Out to Lunch!
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Out to Lunch
- Artist: Eric Dolphy
- Rating:
- Release Date: February 25, 1964
- Total Time: 42:04
- Type: Instrumental
- Genre: Jazz
Review
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. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi| Out to Let the State Know (2007 Album by North Greene) | |
| Out to Lunch (1998 Album by Mainesthai) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Out to Lunch!
- This article is about the record album. For other uses, see Out to Lunch.
| Out to Lunch! | ||||
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| Studio album by Eric Dolphy | ||||
| Released | 1964 | |||
| Recorded | February 25, 1964 Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs |
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| Genre | Jazz, avant-garde jazz | |||
| Length | 42:31 | |||
| Label | Blue Note Records BST 84163 |
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| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Eric Dolphy chronology | ||||
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Re-issued cover from RVG Series
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Out to Lunch! was Eric Dolphy's only recording for Blue Note Records as a leader and was originally issued as BLP 4163 and BST 84163. Today it is generally considered one of the finest albums in the label's history, as well as one of the high points in 1960s jazz avant garde and in Dolphy's discography.[citation needed]
The title of the album's first track, "Hat and Beard", refers to Thelonious Monk; the song contains a famous percussive interlude featuring Tony Williams and Bobby Hutcherson. "Something Sweet, Something Tender" includes a noteworthy duet between Richard Davis on bass and Dolphy on bass clarinet. The third composition, "Gazzelloni", was named after classical flautist Severino Gazzelloni, but is otherwise the album's most conventional, bop-based theme. The second side features two long pieces for alto saxophone: the title track, and "Straight Up and Down", intended, according to the original liner notes, to evoke a drunken stagger.
Tony Williams had turned eighteen a few months (75 days) before this recording, and is listed as "Anthony Williams" on the album cover.
A few months after recording this album, Dolphy went on a European tour with Charles Mingus. He died shortly thereafter of a diabetic coma.
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Reception
| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection" and awarded it a "crown" stating "If it is a masterpiece, then it is not so much a flawed as a slightly tentative masterpiece."[2] The album was identified by Chris Kelsey in his Allmusic essay "Free Jazz: A Subjective History" as one of the 20 Essential Free Jazz Albums.[3]
Track listing
All compositions by Eric Dolphy.
- "Hat and Beard" – 8:24
- "Something Sweet, Something Tender" – 6:02
- "Gazzelloni" – 7:22
- "Out to Lunch" – 12:06
- "Straight Up and Down" – 8:19
Performers
- Freddie Hubbard — trumpet
- Eric Dolphy — bass clarinet (1 & 2), flute (3), alto saxophone (4 & 5)
- Bobby Hutcherson — vibraphone
- Richard Davis — bass
- Tony Williams — drums
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. "Eric Dolphy". The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th. ed.). New York: Penguin. pp. 359. ISBN 0-14-102327-9.
- ^ Kelsey, C. Free Jazz: A Subjective History accessed December 7, 2009
External links
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