Out There (Eric Dolphy album)

Out There
Studio album by
Eric Dolphy
ReleasedSeptember 1961 (1961-09)[1][2]
RecordedAugust 15, 1960
StudiosVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Genres
Length33:50
LabelNew Jazz
ProducerEsmond Edwards
Eric Dolphy chronology
Caribé
(1961)		 Out There
(1961)		 Far Cry
(1962)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarStar[3]
DownBeatStarStarStarHalf star[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz RecordingsStarStarStarHalf star[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record GuideStarStarStarStarStar[6]

Out There is an album by Eric Dolphy which was released by Prestige Records in September 1961.[1][2][7] It features Dolphy in a quartet with cellist Ron Carter (in one of his first recorded appearances), bassist George Duvivier, and drummer Roy Haynes. It was Dolphy's second album as a leader, released following his time with Charles Mingus.

The album features four original compositions by Dolphy, "Eclipse" by Mingus, "Sketch of Melba" by Randy Weston, and "Feathers" by Hale Smith.[8] The cover features a painting by Richard Jennings, known as "Prophet".[9]

Dolphy's group on Out There resembles the late 1950s ensembles of Chico Hamilton, with whom Dolphy played and recorded during that time, in that it features both a cello and a bass; however, unlike Hamilton's group, Dolphy's does not contain a guitar or other chordal instrument. Dolphy and Carter solo over bass and drums only, helping to give the album a freer, more open sound when compared to Dolphy's previous album, Outward Bound, which featured pianist Jaki Byard.[10]

"Eclipse" from this album is one of the rare instances where Dolphy solos on B♭ clarinet.[11]

Reception

The contemporaneous DownBeat reviewer identified an improvement in Dolphy's bass clarinet playing and described him as "one of the few uncliched flute players in jazz".[4]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Michael G. Nastos noted the presence of "a depth and purpose that were unprecedented and remain singularly unique," and states that "[t]he music reveals the depth of [Dolphy's] thought processes while also expressing his bare-bones sensitive and kind nature." He concluded: "Out There explores Dolphy's vision in approaching the concept of tonality in a way few others -- before, concurrent, or after -- have ever envisioned."[3] In a retrospective review for the BBC, Peter Marsh wrote: "Throughout, the instrumental combinations throw up beautiful clashes and consonances... There's a sense of a proper Third Stream being mined here, and it says much for Dolphy's vision that such combinations are still the stuff of surprise 40 odd years later."[12] Writing for PopMatters, Will Layman called the album "a dream come true", and noted how Dolphy and Carter are "free to explore harmony above the minimal barriers of George Duvivier's bass lines and Roy Haynes' snap-crackle-pop stick work."[13]

Track listing

  1. "Out There" (Eric Dolphy) – 6:55
  2. "Serene" (Dolphy) – 7:01
  3. "The Baron" (Dolphy) – 2:57
  4. "Eclipse" (Charles Mingus) – 2:45
  5. "17 West" (Dolphy) – 4:50
  6. "Sketch of Melba" (Randy Weston) – 4:40
  7. "Feathers" (Hale Smith) – 5:00

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 "Dolphy, Eric". Schwann Long Playing Record Catalog. 17 (3). Boston: W. Schwann, Inc. 1965. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Hentoff, Nat (September 28, 1961). "Record Notes". The Reporter. New York: Reporter Magazine Co.
  3. 1 2 Nastos, Michael G. "Eric Dolphy: Out There". AllMusic. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Williams, Martin (September 28, 1961). "Eric Dolphy: Out There". DownBeat. Vol. 28, no. 20. p. 30.
  5. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 62. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  7. ↑ "New Jazz Label Discography" (PDF). Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Product Details". Out There. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  9. ↑ van de Linde, François (April 21, 2016). "Richard "Prophet" Jennings". FlopHouseMagazine.com. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  10. ↑ Simosko, Vladimir; Tepperman, Barry (1971). Eric Dolphy: A Musical Biography & Discography. Da Capo. p. 48.
  11. ↑ Simosko, Vladimir; Tepperman, Barry (1971). Eric Dolphy: A Musical Biography & Discography. Da Capo. p. 49.
  12. ↑ Marsh, Peter (2002). "Eric Dolphy Out There Review". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  13. ↑ Layman, Will (June 4, 2006). "Out There/Eric Dolphy Out There [Rudy Van Gelder Remasters]". PopMatters. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
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