Out to Lunch stands as Eric Dolphy's magnum opus, an absolute pinnacle of avant-garde jazz in any form or era. Its rhythmic complexity was perhaps unrivaled since Dave Brubeck's Time Out, and its five Dolphy originals -- the jarring Monk tribute "Hat and Beard," the aptly titled "Something Sweet, Something Tender," the weirdly jaunty flute showcase "Gazzelloni," the militaristic title track, the drunken lurch of "Straight Up and Down" -- were a perfect balance of structured...   [ read more ]

CD $11.38

After having left the ensemble of Charles Mingus and upon working with John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy formed a short-lived but potent quintet with trumpeter Booker Little, who would pass away three months after this recording. Despite all of the obstacles and subsequent tragedy, this quintet became legendary over the years -- justifiably so -- and developed into a role model for all progressive jazz combos to come. The combined power of Dolphy and Little -- exploring overt but in retrospect n...   [ read more ]

CD $11.38

The second of three CDs that reissue a couple of concerts featuring multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy with a Danish rhythm section (pianist Bent Axen, bassist Erik Moseholm, and drummer Jorn Elniff) in Copenhagen has its share of fine music. While the structures are generally boppish, Dolphy typically improvises in his own advanced vocabulary. He plays flute on two versions of "Don't Blame Me" and switches to alto for "The Way You Look Tonight," "Les" (which is mistitled {&"Miss Ann...   [ read more ]

CD $11.38