So much bad Juju in the world right now, felt a need to work some magic charms to try and get things right, with the help of one of my all-time favorite saxophonists, Booker Ervin. Ervin is one of a couple handfuls of players who I instantly recognize within a few seconds of their playing. A major part of why is that Booker has a certain calling card, a special way of holding his notes, almost like a clarion call that screams out, “I’m here, it’s me!” again and again. “Mojo” is from an early session as a leader, after emerging as a soloist with Charles Mingus a couple years prior, from the Candid record label, recorded in 1961 with a quartet featuring George Tucker on bass, Felix Krull on piano and Al Harewood on drums. Ervin didn’t record nearly enough, passing away in 1970 at the age of 39, but everything he touched was golden and his playing never fails to lift my spirits.
