Happy Birthday, Eric Dolphy

Jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy was born on June 20, 1928, in Los Angeles, California. Dolphy — who played alto and baritone saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, and piccolo — partnered with Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and other jazz greats in the 1950s and 1960s.

Dolphy was, as Len Lyons puts it, one of the "crucial transitional figures between modern jazz and" free jazz. Critic Scott Yanow adds that "While most of the other 'free jazz' players sounded very serious in their playing, Dolphy's solos often came across as ecstatic and exuberant."

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Dolphy's Copenhagen Concert (Prestige), which is available from Amazon.com.

The Eric Dolphy Quintet plays "GW," from an August 1961 concert in Berlin, here:

Robert
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