RIP, Eric Dolphy (1928-1964)

Jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy died on June 29, 1964, in Berlin, Germany. He was only 36 years of age and apparently died of a coma brought on by an undiagnosed diabetic condition. He is buried in the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery in his home town of 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 and was, as Len Lyons puts it, one of the "crucial transitional figures between modern jazz and" free jazz.

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

Dolphy plays "God Bless the Child" here:

Robert
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