Eric Dolphy in Europe

Last updated
Eric Dolphy in Europe
Eric Dolphy in Europe Vol 1.jpg
Volume One cover
Live album by
Released1964 and 1965
RecordedSeptember 6 and 8, 1961
VenueCopenhagen, Denmark
Genre Jazz
Label Prestige Records
PR 7304
PR 7350
PR 7366
Volume Two cover
Eric Dolphy in Europe Vol 2.jpg

Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volumes 1, 2, and 3, is a trio of live albums by jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. The albums were recorded on September 6 and 8, 1961, in Copenhagen, Denmark, and were released on the Prestige label in 1964 (Vol. 1) and 1965 (Vols. 2 & 3). On the recordings, Dolphy is joined by three Danish musicians: pianist Bent Axen, bassist Erik Moseholm, and drummer Jorn Elniff. Bassist Chuck Israels, who was in Copenhagen with the Jerome Robbins ballet company, also appears on one track ("Hi-Fly", a flute and bass duet). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

The albums were recorded during Dolphy's second trip to Europe, [7] which also yielded the music released on The Berlin Concerts , The Complete Uppsala Concert , and Stockholm Sessions . [5] Tracks from the Copenhagen dates were reissued on a number of additional recordings, including Copenhagen Concert (Prestige, 1973), [8] The Complete Prestige Recordings (Prestige, 1995), [9] and In Europe: The Complete Copenhagen Concerts (Essential Jazz Spain, 2012). [10]

Volume Three cover Eric Dolphy in Europe Vol 3.jpg
Volume Three cover

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic: Volume 1Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
AllMusic: Volume 2Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
AllMusic: Volume 3Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz : Volume 1Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [14]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz: Volume 2Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz: Volume 3Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide : Volume 1Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide: Volume 2Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide: Volume 3Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [15]

AllMusic's Scott Yanow called Volume 1 "the strongest program of the trio," and commented: "Dolphy is in excellent form throughout the well-rounded release." [11] Yanow stated that Volume 2 "has its share of fine music," and noted that "while the structures are generally boppish, Dolphy typically improvises in his own advanced vocabulary." [12] He called Volume 3 "the weakest" of the three albums, writing: "overall this is one of the less essential Eric Dolphy releases." [13]

The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings wrote: "The Danish players are certainly not even close to Dolphy's standard, and clearly they don't understand his more advanced ideas, but they are all decent, time-served players and, while some of their accompaniments are callow in the extreme, they don't really seem to affect the blissfully tolerant Dolphy all that much." They described "Laura" as "a tremendous alto performance," and called "Oleo" "one of the most effective bass clarinet outings documented to this point." Dolphy's solo performance of "God Bless the Child" was praised as his "definitive recording" of the piece, his "innate creativity suddenly freed from the constraints of playing down and breaking loose in an extraordinary outpouring of ideas." [14]

Set lists

  1. "Don't Blame Me" (2 takes)
  2. "When Lights Are Low"
  3. "Miss Ann" (2 takes) [4] [16]
  1. "Glad to Be Unhappy"
  2. "Hi-Fly"
  3. "God Bless the Child"
  4. "Oleo"
  5. "The Way You Look Tonight"
  6. "Laura"
  7. "Woody 'n' You"
  8. "In the Blues" (4 takes, including one false start)
  9. "Les" [4] [5]

Track listings

Volume 1

  1. "Hi Fly" (Randy Weston) – 13:14
  2. "Glad to Be Unhappy" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 6:05
  3. "God Bless the Child" (Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday) – 6:50
  4. "Oleo" (Sonny Rollins) – 7:12

Volume 2

  1. "Don't Blame Me" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) – 11:30
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight" (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields) – 9:35
  3. "Les" (mistitled as "Miss Ann") (Eric Dolphy) – 5:30
  4. "Laura" (David Raksin, Johnny Mercer) – 13:40

Volume 3

  1. "Woody 'n' You" (Dizzy Gillespie) – 10:20
  2. "When Lights Are Low" (Benny Carter, Spencer Williams) – 12:10
  3. "In the Blues (1-2-3)" (Eric Dolphy) – 17:30

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Dolphy</span> American jazz musician (1928–1964)

Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist 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.

Debut Records was an American jazz record company and label founded in 1952 by bassist Charles Mingus, his wife Celia, and drummer Max Roach.

<i>Out to Lunch!</i> 1964 studio album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>At the Five Spot</i> 1961 live album by Eric Dolphy

Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot, Vols. 1 and 2, is a pair of jazz live albums documenting one night from the end of multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy and trumpeter Booker Little's two-week residency at the Five Spot jazz club in New York. This was the only night to be recorded. The engineer was Rudy Van Gelder.

<i>Outward Bound</i> (Eric Dolphy album) 1960 studio album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>The Complete Copenhagen Concert</i> 2009 live album by John Coltrane

The Complete Copenhagen Concert is a live album by jazz musician John Coltrane. It was recorded on November 20, 1961, at the Falkonercentret in Copenhagen, Denmark during a European tour, and was released in 2009 by both Magnetic Records, a label based in Luxembourg, and Gambit Records, based in Spain. In 2013 it was reissued by 'In' Crowd Records. The album features Coltrane on tenor and soprano saxophone, Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet, alto saxophone, and flute, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums.

<i>Iron Man</i> (Eric Dolphy album) 1968 studio album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>Out There</i> (Eric Dolphy album) 1961 studio album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>The Illinois Concert</i> 1999 live album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>Here and There</i> (Eric Dolphy album) 1966 live album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>Conversations</i> (Eric Dolphy album) 1963 studio album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>Last Date</i> (Eric Dolphy album) 1965 live album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>Caribé</i> 1961 studio album by The Latin Jazz Quintet and Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>Naima</i> (Eric Dolphy album) 1987 studio album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>Unrealized Tapes</i> 1988 studio album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>The Complete Uppsala Concert</i> 2005 live album by Eric Dolphy

The Complete Uppsala Concert is a double-CD live album by Eric Dolphy. It was recorded on September 4, 1961, at Västmanlands-Dala Nation, Uppsala, Sweden, and was released by Gambit Records in 2005. The album, which features one original tune plus eight performances of standards, was recorded during Dolphy's second visit to Europe, and showcases local musicians Rony Johansson on piano, Kurt Lindgren on bass, and Rune Carlsson on drums.

<i>Dash One</i> 1982 studio album by Eric Dolphy

Dash One is an album by Eric Dolphy consisting of alternate takes of four pieces recorded for other albums.

<i>Stockholm Sessions</i> 1981 studio album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>The Berlin Concerts</i> 1978 live album by Eric Dolphy

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.

<i>Vintage Dolphy</i> 1986 live album by Eric Dolphy

Vintage Dolphy is a live album by multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. Side A was recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on April 18, 1963, and features Dolphy in a quartet format with trumpeter Edward Armour, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer J. C. Moses. Side B contains three pieces by Gunther Schuller, with varying instrumentation, one of which was recorded at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York with the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music on March 10, 1962, the other two of which were recorded at Carnegie Hall on March 14, 1963. The remaining track is a rendition of Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee" by an all-star ensemble recorded at Carnegie Hall on April 18, 1963.

References

  1. "Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volume 1". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  2. "Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volume 2". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  3. "Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volume 3". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Eric Dolphy Discography: Late 1961: Mostly in Europe". Adale.org. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Simosko, Vladimir; Tepperman, Barry (1971). Eric Dolphy: A Musical Biography & Discography. Da Capo. pp. 114–115.
  6. Simosko, Vladimir; Tepperman, Barry (1971). Eric Dolphy: A Musical Biography & Discography. Da Capo. p. 61.
  7. Simosko, Vladimir; Tepperman, Barry (1971). Eric Dolphy: A Musical Biography & Discography. Da Capo. p. 60.
  8. "Eric Dolphy: Copenhagen Concert". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  9. "Eric Dolphy: The Complete Prestige Recordings". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  10. "Eric Dolphy: In Europe: The Complete Copenhagen Concerts". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Yanow, Scott. "Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volume 1". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Yanow, Scott. "Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volume 2". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Yanow, Scott. "Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volume 3". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 357.
  15. 1 2 3 Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 208.
  16. Simosko, Vladimir; Tepperman, Barry (1971). Eric Dolphy: A Musical Biography & Discography. Da Capo. p. 114.