ERIC DOLPHY — Here and There (review)

ERIC DOLPHY — Here and There album cover Live album · 1966 · Hard Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
“Here and There” is a collection of live cuts by Eric Dolphy, recorded in the early 60s when he was really blowing up the scene, but not released until 1966, after his untimely passing. Although criticized for being a grab bag collection, the music on “Here” speaks for itself, Dolphy is in excellent form on every cut. Actually the eclectic mixture of bands is not so bad either, as we get to hear how the different groups interact with Eric’s trailblazing approach.

Side one opens with the best, Mal Waldron leading a furious hard bop rave up (“Status Seeking”) with an intense avant-garde opening melody, this one is tailor made for Dolphy and he tears it up. Waldron follows Dolphy’s opening flight with an earthy blues drenched solo on the piano. Side one closes with Dolphy playing “God Bless the Child” by himself on the bass clarinet. He takes a pleasant low key approach to this one, just playing the melody, which he backs with interesting Phillip Glass type repeating figures, sounding like the minimalist composer almost two decades before the formal arrival of “minimalism“.

Side two opens with Eric playing “Don’t Blame Me” on flute while backed by a European trio. Dolphy’s flute playing is always elegant, almost classical, and the trio responds with a fairly straight ahead reading of the tune while Eric unwinds a lengthy virtuoso swinging solo. Side two closes with “April Fool”, a very odd little bluesy number that has Dolphy playing the beatnik pied piper on flute while Jackie Byard backs him with weird vague dronish chords. Roy Haynes and George Tucker supply the straight faced rhythm for this characteristic Dolphy oddity. All the tunes on here are good, but it’s the first one and the final one that make this a must have for Dolphy fans.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Sonic Creed Volume II : Life Signs World Fusion
STEFON HARRIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
My Ship Hard Bop
WILLIE JONES III
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ice Breaking Post-Fusion Contemporary
DAG ARNESEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin : Brasil Latin Jazz
LEE RITENOUR
Buy this album from MMA partners
From The North - Gogo Penguin Live In Manchester Nu Jazz
GOGO PENGUIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

03 Willie Jones III My Ship #NightIsAlive
WILLIE JONES III
snobb· 19 hours ago
Fall
SUNNY KIM
js· 1 day ago
Twilight
RANDY SCOTT
js· 2 days ago
Trifecta - Beck and Call - official video (taken from The New Normal)
TRIFECTA
js· 3 days ago
Phoenix
GRÉGORY PRIVAT
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed