Eric Dolphy - Far Cry (click to buy)
(with Booker Little, Jaki Byard, Ron Carter and Roy Haynes)
I have much love for this one- it's long been one of my absolute favorite Dolphy sides. It's also some of my favorite Booker Little, sure wish HE could have been around a lot longer. And look, there's Roy MF Haynes again! He keeps showing up on all my favorite sides (remember my recent pick, Out Of The Afternoon?). Jaki Byard sounds great and IMHO knows exactly how to comp (including when to get out of the way) behind the horn players. Dolphy's solos on this just crack me up they're so good.
One of the amazing things about this is that it was recorded the SAME DAY after Dolphy participated in Ornette's Free Jazz session! Can you imagine doing that and then going to do another intense and heavy session? Boggles the mind. I hope he got at least a short nap in between.
It's obvious that Booker was one of Woody Shaw's major influences. On this session Booker sounds to me absolutely like an extension of Clifford- that clean articulation and beautiful sound with some new harmonic ideas and unique angular melodic structure added to the mix.
This is great Dolphy for sure, but I love it as much for what the others contribute. Everything works IMHO.
And the recording is wonderful, I love the K2 version.
I look forward to all of your comments! (I hope there are some)