Eric Dolphy recorded some wonderful stuff on the New Jazz label. “Out There” is a superb session. It’s one of those albums that feels fresh every time you put it on the turntable. It’s a brand of jazz that I thoroughly enjoy. It’s not your average hard bop session. It’s unique, full of imagination and features some great work by all musicians involved. For me, an outstanding line-up consisting of Dolphy on alto sax, flute, Bb and bass clarinets, Ron Carter on cello, George Duvivier on double bass and Roy Haynes on drums. I love the concept of the cello in jazz, which I’ve touched on before. That together with all of the instruments that Dolphy plays, which adds so many different flavors, makes the whole thing very interesting. The way Dolphy plays is very special and it makes you want to really listen to him. It’s so full of fire, passion, lyricism, technical brilliance and you can listen to him over and over again, and it feels fresh every time. I feel he is a complete musician. With is vision and innovation, mastery of many different instruments and highly advanced compositional skills.
Like Coltrane and so many other masters one can’t help but wonder what musical paths Dolphy would have taken if he had only lived longer. Still, he left us a great treasure to enjoy and I treasure the albums I have by him very much. If you haven’t listened a lot to Dolphy I can highly recommend you start exploring his work. He is one of the main persons in jazz history for me. He had a very unique voice.
All the tunes on “Out There” are great and each brings a different flavor. It keeps you interested all the way through. My favorite tune is the beautiful “Sketch of Melba” on which Dolphy plays the flute so amazingly. The flute really lends itself well to a ballad setting. And Dolphy takes the instrument to another level.
Like for Dolphy’s previous effort “Outward Bound” the artwork is a painting by Richard "Prophet" Jennings. It really suits the music to a tee.
If you’re looking for the true 1st pressing of this title it can be a bit difficult. Many pressings, as with other New Jazz titles, don’t have the wide deep grooves and the Abbey pressing ring on one side, that signifies a true 1st pressing. A copy having these features means there’s none of the notorious New Jazz hiss. But if you do find a copy, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. My copy sounds great and the cover is nice but with, what it seems to be, a sun bleached spine. I’ll try and secure more Dolphy records, there are many great ones left to acquire.
Some questions: If you could choose only one Dolphy album that you could take with you to a desert island, which one would it be? Have you collected all the Dolphy albums you’re looking for or do you have some title/titles that still eludes you? What are your thoughts on this album and Dolphy’s music in general? Please share.
Stay tuned for more beautiful vintage jazz records… cheers guys and stay safe!