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Eric Dolphy: Outward Bound To Out To Lunch Revisited

By John Eyles
April 17, 2023
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Eric Dolphy: Outward Bound To Out To Lunch Revisited

Ask any jazz aficionado for their favourite jazz albums of the '60s and the chances are that, alongside such decade-defining choices as Jimmy Giuffre's Free Fall (Columbia, 1963),

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse, 1965),

Andrew Hill

piano
1931 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Andrew Hill's Point of Departure (Blue Note, 1965) and

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert Ayler's Spiritual Unity (ESP, 1965), they will select

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch (Blue Note, 1964). Now the Dolphy classic has been reissued on Ezz-thetics alongside one of his older recordings, Outward Bound (Prestige, 1964), with both sounding better than ever thanks to the sound restoration and mastering of Michael Brandl.

Both albums were originally recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Outward Bound on April 1, 1960, (yes!) and Out to Lunch on February 25, 1964. On the former, Dolphy played alto sax, flute and bass clarinet, and was joined by

Freddie Hubbard

trumpet
1938 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Freddie Hubbard on trumpet,

Jaki Byard

piano
1922 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Jaki Byard on piano,

George Tucker

bass
1927 - 1965

" data-original-title="" title="">George Tucker on double bass and

Roy Haynes

drums
1926 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Haynes on drums. Of the album's six pieces, three were Dolphy compositions plus the much-covered "Green Dolphin Street," the Rogers & Hart show tune "Glad to be Unhappy," and trombonist Charles Greenlee's "Miss Toni." Throughout, the standard of soloing is high, particularly from Dolphy and Hubbard, although the rhythm section could have benefitted from loosening up a little.

In the four years between Outward Bound and Out to Lunch Dolphy was much in demand, playing and recording with

Charles Mingus

bass, acoustic
1922 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Mingus and John Coltrane plus others. In 1964 he signed with Blue Note, with Out to Lunch being the result. On the album he was joined by Hubbard again plus

Richard Davis

bass, acoustic
1930 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Richard Davis on bass,

Anthony Williams

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Anthony Williams on drums and, in a significant change,

Bobby Hutcherson

vibraphone
1941 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, not piano. Dolphy was undoubtedly the leader, with all five of the album's pieces being his compositions. All five players sounded relaxed, individually and collectively; the vibraphone replacing the piano contributed to a laid-back atmosphere. The first two tracks feature Dolphy on bass clarinet which was relatively uncommon at the time; the combination of it with vibes gave the album its fingerprint and helped popularize the instruments. Sadly, Dolphy never got to see that as, within four months of recording the album, he died after falling into a diabetic coma while on tour in Europe. Thanks to the album, his legend lives on and always will.

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Track Listing

G.W.; Green Dolphin Street; Les; 246: Glad to Be Unhappy; Miss Toni; Hat and Beard; Something Sweet, Something Tender; Gazzelloni: Out to Lunch; Straight Up and Down.

Personnel

Eric Dolphy

woodwinds

Freddie Hubbard

trumpet

Jaki Byard

piano

George Tucker

bass

Roy Haynes

drums

Bobby Hutcherson

vibraphone

Richard Davis

bass, acoustic

Tony Williams

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Eric Dolphy: alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet; Jaki Byard: piano (1-6); George Tucker: double bass (1-6); Roy Haynes: drums (1-6); Bobby Hutcherson: vibraphone (7-11); Richard Davis: double bass (7-11); Anthony Williams: drums (7-11).

Album information

Title: Outward Bound to Out to Lunch Revisited | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Ezz-thetics

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