jaki Byard on piano, and Allen Dawson on drums. That group recorded The Space Book and The Blues Book, two of his best recordings from 1964. Unfortunately the band never performed in public.
| Composition | Artist | Album | Year |
| Number Two | Booker Ervin | The Space Book | 1964 |
| I Can't Get Started | Booker Ervin | The Space Book | 1964 |
| Eerie Dearie | Booker Ervin | The Blues Book | 1964 |
| Franess | Booker Ervin | Structurally Sound | 1966 |
Booker Ervin - Episode 5
On this podcast I will examine his important recordings from 1968. It could be said that he came of age when jazz clubs were waning and although he recorded with outstanding musicians he did not have a regular working band; this affected his ability to seek wider audiences. The recordings that he did make were often on small labels with limited distribution. These recording from 1968 are the culmination of a career cut far too short. Booker Ervin passed in 1970.
| Composition | Artist | Album | Year |
| Grass Roots | Andrew Hill | Grass Roots | 1968 |
| Bayou Red | Andrew Hill | Grass Roots | 1968 |
| Largo | Booker Ervin | The In Between | 1968 |
| Mour | Booker Ervin | The In Between | 1968 |
| Gichi | Booker Ervin | Textbook Tenor | 1968 |
| 204 | Booker Ervin | Textbook Tenor | 1968 |