John coltrane impressions eric dolphy biography

Thursday, October 21, Eric Dolphy's death, aged 36 on 29 June , cut short a rare and highly original talent that, in less than four years, had seen him record a number of definitive jazz albums, not least his own singular Blue Note classic, Out to Lunch!. Along with Coltrane and Coleman, Eric Dolphy played a significant role in influencing the development of the avant-garde in jazz in the late s and early s.

He developed a style of playing that was wholly his own, characterised by wide interval leaps and unorthodox note-to-chord relationships and played a leading role in extending the range of the alto saxophone by at least an octave. He released the potential of the bass clarinet as a convincing solo instrument in jazz and with Coltrane explored the possibilities of extended improvisation.

The recording made at NYC's Village Gate during the summer of , when the John Coltrane quartet was joined by Eric Dolphy.

In he was among the very first to experiment with an Indo-jazz fusion and was an innovator in the use of raw sounds for their emotional impact, rather than for their melodic or harmonic effect. A thoroughly schooled musician, able to read the most complex music at sight, he was, in short, a true jazz original. In it, the late reed player and flautist Prince Lasha and alto saxophonist Sonny Simmons explained what drew them to the New York scene of the early s.

The two were then based in California and recounted how they were in a record store marvelling at an LP by Eric Dolphy. I want to see this motherfucker; you know what I mean?

Let's say for the sake of argument that you and I share a common understanding about the music John Coltrane made with Eric Dolphy in

I mean, he got around all three of them, he was killing, just getting around and had a great sound and everything, a strong sound — he was a virtuoso. The three album set includes the albums Conversations and Iron Man, plus unissued and alternative takes. Originally produced by Alan Douglas, it seems the original tapes had been stored, along with other personal items, by Dolphy himself in a suitcase that he gave to friends for safekeeping before embarking on his ill-fated European trip in Five decades later they were given to flautist James Newton, who then contacted the folks at Resonance.

Throughout, his full tone on all instruments is projected with great clarity, while his ease of execution allowed him to smoothly achieve the most awkward of intervals with evenness and fluidity.