At the Five Spot | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | Volume 1: December 1961 [1] [2] Volume 2: November 1963 [3] [4] Memorial Album: 1965 | |||
Recorded | 16 July 1961 | |||
Venue | Five Spot Café, New York, NY | |||
Genre | Avant-garde jazz Post-bop | |||
Label | New Jazz | |||
Producer | Esmond Edwards | |||
Eric Dolphy chronology | ||||
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Volume Two cover | ||||
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
AllMusic | [6] |
Down Beat | [7] |
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [8] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [9] |
Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot is a pair of live albums by the jazz musician and composer Eric Dolphy. They were released in December 1961 (Volume 1) [1] [2] and November 1963 (Volume 2) [3] [4] through Prestige Records. They were recorded on the night of 16 July 1961 at the end of Dolphy's two-week residency, alongside trumpeter Booker Little, at the Five Spot jazz club in New York. It was the only night to be recorded. The engineer was Rudy Van Gelder.
A third volume of recordings from the same evening, given the title Memorial Album, was released in 1965, after the premature deaths of both Little and Dolphy, containing "Number Eight (Potsa Lotsa)" and "Booker's Waltz". These two tracks were later released on the Van Gelder remaster of Volume 2.
All three volumes were reissued, without alternate takes, as a triple LP under the title The Great Concert of Eric Dolphy. Two other tracks, Mal Waldron's "Status Seeking" and Dolphy's solo rendition of Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child", were released on the Dolphy compilation Here and There . Dolphy and Little were backed by a rhythm section consisting of pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Eddie Blackwell.
Dolphy's composition "The Prophet" is a tribute to the artist Richard "Prophet" Jennings, who had designed the covers of Dolphy's earlier albums, Outward Bound and Out There .
In an AllMusic review of volume 1, Michael G. Nastos stated that Dolphy's group had "developed into a role model for all progressive jazz combos to come", while "[t]he combined power of Dolphy and Little -- exploring overt but in retrospect not excessive dissonance and atonality -- made them a target for critics but admired among the burgeoning progressive post-bop scene." Nastos continued: "With the always stunning shadings of pianist Mal Waldron, the classical-cum-daring bass playing of Richard Davis, and the colorful drumming of alchemistic Ed Blackwell, there was no stopping this group." He concluded: "Most hail this first volume, and a second companion album from the same sessions, as music that changed the jazz world as much as Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane's innovative excursions of the same era. All forward thinking and challenged listeners need to own these epic club dates." [5]
Scott Yanow, reviewing volume 2, called the album "[a]n excellent set that records what may have been Dolphy's finest group ever, as well as one of that era's best working bands." [6] A review in PDX Jazz called the Five Spot recordings "a tremendous live set" and "a very spirited performance with surprisingly good sound quality given its recording in a mere club back in the early 1960s." [10] Stuart Nicholson, writing for Jazzwise , included the Five Spot tracks in his list of "five essential albums" by Dolphy, and wrote: "Eric Dolphy liked plenty of solo space to express himself, and this live date at New York's Five Spot... gave him precisely that. His fiercely vocalised alto solo on 'Fire Waltz' is the stuff of legend, for many his most memorable, diverging from the linear logic and techniques of variation employed by most post-war jazz musicians." [11]
Dolphy biographers Vladimir Simosko and Barry Tepperman observed that the Five Spot recordings "present the rare opportunity to study a night's work in the club," [12] and stated: "despite any unevenness in strength of solos or tightness of the performances, a very well-balanced and brilliant group is in evidence... the unity and wide dimensions revealed by the preservation of one night's work remain to testify to the quintet's worth and vitality." [13]
Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bandleader. Primarily an alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist, and flautist, Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence during the same era. His use of the bass clarinet helped to establish the unconventional instrument within jazz. Dolphy extended the vocabulary and boundaries of the alto saxophone, and was among the earliest significant jazz flute soloists.
Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Waldron led his own bands and played for those led by Charles Mingus, Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, and Eric Dolphy, among others. During Waldron's period as house pianist for Prestige Records in the late 1950s, he appeared on dozens of albums and composed for many of them, including writing his most famous song, "Soul Eyes", for Coltrane. Waldron was often an accompanist for vocalists, and was Billie Holiday's regular accompanist from April 1957 until her death in July 1959.
Out to Lunch! is a 1964 album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. His only recording on Blue Note as a leader, it was issued as BLP 4163 and BST 84163. Featuring Dolphy in a quintet with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Tony Williams, it was generally considered by critics as one of the finest albums issued on Blue Note, and widely viewed as one of the high points of 1960s avant-garde jazz. The album cover designed by Reid Miles features a photo of a "Will Be Back" sign displayed in a shop window showing a seven-handed clock.
Outward Bound is the debut album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, released in 1960. It is oriented towards straight bebop, and slightly less adventurous than the majority of his later recordings. The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey and features Dolphy in a quintet with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Jaki Byard, bassist George Tucker and drummer Roy Haynes. Hubbard had shared living space with Dolphy when they both first arrived in New York City. The cover artwork was by Dolphy's friend Richard "Prophet" Jennings.
Iron Man is an album by American jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, recorded in 1963 and released by the Douglas International label in 1968. The album was reissued on disc two of Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions, released in 2018 by Resonance Records.
Out There is an album by Eric Dolphy which was released by Prestige Records in September 1961. It features Dolphy in a quartet with bassists Ron Carter and George Duvivier, and drummer Roy Haynes. It was Dolphy's second album as a leader, released following his time with Charles Mingus.
The Illinois Concert is a live jazz recording of a concert by Eric Dolphy, released in 1999 by Blue Note Records. The album was recorded on March 10, 1963, at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois and features Dolphy with pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Eddie Khan, and drummer J.C. Moses. The quartet is joined by the University of Illinois Brass Ensemble for one track, and by the University of Illinois Big Band for the final track. The tape of the concert, which was recorded for radio broadcast, did not surface until 1999, when it was mentioned in a chat room and was eventually brought to the attention of Michael Cuscuna.
Far Cry is the third album by jazz musician Eric Dolphy, released in 1962 on New Jazz Featuring a quintet co-led with trumpeter Booker Little, it is one of the few recordings of their partnership. Pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Roy Haynes all return from earlier Dolphy albums. This was a busy time for Dolphy- he took part in Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz session and recorded this album on the same day, and had participated in the Jazz Abstractions project the previous day.
Here and There is a jazz album by multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. It was originally released in 1966 on the Prestige label as PRLP 7382. It contains tracks recorded on three separate dates, in different locations. Mal Waldron's "Status Seeking" and Dolphy's solo bass clarinet version of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" were recorded on July 16, 1961 at the Five Spot in New York City as part of the concert that was documented on the At the Five Spot recordings. "April Fool" and "G.W. " were recorded on April 1, 1960 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey as part of the session that yielded Outward Bound, Dolphy's first album as a leader. "Don't Blame Me" was recorded on September 6, 1961 in Berlingske Has, Copenhagen, Denmark during Dolphy's second European tour, as part of the sessions that produced Eric Dolphy in Europe Volumes 1-3.
Conversations is a 1963 album by American jazz multi-instrumentalist, Eric Dolphy first released by the FM label and later reissued by Vee-Jay as The Eric Dolphy Memorial Album the following year. The album was reissued on disc one of Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions, released in 2018 by Resonance Records.
Last Date is a live album by jazz musician Eric Dolphy released in early 1965 on Limelight Records. It was recorded on June 2, 1964 in Hilversum, North Holland, shortly after Dolphy had settled in Paris, France, following a tour with Charles Mingus. Dolphy is accompanied by the Misha Mengelberg trio on the album.. The audience was an invited group of recording executives and studio personnel.
The Quest is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron that was released by the New Jazz in July 1962. It was recorded in June 1961, with Eric Dolphy and Booker Ervin. Some reissues of the album have appeared under Eric Dolphy's name.
Dedicated to Dolphy is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Oliver Lake, recorded in 1994 for the Italian Black Saint label. The album is Lake's second tribute to multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy following Prophet (1984).
"Fire Waltz" is a composition by Mal Waldron. The original version, by Waldron's sextet featuring Eric Dolphy and Booker Ervin, was recorded on June 27, 1961. It has become a jazz standard.
Caribé is an album by the Latin Jazz Quintet with Eric Dolphy that was recorded in 1960 and released on the New Jazz label in February 1961.
Naima is an album by American musician Eric Dolphy, released in Europe in 1987 by the Jazzway label, and later by the West Wind label. Four of the five tracks were recorded on June 11, 1964 in a Paris studio for radio broadcast, nine days after the Hilversum session that yielded Last Date, and eighteen days before Dolphy's death. The remaining track, a duet with bassist Ron Carter, was recorded in New York City in November 1960, during a session which also produced three of the tracks released on Other Aspects.
Unrealized Tapes is an album by American musician Eric Dolphy, released in Europe in 1988 by the West Wind label, and in Japan with the title Last Recordings by the DIW label. The album was recorded on June 11, 1964 in a Paris studio for radio broadcast, nine days after the Hilversum session that yielded Last Date, and eighteen days before Dolphy's death.
Dash One is an album by Eric Dolphy consisting of alternate takes of four pieces recorded for other albums.
Stockholm Sessions is an album by Eric Dolphy. It was recorded in September and November 1961 at the Swedish Broadcast station in Stockholm, Sweden, and was released by Inner City Records and Enja Records in 1981. The album was recorded during Dolphy's second visit to Europe.
The Berlin Concerts is a two-LP live album by Eric Dolphy. It was recorded on August 30, 1961, at two separate venues in Berlin, Germany, and was released by Inner City Records and Enja Records in 1978.