This ambitious quintet session led by pianist and arranger
Harold Danko
covers ten compositions by the late
Eric Dolphy
, whose works have only been recorded on a sporadic basis since his death in 1964 and rarely, if ever, make up an entire release (
Jerome Harris
'
Hidden in Plain View
came close). The rhythm section includes bassist
Michael Formanek
and drummer
Jeff Hirshfield
, with tenor saxophonist
Rich Perry
and trumpeter
Dave Ballou
.
Perry
has the greatest challenge on the date, as he has to come across as effectively as the composer while utilizing only one instrument versus
Dolphy
's alto sax, flute, and formidable bass clarinet. Fortunately, the object of the CD is to explore new paths through these pieces rather than attempt re-creations of the original recordings by
(which would be rather pointless since all of
's
Prestige
sessions are readily available). The opener,
"Les,"
captures the excitement of
's version, with the leader darting in and out on piano as
and
Ballou
interweave contrasting lines. Since
"17 West"
was from a pianoless date,
Danko
chooses to strum the piano strings throughout the piece, creating an interesting effect behind
's muted horn and
's dancing tenor.
"G.W."
stays much closer to the original, but the group handles its tricky unorthodox line with nary a misfire.
"Serene,"
one of
's prettiest
ballads
(which is actually a disguised
blues
), becomes more spacious and subtle with
's change of its meter.
"Miss Ann"
is almost unrecognizable during its introduction, as the theme is considerably fragmented before
begin playing snippets of it and quickly bring it into shape.
's excellent liner notes add to the value of this worthy tribute to
, the composer. ~ Ken Dryden