Search - Eric Dolphy Quintet, Herbie Hancock :: Left Alone

Dolphy Bootlegs III

Richard B. Luhrs | Jackson Heights, NY United States | 03/17/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"With Herbie Hancock on Piano, Richard Davis on bass, a trumpeter and even a vocalist on "I Got Rhythm," this incomplete 1962 performance certainly ranks as one of the more unique and bizarre entries in Eric Dolphy's patchwork catalogue. Bootleg sound quality, the sudden fadeout on "245" (of all tracks!) and those rather horrid vocals notwithstanding, however, LEFT ALONE is as close to an essential purchase as any verite recording could hope to be, with a marvelously extended assault on "GW" and some fine interplay on the title track, always one of Dolphy's greatest flute showcases. This album and Blue Note's THE ILLINOIS CONCERT are, to date, the only known recordings of Dolphy's band with Hancock; and having Davis on board only makes the moment, however flawed in its presentation, all the more precious. A new version of this disc is apparently soon to be released by the Italian Fruit Tree label, and all hardcore Dolphy fans who haven't done so yet are urged to add it to their collections."