When Two Saxophones Find Their Match
Ervin and Strozier made a mutually inspiring team; pity that this was their only recording together.
The real story of Exultation! is what happens when Booker Ervin finds a partner who meets him at eye level. Jack Strozier doesn't fade into the background here—he pushes back, trades ideas, and keeps Ervin honest. This wasn't a standard sideman situation. Strozier comes in as a collaborator, another voice in the conversation, and the two saxophonists drive the session forward together. That kind of chemistry doesn't happen by accident, and you hear it immediately in how they lock into each other's phrasing and timing.
Ervin was a powerful, direct player—all muscle and conviction—and Strozier had a more fluid, nuanced approach. On paper that could clash, but instead it created balance. AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow gave the album four stars and captured the essence of what made it work: the mutual inspiration between these two voices. They're not competing for space; they're completing each other. The 1963 Prestige session has that unhurried feel of players who knew what they wanted and trusted their instincts.
The album was reissued in 1971 with two alternate takes included, which tells you something about how the label valued these performances even years later. This isn't Ervin's most famous record, and it probably shouldn't be your entry point to his work. But if you want to hear what happens when two strong players genuinely inspire each other, this is the place to find it. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded it three stars, acknowledging a solid, worthwhile session even if it didn't achieve landmark status.
Who's playing
Butch Warrendouble bass
Horace Parlanpiano
Booker Ervintenor saxophone
Frank Strozieralto saxophone
Walter Perkinsdrums
