(Eric Dolphy, alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; Jaki Byard, piano; George Tucker, bass; Roy Haynes, drums)
On Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz, Eric Dolphy’s alto sax was the slightly less off-kilter sound darting in and out of Coleman’s eruptive and rule-breaking alto playing. On this Rudy Van Gelder remaster of Dolphy’s debut album as a bandleader, Dolphy is subtly disruptive of the chord patterns and key changes, but the dominant tone is of sophisticated experimentation; i.e. not free jazz pyrotechnics.
On the album’s first track, G.W., Dolphy plays bass clarinet, using the instrument to create a set of lyrical yet unsettling lines. To compliment this odd sound, Dolphy has Freddie Hubbard playing gorgeous, high melodic solos. On Green Dolphin Street, the album’s second track, you’ll find Dolphy once again using Hubbard to provide the straightforward lyrical lines while he explores his melodies like a complicated maze of his own creation. The trebly high and lows of the bass clarinet challenge Dolphy to see-saw up and down the melody, often finding odd rhythms and notes that hold him back or push him forward harder.
On Les, Dolphy’s solos edge into free jazz territory, fluttering wildly while never succumbing to the urge to screech. Hubbard, too, toys with Dolphy’s birdsong lines, though he usually ends up back at his original theme. On 245, Hubbard attempts to play the energetic and unusual patterns that Dolphy attempts, but with the exception of a few wild trills, his heart doesn’t seem in it.
Glad To Be Unhappy is a gorgeous Richards and Hart song that features Dolphy on flute. Moving from a slow melancholy playing to hummingbird quickness and back to the sad tone (albeit a little unstable) over the five minutes and twenty six seconds of the song, Dolphy creates an instability in even the most simple (and sad) of melodies. The sum effect is the subversion of a dominant mood – Dolphy wants the listener to be on his or her toes and not get comfortable with any tone or mood for too long.
In this remaster, Rudy Van Gelder has done an especially wonderful job of retaining the trebly sound of Dolphy’s flute. Its texture and timbre are just as much a part of the songs as Dolphy’s playing itself. Like all recording musicians, Dolphy wanted a certain sound, and this remaster captures that sound in all its charm and eccentricity.
The album’s first bonus track, April Fool, is very similar to Glad To Be, except that it lacks the strong melody of the latter. April Fool has Dolphy playing elusive flute lines that dash away from the listener before the ear can pin down a dominant melody – though he does sometimes find pockets of the song to play quick, rhythmic lines that provide some sort of base.
Outward Bound can be a difficult album to just jump into. With the exception of Freddie Hubbard and George Tucker, many of the players seem intent on making their playing slightly unstable, whether by finding unusual rhythms within the song, playing odd notes, or adding sharps or flats that disrupt the melody’s key. But a closer listen reveals an album with a structure that takes repeated listening to fully appreciate, and solos that you’ll find sound more and more startling and inventive the more you hear them.
Tracklist: G.W., On Green Dolphin Street, Les, 245, Glad to be Unhappy, Miss Toni, April Fool, G.W. (alternate take), 245 (alternate take).
– Dan Krow
