Eric Dolphy - Complete Prestige Recordings (CD)

All Music Guide

During his 19 months with Prestige, Eric Dolphy recorded 13 sessions as a leader and sideman. All are included in this massive nine-CD set and, even when absorbed in two or three sittings, there is enough variety to hold on to any true jazz fan's attention. Dolphy, whether on alto, bass clarinet, flute, and even on a couple of occasions clarinet, was a true original with distinctive sounds of his own and very unique (but ultimately logical) styles. Included in this box (which has no previously unissued material) are the complete contents of the albums Outward Bound, Here There, Dash One, Oliver Nelson's Screamin' the Blues, Ken McIntyre's Looking Ahead, Out There, Caribe (with the Latin Jazz Quintet), Eddie Lockjaw Davis' Trane Whistle (during which Dolphy is an anonymous section player), Far Cry, Oliver Nelson's Straight Ahead, Ron Carter's Where, Mal Waldron's The Quest, At the Five Spot, and Eric Dolphy in Europe. Even with the many impressive sidemen (which include trumpeters Fred...die Hubbard, Richard Williams, and Booker Little; saxophonists Oliver Nelson, Ken McIntyre, Booker Ervin, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis; pianists Jaki Byard, Richard Wyands, Walter Bishop Jr., and Mal Waldron; bassists George Tucker, George Duvivier, Sam Jones, Ron Carter (who doubles on cello), Joe Benjamin, and Richard Davis; and drummers Roy Haynes, Art Taylor, Charlie Persip, and Ed Blackwell), Eric Dolphy consistently emerges as the solo star. This often-remarkable music stands apart from the other styles prevalent during the era. - Scott Yanow, All Music Guide Read more Less