Eric was a very unique jazz player. Everything was a little odd, yet all brilliant. He was one of a kind. Where his vision came from I don't know, but his fellow jazz giants recognized that he was special. Coltrane, Mingus, and many others acknowledged his unique musicianship. He was really special.
Dolphy's one of those players with such a distinct melodic approach, you always know it's him... what a true original, and what a beautiful version this track is
Possibly the most beautiful solo sax entrance ever, followed by the most stunning cover of a Coltrane song ever, beyond out there, if this was Eric's last studio session, what truly amazing farewell to the planet earth.
I don’t know if I should correct you in the fact that that’s a bass clarinet because maybe it’s what you meant, with it being so similar to sax. It is a bass clarinet though
Imagine having this gorgeous tune written just for you--"Naima"--then hearing Dolphy's version on bass clarinet, on which he is astounding...would this be humbling? How wonderful...I swear, Dolphy was beyond awe-inspiring when he blew this woody, delightful instrument...musical perfection!
He could play solo instrument like bass clarinet on Naima. One of his albums was Eric playing solo flute. Nothing but him and the flute. Like a bird. From another world.
Hi, the son of drummer Franco Manzecchi here. It's Jacky Bambou on congas and not Billy Brooks. The session is called "Last Recordings" and was made at ORTF studios in Paris (F) on june 11, 1964.
Its just such an open frame that allows, for instance, Don Byrd to play that sensational solo near the beginning, and Eric's playing is, as ever, inventive, lyrical and in tune with Coltrane's composition.
You guys should check out the 2 different versions of Naima on the complete Villiage Vanguard Collection with John Coltrane, beautiful bass clarinet solo featurings.
Dolphy is my favorite. Miles my hero for so much influence , but listen dolphy on oliver nelson's the blues and the abstract truth. Stolen moments is chilling one of those songs like so what, that seems so familiar like we were born with a ring of it in our head. Mingus adored him, trane said , which was unheard of, he was his only equal though they were quite different. Eric on alto, bass clarinet, flute. Listen to dolphy solo on clarinet do God bless the child and many music students still find it cutting edge implementation of instrument just that far ahead of his time. 50 years ahead of his tine or just shooting bstar. Marvelous picture!!!!!! The VV recordings with Cotrane naima, spiritual, miles mode, its just incredible and his work with Mingus. Just love his sound thanks for posting!! He is well recorded and photographed thankfully theres a back and white with him and trane with flute in hands two horns hanging from neck...its incredible Clarinet is huge but trane similary multiple instruments.
my uncle taught me this on piano and played it on tenor at a concert about a month before he passed. On piano i have found that it fits nicely with some of Ravels short pieces.
What a find. Eric attacked each song as if for the first time. Always experimenting with his new found knowledge of how to create a musical experience. Looking for the unexpected joy of discovery. Beautiful. Few men are willing to lay their lives and Artistic integrity in front of the world.
There have been many fine jazz musicians whose recordings could be played softly in the background and still deliver pleasure to anyone in the room. But, someone as unique and different as Dolphy requires more intense listening and attention to derive the same pleasure. If there is something else demanding my attention I can't listen to someone like Dolphy without feeling somewhat agitated and cheated because I couldn't concentrate on the music. Thank God for headphones and geniuses such as Eric Dolphy!
The beauty of this music for me is only its uniqueness but it's sincerity! You see to be the best at something implies that your number 1 but to be unique is to be the only one...
I am not versed in jazz, love it but uneducated, but this "cat" seems ahead of his time?! Wow! Perhaps a love letter to his friend John Coltrane- wow! again. To be worthy of such a send off and remembrance...
Naima est ici transposition génial, fluide planétaire, remembrance. Balade du jazz éternelle en renvoie à un ami avec qui on soutient un dialogue sans faille qui surmonte subtil dunes, vagues, déserts… avec la seule intention de rendre hommage au créateur en surpassant son défi en adieu prémonitoire.
He has a funky spiritual essence that spirals in and out of love, joy and science. You really feel his giving soul here. And his playing style here is a fitting tribute to Trane. I know Dolphy did the arrangement for Coltrane's Africa and you hear him doing Coltrane here for a minute at 12:15 .
@A Publick Domain at the time signature above 12:15 that's more funky than its jazzy. Funk is just attitude and soul on a rythmic beat. I didn't say he was a funk muscian, but you often feel those elements, when you close your eyes and before he exits a solo.
Eric was as important an innovator as Ornette and Trane. Thankfully he's well recorded. His creativity and drive were astonishing. His proficiency at flute, bass clarinet and alto was sublime. Like Monk, he's a walking musical instrument in and of himself his music is so large. That and his personal warmth and tender character set him aside as a truly great man. His bass clarinet playing here is magnificent. Nice arrangement, too, although some of the solos before Eric plays are weak.. ...
The other musicians are: Bass Jacques Hess Drums Franco Manzecchi Piano Jacques Deval Trumpet Donald Byrd Percussion Jacky Bambou Tenor Sax Nathan Davis
In 1964 i was sitting in front of "Le Chat Qui Pêche" and listning of his great sound later with 'Champion Jack Dupree' we got a nice nightly jamsesion with all the great guys that time where in Quartier Latin, happy to hear of Dolphy
I was the house-drummer at "Le Chat Qui Peche" in the early 60s and did a couple of nights with Eric Dolphy. Eric played a lot of 'Flute' on that particular gig, which inspired me to seriously study the 'Flute' ... precious memories of Paris ... :)
'Mi piace quando il destino mi gira intorno. Mi guarda da più angoli e si avvicina.' Ventuno anni dopo torno ad ascoltare la più stupefacente incisione di Naima. Suonata su un tempo tribale, da cerimonia incantata, Naima è una lettera d'amore che Eric Dolphy scrive da Parigi al suo amico fraterno John Coltrane. Ha la sostanza di un omaggio definitivo, la perfezione malinconica di un congedo, il senso dell'imminenza, l'urgenza conclusiva della premonizione. (Collabora all'astuzia estetica dell'interpretazione la tromba di Donald Byrd.) Durante questa permanenza in Europa, dove aveva intenzione di trasferirsi con la sua compagna, uno dei più grandi musicisti di jazz d'avanguardia muore improvvisamente a Berlino, il 29 giugno del 1964, in seguito alle complicanze di un diabete trascurato. Sua madre donerà a John Coltrane il suo flauto e il suo clarinetto basso. All'età di 36 anni Eric Dolphy dorme il sonno dei giusti. (aka On conveying beauty #919)
Polistrumentista, è stato grande sia al sax alto che al flauto. Ma al clarinetto basso è stato un autentico pioniere se si pensa che a quell'epoca questo strumento non era considerato ancora perfetto sia dal punto di vista della meccanica che dell'intonazione. È stato l'apripista di altri jazzisti che dopo di lui si sono cimentati con questo strumento. (da Wiki) e grazie dell'omaggio
in realtà lo strumento era normalmente usato in orchestra (e le parti erano tutt'altro che semplici, basta guardare quelle della Sagra della primavera), secondo me i clarinetti bassi dell'epoca erano assolutamente al livello degli altri strumenti dell'epoca. diversi da quelli di oggi, con una meccanica meno sciolta e un'intonazione meno precisa (ma nulla di paragonabile ai saxofoni soprani come quelli che usavano Coltrane e Lacy, decisamente non all'altezza dei loro fratelli maggiori).
As a long-time jazz lover (67 years old), I have, sadly, a long list of premature jazz deaths: Bix Beiderbecke, Fats Navarro, Booker Little (on this recording), Clifford Brown, etc., etc. Dammit.
Naima es aquí trasposición genial, fluido cósmico, remembranza. Balada del jazz imperecedero reenviada a un amigo con quien sostuvo un diálogo sin falla que supera dunas, ondas, desiertos… con la única intención de rendir homenaje al creador sobrepasando su desafío como adiós premonitorio.
Thank you for uploading, this is a whole new perspective of Naima for me.What a captivating artist, why oh why has it taken me so long to find this mans music.I am constantly learning & what a pleasure it is. Am so grateful for RU-vid & most of all the great artists that give timelessly from the heart of creation.
trumpet sounds like Frederick Hubbard to me .lovely drummer,too,just keeping it all afloat. And i do like the tenorist - closer to the tune ...A brilliant piece .Thankyou for this,iduagilulfi
Here's the entry: Eric Dolphy/Donald Byrd Le Chat Qui Pêche, Paris, 11 June 1964 Eric Dolphy (as,bcl); Donald Byrd (tr); Nathan Davis (ts); Jack Diéval (pno); Jacques Hess (bass); Franco Manzecchi (dr); Jacky Bambou (congas). Springtime [19:20](bcl), 245 [10:05](as), GW [6:10](as), Serene [7:58](bcl), Ode to Charlie Parker [5:39](fl), Naima [14:31](bcl) "Unrealized Tapes", West Wind 016, CD 2016, and "Naima", a West Wind CD 2063. These recordings were only recently released for the first time, although some of this is on Jazzway Mutt 1502. Springtime is a brooding autumnal composition with lots of space for emotion. There are apparently many hours of recordings with these people from Paris, according to Nathan Davis. Reichardt (p. 66) notes: "Graham Lock in an article on Nathan Davis (The Wire, No. 22, December 1985): 'These tapes still exist and are in the possession of Jacques Diéval, the French pianist who produced these sessions. Nathan told me that Donald Byrd had persuaded firstly Blue Note, then Columbia, to try and obtain the tapes, but on each occasion Diéval had apparently refused to release the Dolphy tapes unless the record company agreed to issue several of his own tapes too. What a stinker!'"
I don't care, have them issue his tapes too (Dieval) they'll probably make back the money from the have to be stellar Dolphy recordings, at least I and many would buy and I think his importance can still grow in leaps and bounds with a little more attention, so it should be a good enough deal for them. They should do it or do any deal with Dieval, it will pay off, Dolphy wasn't recorded enough in his last 2 years so any recordings is a must, he wanted to be heard, recorded, his own music and this is his own music, very worthy of attention.
They are holding back important history too, he was great in this time and surely wanted to have out more than out to lunch, this and last date out of the last six months of his life, and yet still barely a few more out of the last 2 years.
Hi, the son of drummer Franco Manzecchi here. False information here, widely spread on internet: it was NOT a recording at the Chat, it was a radio broadcast at Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Francaise (ORTF).
Beautiful session! It is interesting to hear the trumpeter and tenor sax player (who were they?) play their solos cool and competent--and then to hear Dolphy come in blazing, pushing way past the edge of the envelope from the opening run...
