Search - Eric Dolphy :: Naima

Dolphy's Last Dance

Michael F. Hopkins | Buffalo, NY USA | 05/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The import Westwind Records has offered many musical

blessings over the decades; from some of the finest

solo pianistry of Abdullah Ibrahim, to live wizardry

from The Art Ensemble Of Chicago. Of all that the

label has to offer, no recording presents more

treasures than the currently out-of-print NAIMA,

the European radio aircheck which represents the

final work of the magnificent Eric Dolphy.

Engineering is remarkable, offering a clear, crisp

sound full of color and joy. Even a momentary lapse

amidst a split second of "Springtime" does not

detract from the lyrical spell in the least. Wonder

what digital technology could do here...



Recorded in June 1964, some 2 weeks before his death

due to complications over Diabetes, Dolphy is captured

at the height of his imaginative powers. It's quite

fitting that the feautre of this presentation is the

only known recording of John Coltrane's timeless "Naima"

by a Dolphy band. At once sensuous and upbeat, the

ballad features the reedslinger's bass clarinet work

at its most challenging and evocative, affirming the

bond of genius between aesthetic brothers.

The taunting cry of the bass clarinet is equally

stunning on the Dolphy original "Springtime" (in

its only known recording). Here, the Jazzmaster

saunters between staright-up groove, flamenco

implorings, and other beckonings borne from

morning sunrises.

With tenor saxophonist Nathan Davis, and trumpeter

Donald Byrd (definitely not Woody Shaw, as stated in

some discographies), Dolphy completes a frontline

which is as harmonically supple as it is thematically

formidible; ably complemented by the incisive percussion

of Jacky Bambou.

Throughout the recording, the rhythm section of pianist

Jacques Dieval, bassist Jacques B. Hess, and drummer

Franco Manzecchi is sharp, bright, and intrepidly supportive.

With Dolphy, the trio positively shimmers in a quartet

showcase of Jaki Byard's classic "Ode To Charlie Parker".

Here, Dolphy's mercurial mastery of the flute sings and

soars in the manner of birds amidst green trees in quiet

spaces, calling for the dawn to emerge, at last.



All in all, a dance for the ages, African American sorcery

working its gifts upon the world. Eric Dolphy's NAIMA is a

precious moment to be shared, a recording whose current

absence from active circulation is a damned shame.



Time for this to change."