听Eric Dolphy Quintet with Booker Little《Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot, Vol. 1》

Eric Dolphy的英年早逝，使得他只能成为free jazz时代的预示者。


曾被Miles Davis指责，亦被权威爵士乐杂志形容为“反爵士”，Eric Dolphy因为他的前卫乐风吓跑不少传统爵士乐卫道之士，虽然如此他却是世人公认为前卫爵士乐中仅次于萨克斯风手Ornette Coleman之天才乐手。以中音萨克斯风、长笛、低音黑管为主要吹奏乐器，Dolphy虽然以不对称节奏及自由旋律为创作诉求，但他的吹奏力度与萨克斯风巨人Charlie Parker相比实在不相伯仲。此外，他的音欲控制技巧，可媲美任何硬式咆勃技术派乐手。1928年生于美国洛杉矶，Dolphy于6岁时已经参与专业的巡回演出。1958年参与Chico Hamilton大乐团，他的才艺足以使得这支原本就光芒四射的队伍更见特殊。60年代的Dolphy，除了参与贝斯手Charles Mingus乐团工作之外，并与Mal Waldron、Ron Carter、Jaki Byard等乐手合作录音工作。1961年与小号手Booker Little的合作更激出灿烂的火花，虽然合作为期不到半年，但是他们在Five Spot的录音演出却成为现代爵士乐中的经典作品。1964年，Dolphy的吹奏技巧以达炉火纯青之境，这些可见于他的独奏及双重奏作品中，同年Dolphy亦不幸去世。

Eric Allan Dolphy (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flautist, and bass clarinetist. He also played, on a few occasions the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s. He was also the first important bass clarinet soloist in jazz, and among the earliest significant flute soloists. His improvisational style was characterized by the use of wide intervals, in addition to using an array of extended techniques to reproduce human- and animal-like effects which almost literally made his instruments speak. Although Dolphy's work is sometimes classified as free jazz, his compositions and solos were often rooted in conventional (if highly abstracted) tonal bebop harmony.