Eric Dolphy • Out to Lunch

 

Review by Steve Huey
Out to Lunch stands as Eric Dolphy's magnum opus, an absolute pinnacle of avant-garde jazz in any form or era. Its rhythmic complexity was perhaps unrivaled since Dave Brubeck's Time Out, and its five Dolphy originals -- the jarring Monk tribute "Hat and Beard," the aptly titled "Something Sweet, Something Tender," the weirdly jaunty flute showcase "Gazzelloni," the militaristic title track, the drunken lurch of "Straight Up and Down" -- were a perfect balance of structured frameworks, carefully calibrated timbres, and generous individual freedom. Much has been written about Dolphy's odd time signatures, wide-interval leaps, and flirtations with atonality. And those preoccupations reach their peak on Out to Lunch, which is less rooted in bop tradition than anything Dolphy had ever done. But that sort of analytical description simply doesn't do justice to the utterly alien effect of the album's jagged soundscapes. Dolphy uses those pet devices for their evocative power and unnerving hints of dementia, not some abstract intellectual exercise. His solos and themes aren't just angular and dissonant -- they're hugely so, with a definite playfulness that becomes more apparent with every listen. The whole ensemble -- trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, vibist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Tony Williams -- takes full advantage of the freedom Dolphy offers, but special mention has to be made of Hutcherson, who has fully perfected his pianoless accompaniment technique. His creepy, floating chords and quick stabs of dissonance anchor the album's texture, and he punctuates the soloists' lines at the least expected times, suggesting completely different pulses. Meanwhile, Dolphy's stuttering vocal-like effects and oddly placed pauses often make his bass clarinet lines sound like they're tripping over themselves. Just as the title Out to Lunch suggests, this is music that sounds like nothing so much as a mad gleam in its creator's eyes.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/out-to-lunch%21-mw0000241418

///////

Crítica de Steve Huey
Out to Lunch se erige como la obra magna de Eric Dolphy, un pináculo absoluto del jazz de vanguardia en cualquier forma o época. Su complejidad rítmica no tenía parangón desde el Time Out de Dave Brubeck, y sus cinco originales de Dolphy -el discordante tributo a Monk "Hat and Beard", el acertadamente titulado "Something Sweet, Something Tender", la extrañamente alegre exhibición de flauta "Gazzelloni", la militarista canción que da título al disco, el tambaleo ebrio de "Straight Up and Down"- eran un equilibrio perfecto de marcos estructurados, timbres cuidadosamente calibrados y generosa libertad individual. Se ha escrito mucho sobre los compases extraños de Dolphy, sus saltos de intervalo amplio y sus coqueteos con la atonalidad. Y esas preocupaciones alcanzan su punto álgido en Out to Lunch, que está menos enraizado en la tradición del bop que cualquier otra cosa que Dolphy hubiera hecho antes. Pero ese tipo de descripción analítica simplemente no hace justicia al efecto totalmente extraño de los paisajes sonoros irregulares del álbum. Dolphy utiliza estos recursos por su poder evocador y sus desconcertantes indicios de demencia, no como un ejercicio intelectual abstracto. Sus solos y temas no son sólo angulosos y disonantes, sino que lo son enormemente, con un claro carácter lúdico que se hace más evidente con cada escucha. Todo el conjunto -el trompetista Freddie Hubbard, el vibrista Bobby Hutcherson, el bajista Richard Davis y el batería Tony Williams- aprovecha al máximo la libertad que ofrece Dolphy, pero hay que hacer una mención especial a Hutcherson, que ha perfeccionado completamente su técnica de acompañamiento sin piano. Sus espeluznantes acordes flotantes y sus rápidas puñaladas de disonancia anclan la textura del álbum, y puntúa las líneas de los solistas en los momentos menos esperados, sugiriendo pulsos completamente diferentes. Mientras tanto, los efectos vocales tartamudeantes de Dolphy y sus pausas extrañamente situadas hacen que las líneas de su clarinete bajo suenen a menudo como si tropezaran consigo mismas. Tal como sugiere el título Out to Lunch, ésta es música que no suena más que como un brillo loco en los ojos de su creador.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/out-to-lunch%21-mw0000241418

MORE Eric Dolphy ... 

 



This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive or device after reading it.
thank for the original uploader