Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy in Europe Vol. 1

★★★★

Eric Dolphy at some of his most peaceful and relaxed, but he still kills it as you would expect. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to dive into Dolphy's music but is a bit intimidated by some of his other releases.

Rest assured, he's still on top of everyone on here. Starting with "Hi-Fly", which is a flute and bass duet, you can already tell he's on his way out of the atmosphere. While Chuck Israels does his best, he only barely keeps up with Dolphy's non-stop smoothly performed flute. Actually that seems to be the main theme throughout; everyone trying to keep up with someone who's leagues ahead.

Not to say the rest are bad players, they're pretty good, but just comparatively I only think the drummer had enough in him to stay level with Dolphy. The second piece is also on flute and it stays in the mood of a wandering and mournful ballad that takes you to the wee hours of the morning in the city. 

The second half is undoubtedly my favorite though with him utilizing the bass clarinet. He is an absolutely insane player on both "God Bless the Child" and "Oleo", he amps it up as he uses the last of his jet fuel to shoot completely out of Earth's orbit. "God Bless the Child" is a solo piece and truly has the magnitude and power of a Philip Glass ensemble with the heartfeltness and soul of Billie Holiday. "Oleo" is with the European quartet and they really push themselves so that they can hitch a ride on his interstellar playing, and it all pulls through. Again through all of this Dolphy shows his undying and legendary versatility. 

Favorite Song: God Bless the Child

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