Groovin' High (Booker Ervin album)

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Groovin’ High is a jazz studio album by American saxophonist Booker Ervin. It was released in April 1966 on Prestige and includes performances recorded in December 1963, June 1964, and October 1964 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The album runs 31 minutes and 4 seconds and was produced by Don Schlitten. In Ervin’s discography, it sits after The Space Book and before The Trance.

Session details and connections:
- Stella by Starlight was recorded on December 3, 1963, in the same session as The Freedom Book, and appears on Groovin’ High as well.
- Groovin’ High (the track) was recorded on June 30, 1964, in the same session as The Blues Book (which did not include this track).
- The Second #2 and Bass-IX were recorded on October 2, 1964, with other tunes that later appeared on The Space Book. The Second #2 is an alternate take of “Number Two” from The Space Book, while Bass-IX does not appear on that album.

Reception:
AllMusic’s Scott Yanow gave the album 4½ stars, noting that while the performances aren’t quite classic, it’s a valuable addition for Booker Ervin fans, highlighting that Ervin was at the peak of his powers during this era.