Eric Allan Dolphy (June 20, 1928 - June 29, 1964) was a jazz musician who played alto saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. Dolphy was the first important bass clarinet soloist in jazz, and one of the first viable flute soloists in jazz. On early recordings, he occasionally played traditional B-flat soprano clarinet. Dolphy was educated at Los Angeles City College. He came to prominence in drummer Chico Hamilton's quintet in 1958, and had a particularly fruitful relationship with bassist Charles Mingus, beginning 1959 and continuing intermittently until Dolphy's death from undiagnosed diabetes. Dolphy recorded or played with such important jazz musicians as John Coltrane, Oliver Nelson, Ornette Coleman, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson and Tony Williams. Dolphy had a unique capacity to make his instruments "speak." Charles Mingus considered Dolphy his most talented interpreter and Coltrane described Dolphy as the only horn player he could conceivably play with as an equal in the early 60's (before the free jazz explosion). Classical music played a large role in Dolphy's early training and remained important to him. Dolphy performed and recorded Edgard Varese's Density 21.5 for solo flute as well as other classical works, and partipated heavily in Third Stream efforts. Dolphy's work is sometimes classified as free jazz, though Dolphy insisted his compositions and solos were grounded in a thorough, if occasionally unorthodox use of harmony. He made several unaccompanied recordings, then a rarity for woodwind instrumentalists. Dolphy's 1964 Blue Note recording Out to Lunch is often regarded not only as his finest, but also as one of the greatest free jazz recordings.

Discography

As a leader
1959 Truth
1959 Hot & Cool Latin
1959 Wherever I Go
1960 Status
1960 Dash One
1960 Outward Bound
1960 Here and There
1960 Looking Ahead
1960 Fire Waltz
1960 Other Aspects
1960 Out There
1960 The Caribe with the Latin Jazz Quintet
1960 Candid Dolphy
1960 Magic
1960 Far Cry
1960 Eric Dolphy
1961 The Quest
1961 The Great Concert of Eric Dolphy (live)
1961 Live! at the Five Spot, Vol. 1
1961 Live! at the Five Spot, Vol. 2
1961 Latin Jazz Quintet
1961 Berlin Concerts [live]
1961 Eric Dolphy in Europe, Vol. 3
1961 Eric Dolphy in Europe, Vol. 2
1961 Eric Dolphy in Europe, Vol. 1 (live)
1961 Copenhagen Concert (live)
1961 Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise
1961 Quartet 1961
1962 Vintage Dolphy
1963 Conversations
1963 Iron Man
1963 Jitterbug Waltz
1963 The Illinois Concert (live)
1964 Out to Lunch
1964 Last Date
1964 Naima
1964 Unrealized Tapes Chico Hamilton
1958 The Original Ellington Suite Charles Mingus
1960 Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus
1960 Mingus at Antibes
1963 Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
1964 Town Hall Concert
1964 The Great Concert of Charles Mingus Ornette Coleman
1960 Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation Oliver Nelson
1961 The Blues and the Abstract Truth John Coltrane
1961 Ole
1961 Africa/Brass
1961 Live at the Village Vanguard Andrew Hill
1964 Point of Departure

External links

http://adale.org/EDIntro.html
http://db.cs.berkeley.edu/~jmh//music/dolphy.html