Search - Eric Dolphy :: Complete Prestige Recordings

Song Of The Piper, Hallmarks of Excellence.

Michael F. Hopkins | Buffalo, NY USA | 11/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Marked with the gift to draw fire from the soul,

and from this weave robust, honest, creatively

beautiful Music, he was a genius who called the

Spirits awake with towering imperative; vibrantly

dancing elder Traditions into Life anew. Composer

deluxe and arranger extraordinaire, his hunger

and thirst brought a whole new voice to the alto

saxophone, while single-handedly bringing the

flute and bass clarinet into instrumental Jazz

prominence for the first time. With humility and

purpose, a dedicated drive and a joyous song,

Eric Dolphy struck a dissonant chord of challenge,

clarity, and command which continues to resound

throughout the corridors of African American

legacy, and beyond.



Yet, over 40 years after his senseless death due

to medical neglect, Dolphy remains a largely

unknown commodity to the world-at-large, an

aesthetic pariah held suspect by the timorous,

the jaded, and the confused. Even certain Jazz

artists who should have known better -including

Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt- have made ruthlessly

callous remarks which impugn Dolphy's unimpeachable

validity as a master musician.

With the phenomenal pianist Herbie Nichols, the

exceptional vibraphonist Walt Dickerson, and the

incomparable singer Jeanne Lee, the Watts native

stands as one of the most misunderstood and

underrated giants in all of Music.



Just how monumental a giant Dolphy continues to

be can be measured in the array of great musical

originators who have been touched by his tireless

efforts. Heed reedslinger David Murray's jaunty

roar, flutist James Newton's pervasive wizardry,

or instrumental composer Anthony Braxton's probing

multimedial muse, and you gain a taste of how

mightily the Dolphy influence reaches into the

very best of the Here and Now.



In equal fashion, a listen to the man's recordings

will reveal much to savor. From his scorching work

alongside Ornette Coleman, Abbey Lincoln, Andrew

Hill and Max Roach, to his groundbreaking

partnerships with Chico Hamilton, Charles Mingus

and John Coltrane, Dolphy was very much a mover

and shaper of penetrating cultural expression.

His last recordings, principally for the Douglas

and Blue Note labels, show what an astonishing

trailblazer the multireed shootist continued to

be to the very end, vividly suggesting the wealth

of material which should have been.



Fortunately, the reedsmaster's recorded legacy is

as diverse and bountiful as it is brief. Anyone

needing proof of this may regard his most noted

bloc of work, and strap in for a heady ride. ERIC

DOLPHY: The COMPLETE PRESTIGE RECORDINGS

is high adventure, deep romance, and bountiful

history all rolled into one powerful package of

Great Black Music.

This stupendous 9-CD Fantasy Records collection

assembles all of Dolphy's debut recordings as a

leader, along with all of his work as a sideman

for Prestige/New Jazz, into a singular tribute

to the significance of 1960-61 as a vital time

for Creative Music.

From incandescent solo performances to soaring

orchestral splendor, along with some of the most

delightful and innovative of all small group

presentations, The COMPLETE PRESTIGE DOLPHY

is an important collection; a must for any

serious listener of fine Music, Jazz and

otherwise.



As mighty as Dolphy was as a prime mover, much

of his greatness is rooted in his contributive

generosity; always providing ample soloing

space for everyone, while keeping focus upon

the total effort at hand. No dead silences

or shrill, self-indulgent exercises here.

No museumpiece apings of other folk's

groove, either.

From quiet time to explosive jam, from studio

summits to vital live concert juggernauts, THE

COMPLETE PRESTIGE DOLPHY offers the conceptual

daring and lyrical diversity of artists having

a lot of swinging fun paving fresh, freeweaving

new ground.



Walk the way of this Music, and stroll through

wonderlands of song forged by formidable pianists

such as Jaki Byard and Mal Waldron, lithe, pulse-

sifting drummers such as Roy Haynes and Edward

Blackwell, plus string wizards such as Chuck

Israels, George Duvivier, Richard Davis and Ron

Carter. Fellow reedsmen Booker Ervin, Ken McIntyre,

and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis are deep in their fiery

element here, while the rare original session with

the Latin Jazz Quartet is pleasant in its reflective

poise. The first strides of Oliver Nelson brought

stunning promise and a fleeting reclamation of

stolen moments, while a young Freddie Hubbard

trumpets with a clarity, precision and tempestuous

vision that has never been surpassed - not even

by him.

Deliciously dangerous, clarion-calling chases such

as Dolphy's "Miss Ann", Waldron's "Status Seeking",

Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" and Booker Little's off-minor,

major spirit-chase "Aggression" take their place

alongside serenading Blues such as "Serene", classic

renditions of standards such as "On Green Dolphin

Street", "Tenderly", and "Like Someone In Love", as

well as memorable Jazz ballads such as Byard's "Ode

To Charlie Parker", Randy Weston's "Hi-Fly", and the

legendary solo presentations of Billie Holiday's

"God Bless The Child".



Those who value the rarefied synergy conjured

by the team of Dolphy and trumpeter Booker

Little will find this collection especially

attractive, since it contains all of their

classic live recordings from NYC's Five Spot

Café, as well as their historic first meeting

on FAR CRY. With Duke Ellington and Billy

Strayhorn, Randy Weston and Melba Liston,

Dolphy and Little formed one of the finest

collaborative teams in all of Jazz.



As for the Memphis-born Brass King who bridged

Clifford Brown's golden blaze with the silver

blue spells of Miles Davis, Booker Little's

aqualine call to wisdom and glory is a treat

all its own.

Humble, exuberant, and highly creative, the

trumpeter's generous, buoyant play set precedents

which have never been surpassed... even decades

after his tragic death in the Fall of 1961.



Throughout it all, listen to the never-ending

development that was Eric Dolphy. A latter-day

Pied Piper, he lived to make Music as no one else

could, or has since. In times where to sing and

play too often means to posture and be procured,

the significance of the Dolphy legacy is its joyful

uniquity and staunch resilience in the face of

embittered dissolution.

For those who heed this call, expression means to

speak out. Art speaks with a purpose, and for a

reason. Responsibility calls for the exchange of

conversation, as well as the depth of communion.



With the exception of the priceless European concerts

which close this collection so perfectly, engineering

master Rudy Van Gelder is the source of this set's

astonishing auditory wonder. As for Esmond Edwards,

his stance as the original producer for most of these

recordings marks the African American entrepreneur

as a pioneer; one who set precedents for Black people

behind the scenes needing to market -not milk down-

the deepest forms of Black Music.



Handsomely packaged, astutely annotated, ERIC DOLPHY:

THE COMPLETE PRESTIGE RECORDINGS is a wonderful tapestry

of artistry holding nothing back, a Black aesthetic

offering Music which dares to be both beautiful and

truthful without fear. Music offering choices to

hear.



A song and a way to hold dear.











"

Great complet with few obscure moments.

Slaninka Frantisek | Bratislava Slovakia | 09/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is almost all what Eric Dolphy recorder for Prestige and Eric plays great on most tracks.

1st session: (album Outward Bound) includes titles:

G.W.(as), 245(as), Green Dolphin Street(bcl), Glad to be Unhappy(fl), Les(as), Miss Toni(bcl), April Fool(fl)

Eric's first recordings as leader and perfect session. All great stuffs. I love his blues 245 alto solo especially.



2nd session: (Oliver Nelson's Screanim' the blues) with:

Three Seconds(as), Alto-itis(as), The Meetin'(as), The Drive(as), March On March On(as), Screamin' the Blues(bcl)

Fine album. Eric plays great again.



3rd session: (Ken McIntyre's Lookin'g ahead) with:

Lautir(fl), Curtsy(as), Geo's Tune(as), They All Laughed(as), Head Shakin'(as), Dianna(bcl)



4th session: (Dolphy's album Out there) with:

Out There(as), Serene(bcl), The Baron(bcl), Eclipse(cl), 17 West(fl), Sketch of Melba(fl), Feather(as)

It could be great album, but it's mared by Ron Carter's amateurish and with many false tones cello playing on some tracks. I like Out there and especially Eric's superb alto solo on Feather. Serene and The Baron are good too. Other records are unlistenable although Eric plays very good especially on flute.



5th session: (Caribe with Latin jazz quintet and Eric Dolphy):

Caribé(as), Blues in 6/8(as), First Bass Line(bcl), Mambo Ricci(as), Spring is Here(fl), Sunday Go Meetin'(fl)

Fine latino with superb Eric's playing.



6th session: (Eddie Lockjaw" Davis and album Trane whistle):

Walk Away, Trane Whistle, Whole Nelson, Stolen Moments, Jaws, You Are Too Beautiful (as,bcl)

Eric plays here but nobody listen him. It is orchestral album.



7th session: (Dolphy-Booker Little's Far cry):

Ode to Charlie Parker(fl), Bird's Mother(bcl), It's Magic(bcl), Serene(bcl), Miss Ann(as), Far Cry(as), Left Alone(fl), Tenderly(as).

Great album with classic like Miss Ann and perfec unaccompanied alto solo on Tenderly. Booker doesn't play on Left alone and It's magic too.



8th session: (Oliver Nelson quintet with album Straight ahead) with:

Images(bcl), Six and Four(as), Mama Lou(fl, as), Ralph's New Blues(bcl), Straight Ahead(as), 111-44(bcl)

Supreb album. I like all song here. Perfect playing by everybody. My top favourite song are bluesy Images with beautiful Nelson's solo and quickly Straight ahead with perfect playing by Dolphy.



9th session: (Ron Carter's Where):

Rally(bcl), Yes Indeed(fl), Saucer Eyes(fl), Softly as in a Morning Sunrise(as) Where and Bass duet without Dolphy.

Boring album with many Carter's lapses in his cello's playing.



10th session: (Mal Waldron's The quest):

Thirteen(as), Duquility(as), Status Seeking(as), Warp and Woof(as), Warm Canto(cl), Fire Waltz(as), We Diddit(as)

Similar album like Carter's Where.



11th session: (Dolphy-Booker's At the Five Spot):

Status Seeking(as), God Bless the Child(bcl), Aggression(bcl), Like Someone in Love(fl), Fire Waltz(as), Bee Vamp(bcl), The Prophet(as), Number Eight(as), Booker's Waltz(bcl)

Very good live album. Both Eric and Booker are in good form, but sometimes bit monotonous. Production and sound of this recordings is the best on whole box. Like they playing on your living room. On god bless the child Eric plays unnacompanied bcl solo(only in left loudspeaker). He's playing very aggressively on The Prophet and great on Status Seeking.



12th and 13th sessions: (Dolphy in Europe):

Don't Blame Me(fl), When Lights are Low(bcl), Glad to be Unhappy(fl), Hi-Fly(fl), God Bless the Child(bcl), Oleo(bcl), The Way You Look Tonight(as), Laura(as), Woody'n You(as), In the Blues(as), Les(as)

Missing 2 takes of Miss Ann.

Superb sessions and great production again. Famous free alto solos on almost all alto tracks. On God Bless the Child Eric plays unnacompanied again and lovely flute-bass duet on Hi-Fly.



Sound on this box is with lot of reverb and there are some failed songs, but it is must for any Dolphy's fan."

Gorgeous - you'll love it

Peter Butler | Colorado | 02/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The music on this set is so glorious that it makes you want to weep that we lost this angel so young. However the fabulous unaccompanied "Tenderly" and the intro to "Laura" are so gorgeous that you might think that Eric Dolphy has risen from the dead and is in your house playing just for you. They are playful and sinuous and every new invention makes you smile even when he cannot keep his flute from going sharp. The remastering throughout the set is very crisp and lets you hear every musician individually. It is fashionable to knock Prestige but I have a new respect for them now. If they can produce a set like this then I forgive them for out of tune pianos etc and even this rather annoying vertical format box that does not sit with your other CDs. But maybe it should be kept on a pedestal anyway."