7 Classic Albums

The composite sets offered under the Real Gone Jazz label offer classic performances from the lfifties and early sixties at affordable -no, absurdly inexpensive! --prices. I bought many of these albums when they first appeared in vinyl and now I'm paying less than I paid then for them.DOLPHY, Eric. Seven Classic Albums. Real Gone Jazz. 2012. 4 CDs. $14.99.Outward Bound (1960)ED, flt, bss clari, alto sx; Freddie Hubbard, tpt; Jaki Byard, p; George Tucker, b; Roy Haynes, dr.Far Cry (1961)ED, same; Booker Little, tpt; Jaki Byard, p; Ron Carter, b; Roy Haynes, dr.Out There (1960)ED, same plus sop sx; Ron Carter, b, cello; George Duvivier, b; Roy Haynes, dr.Screamin' the Blues (1960)ED, same; Oliver Nelson, ten alto sx; Richard Williams, tpt; Richard Wyands, p; George Duvivier, b; Roy Haynes, dr.At the Five Spot, vol. 1 (1961)ED, same; Booker Little, tpt; Mal Waldron, p; Richard Davis, b; Ed Blackwell, dr.Hot and Cool Latin (1958)ED, same, plus other incl. Dennis Budimir, guit; Chico Hamilton, dr.Here and There (1961)ED, same; Booker Little, Freddie Hubbard, tpt; Mal Waldron, Jaki Byard, Bent Axen, p; Richard Davis, b; Eddie Blackwell, Roy Haynes, dr; others.The Eric Dolphy collection illustrates the tendency of most of these collections -a core of absolutely exceptional albums, with around them, others much more mediocre. The best of thee albums -Outward Bound and Out There from 1960, are absolute killers, as is the album with trumpeter and soulmate Booker Little live at the Five Spot. (Although, why didn't they include the second album live from the Five Spot?) It's unfortunate that the piano at the Five Spot hadn't been tuned for ages, but Mal Waldron is such a good pianist that he almost rises above the difficulties it posed. Screamin' the Blues (1960) is also included. It was originally released under Oliver Nelson's name and I think most of the compositions are Nelson's. I always liked Nelson as a soloist -he wasn't all that original in what he played but I liked his tone and he contrasted well with the more abstract and original Dolphy and Hubbard on The Blues and the Abstract Truth. The pieces on this album sound more conventional to me fifty years later and thus less interesting. I could definitely do without the Latin album --what were they attempting -to make Dolphy popular? -but as always Dolphy plays well.

Disc two starts with the album "Out There," and track two is "Serene." But when I heard a trumpet that shouldn't be there, I did some research. The "Serene" on disc two is 6:38. There is a "Serene" of the same length at the end of the CD edition of "Far Cry," but it was not on the original LP according to Discogs.com. It is also not included with "Far Cry" on disc one of this set. (It seems that the Real Gone Jazz releases do not generally have bonus cuts added to later CD editions.) The "Serene" from "Out There" is on my Eric Dolphy Prestige Profiles disc. It is 6:58, and is very different (no trumpet, of course). I have only played part of this set, but wanted to immediately alert any potential buyers. I ordered more of this series after enjoying the Yusef Lateef set. The sound on the Yusef Lateef and the parts of George Russell and this set that I have played is fine. I believe that even an audiophile would call the sound very good. (I am a long-time subscriber to The Absolute Sound with a decent system.) But as I told myself when I decided to take a chance on a Real Gone Jazz set: "It's an inexpensive way to hear the music. If you really like it and want bonus cuts, notes, [and to my chagrin, all the songs!], buy the "official" release. But some of the albums included on the Real Gone Jazz sets are either quite expensive, or impossible to find. (Part of my research before buying always includes reading reviews on Amazon, and I appreciate finding many useful comments. Thanks.)

If you do not know Eric Dolphy, skip this and buy Out to Lunch immediately, one of my early favorites from high school in the late 60s! I already had several of these LPs, but had not heard all of them. The Latin is not my favorite, but this fills a large hole in my "Bumphead" collection. For those who care about these things, I believe some tracks are recorded from LPs with the normal static and a very infrequent pop, I prefer the sound of LPs anyway so this doesn't bother me, but certain all-digital freaks may jump when it comes out of their PC or iPad. A lot of my digital music is from my LP collection, so it fits right in for me! If you bought Out to Lunch and need more, buy Iron Man (no not Black Sabbath), or try this overview of early Dolphy tracks.

I now have 7 of these labels recent releases and I have to say that this is the best of them. Clearly Dolphy was making a transistion from Bop to a more free approach. One of the great thing about these releases is that they contain many out of print records. If you like Dolphy's "Out to Lunch" see where it all began. Also, although it does not need to be said these issues are an absolute bargain.

I first heard Eric Dolphy when he played with John Coltrane and was really taken by his sound. Thios is an outstanding example of his too short genius . I'm so glad to be able to listen to these Giants that checked too soon from earth.

Purchased this collection for my mother as a surprise. She was (and still is) very thrilled! Dolphy was a dear friend of hers, when she was in the military.

As the title states, CLASSIC ALBUMS. These are wonderful performances by one of the wunderkinds of American sound. You cannot afford to let this opportunity pass you by at this price. Excellent!

An excellent selection of Eric Dolphy's early work

Am late into Dolphy and found his most famous albums interesting but a little over rated, but this collection tells you quite clearly what a talent he wasThere is something for everyone here and includes his live album with Booker LittleWonderful

Fantastic jazz from a great musician that is not so well known

Kenny Burrell est un guitariste de grand talent influencé entre autres par Charlie Christian et Django Reinhardt mais qui a su très vite créer un son à lui. Dans ce coffret 4 CD on a 7 albums des débuts de sa carrière de leader (1956-1957) après avoir été sideman pendant quelques années. Ca n'est donc qu'un tout petit aperçu de sa discographie mais déjà, son toucher très fluide et mélodieux excelle dans le blues (K.B Blues en 1957). J'ai particulièrement aimé l'album 2 Guitars enregistré avec Jimmy Raney, excellent. Il était toujours très bien entouré de musiciens de très haut niveau, presque toujours les mêmes que l'on retrouve d'un album à l'autre de ce coffret: Tommy Flanagan, Mal Waldron, Donald Byrd, Horace Silver ou encore Elvin Jones, pas mal! Pas de livret mais au moins les noms des musiciens sont indiqués (minimum). Pour ceux et celles qui veulent poursuivre cette discographie prolifique, jetez-vous sur ce chef d'oeuvre absolu ,qu'est Midnight Blue (chez Blue Note en 1963), indispensable.

Eric Dolphy è quasi probabilmente , nel Jazz , l'interprete di Clarinetto basso più autorevole; pochi hanno suonato come lui questo strumento nella musica Afro-Americana per via della " legnosità" dello strumento , e questo gli rende onore al di sopra di ogni riga scrivibile. In questo cofanetto della Real Gone sempre all'altezza della tecnica per la presenza di una dinamica pura e lodevole nel contempo per il basso costo , sono presenti quasi tutti i capolavori del grande losangelino che si esibisce sempre ai vertici anche con gli altri strumenti , flauto e sax contralto ; se dispiace un poco per le registrazioni latin che sgretolano le belle atmosfere create , fluide meraviglie si ascoltano in Here and There. Da non perdere per coloro che non lo hanno ancora apprezzato e per coloro che lo conoscono bene

alte, historische Aufnehmen -weit weg von der heutigen Qualität...aber historisch...3 Sterne für die Authentizität und die Qualität des KLANGS