Review of Eric Dolphy : Wherever I Go
One of eric Dolphy's most enduring performances!! A must have for any modern jazz collector.

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Your latest reviews - Eric Dolphy : Song Of The Piper, Hallmarks of Excellence.
Marked with the gift to draw fire from the soul,
and from this weave robust, honest, creatively
beautiful Music, he was a genius who called the
Spirits awake with towering imperative; vibrantly
dancing elder Traditions into Life anew. Composer
deluxe and arranger extraordinaire, his hunger
and thirst brought a whole new voice to the alto
saxophone, while single-handedly bringing the
flute and bass clarinet into instrumental Jazz
prominence for the first time. With humility and
purpose, a dedicated drive and a joyous song,
Eric Dolphy struck a dissonant chord of challenge,
clarity, and command which continues to resound
throughout the corridors of African American
legacy, and beyond.

Yet, over 40 years after his senseless death due
to medical neglect, Dolphy remains a largely
unknown commodity to the world-at-large, an
aesthetic pariah held suspect by the timorous,
the jaded, and the confused. Even certain Jazz
artists who should have known better -including
Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt- have made ruthlessly
callous remarks which impugn Dolphy's unimpeachable
validity as a master musician.
With the phenomenal pianist Herbie Nichols, the
exceptional vibraphonist Walt Dickerson, and the
ncomparable singer Jeanne Lee, the Watts native
stands as one of the most misunderstood and
underrated giants in all of Music.

Just how monumental a giant Dolphy continues to
be can be measured in the array of great musical
originators who have been touched by his tireless
efforts. Heed reedslinger David Murray's jaunty
roar, flutist James Newton's pervasive wizardry,
or instrumental composer Anthony Braxton's probing
multimedial muse, and you gain a taste of how
mightily the Dolphy influence reaches into the
very best of the Here and Now.

In equal fashion, a listen to the man's recordings
will reveal much to savor. From his scorching work
alongside Ornette Coleman, Abbey Lincoln, Andrew
Hill and Max Roach, to his groundbreaking
partnerships with Chico Hamilton, Charles Mingus
and John Coltrane, Dolphy was very much a mover
and shaper of penetrating cultural expression.
His last recordings, principally for the Douglas
and Blue Note labels, show what an astonishing
trailblazer the multireed shootist continued to
be to the very end, vividly suggesting the wealth
of material which should have been.

Fortunately, the reedsmaster's recorded legacy is
as diverse and bountiful as it is brief. Anyone
needing proof of this may regard his most noted
bloc of work, and strap in for a heady ride. ERIC
DOLPHY: The COMPLETE PRESTIGE RECORDINGS
is high adventure, deep romance, and bountiful
history all rolled into one powerful package of
Great Black Music.
This stupendous 9-CD Fantasy Records collection
assembles all of Dolphy's debut recordings as a
leader, along with all of his work as a sideman
for Prestige/New Jazz, into a singular tribute
to the significance of 1960-61 as a vital time
for Creative Music.
From incandescent solo performances to soaring
orchestral splendor, along with some of the most
delightful and innovative of all small group
presentations, The COMPLETE PRESTIGE DOLPHY
is an important collection; a must for any
serious listener of fine Music, Jazz and
otherwise.

As mighty as Dolphy was as a prime mover, much
of his greatness is rooted in his contributive
generosity; always providing ample soloing
space for everyone, while keeping focus upon
the total effort at hand. No dead silences
or shrill, self-indulgent exercises here.
No museumpiece apings of other folk's
groove, either.
From quiet time to explosive jam, from studio
summits to vital live concert juggernauts, THE
COMPLETE PRESTIGE DOLPHY offers the conceptual
daring and lyrical diversity of artists having
a lot of swinging fun paving fresh, freeweaving
new ground.

Walk the way of this Music, and stroll through
wonderlands of song forged by formidable pianists
such as Jaki Byard and Mal Waldron, lithe, pulse-
sifting drummers such as Roy Haynes and Edward
Blackwell, plus string wizards such as Chuck
Israels, George Duvivier, Richard Davis and Ron
Carter. Fellow reedsmen Booker Ervin, Ken McIntyre,
and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis are deep in their fiery
element here, while the rare original session with
the Latin Jazz Quartet is pleasant in its reflective
poise. The first strides of Oliver Nelson brought
stunning promise and a fleeting reclamation of
stolen moments, while a young Freddie Hubbard
trumpets with a clarity, precision and tempestuous
vision that has never been surpassed - not even
by him.
Deliciously dangerous, clarion-calling chases such
as Dolphy's "Miss Ann", Waldron's "Status Seeking",
Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" and Booker Little's off-minor,
major spirit-chase "Aggression" take their place
alongside serenading Blues such as "Serene", classic
renditions of standards such as "On Green Dolphin
Street", "Tenderly", and "Like Someone In Love", as
well as memorable Jazz ballads such as Byard's "Ode
To Charlie Parker", Randy Weston's "Hi-Fly", and the
legendary solo presentations of Billie Holiday's
"God Bless The Child".

Those who value the rarefied synergy conjured
by the team of Dolphy and trumpeter Booker
Little will find this collection especially
attractive, since it contains all of their
classic live recordings from NYC's Five Spot
Café, as well as their historic first meeting
on FAR CRY. With Duke Ellington and Billy
Strayhorn, Randy Weston and Melba Liston,
Dolphy and Little formed one of the finest
collaborative teams in all of Jazz.

As for the Memphis-born Brass King who bridged
Clifford Brown's golden blaze with the silver
blue spells of Miles Davis, Booker Little's
aqualine call to wisdom and glory is a treat
all its own.
Humble, exuberant, and highly creative, the
trumpeter's generous, buoyant play set precedents
which have never been surpassed... even decades
after his tragic death in the Fall of 1961.

Throughout it all, listen to the never-ending
development that was Eric Dolphy. A latter-day
Pied Piper, he lived to make Music as no one else
could, or has since. In times where to sing and
play too often means to posture and be procured,
the significance of the Dolphy legacy is its joyful
uniquity and staunch resilience in the face of
embittered dissolution.
For those who heed this call, expression means to
speak out. Art speaks with a purpose, and for a
reason. Responsibility calls for the exchange of
conversation, as well as the depth of communion.

With the exception of the priceless European concerts
which close this collection so perfectly, engineering
master Rudy Van Gelder is the source of this set's
astonishing auditory wonder. As for Esmond Edwards,
his stance as the original producer for most of these
recordings marks the African American entrepreneur
as a pioneer; one who set precedents for Black people
behind the scenes needing to market -not milk down-
the deepest forms of Black Music.

Handsomely packaged, astutely annotated, ERIC DOLPHY:
THE COMPLETE PRESTIGE RECORDINGS is a wonderful tapestry
of artistry holding nothing back, a Black aesthetic
offering Music which dares to be both beautiful and
truthful without fear. Music offering choices to
hear.

A song and a way to hold dear.