Legends of Acid Jazz
The combination of Don Patterson's supple organ and Booker Ervin's beefy tenor saxophone make thisLegends of Acid Jazzvolume a riotous listen. Patterson handles his keyboard with the range of touch and nuance of a pianist, dancing flat-fingered over the keys and then holding a riff phrase so it almost vibrates with resonance. Ervin plays a taut horn for all his tenor's size. He plows through notes with a hearty blues backbone, evincing the human cry's thickness and a poignant feel for a loose, grooving jam session. High-stepping soul is the order of the day across this set, with some balladry showing off the smolder of low-lit passion and a heap of musical interplay that recalls some of Ervin's best work jamming withCharles Mingusor on his own albums.--Andrew Bartlett