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REVIEW    DownBeat  /  August 16, 1962


Eric Dolphy
At The Five Spot

Prestige/New Jazz 8260

★★★½

Rudy Van Gelder Remasters
Prestige 65th Anniversary Vinyl Series
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Eric Dolphy’s playing has deteriorated badly since his first album, Outward Bound. It’s still emotionally compelling by virtue of its violence, but after a few choruses it begins to pall.

There are several reasons why this is so. For one, Dolphy doesn’t seem concerned with the melodic content of his solos and repeats several pet phrases ad nauseum. For another, his work has little contrast in it. His playing is always at one level—screaming intensity. On Prophet he double-times almost all the way. Occasionally he conceives a striking idea, but it is outweighed by dozens of clichés. He opens his solo on Fire Waltz promisingly, pacing himself well, but after a few choruses he again falls to double-timing meaning-lessly.

On Vamp he plays bass clarinet. His conception on that instrument is similar to his alto work; he concerns himself with producing a variety of vocal effects.

Little’s playing on Prophet is brilliant. He also double-times a great deal on this track, but his phrases are very rich melodically and are set up logically with rests, long tones, or references to the original tempo. He is inventive on the other two tracks, although his playing on Waltz lacks continuity. His composition Bee Vamp is worth careful consideration. The theme contains alternating 12- and 16-bar units and a repeated two-chord figure is used as a send-off device.

Waldron has seldom been in better form. On Vamp and Prophet his solos are beautifully constructed and contrast long lines with short, repeated phrases.

Blackwell may be the next great drummer in jazz. His playing is clean; he has tremendous drive; and, as he demonstrates behind the solos of Waldron and Davis, he also is a sensitive accompanist. His rhythmic patterns add greatly to the interest of the music.

Davis plays solid, economical bass in the section and takes a fine solo on Prophet.

If Dolphy had played with the excellence he displayed in his first album, this effort would surely have rated five stars. —Harvey Pekar


At The Five Spot: Fire Waltz; Bee Vamp; The Project.
Personnel: Dolphy, alto saxophone, bass clarinet; Booker Little, trumpet; Mal Waldron, piano; Richard Davis, bass; Ed Blackwell, drums.


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