Mixed bag

Third stream and various dates

16 February 1962 - 2 May 1963

The Complete Town Hall Concert

(P)(C) 1994 Capitol Records Inc. (Blue Note CDP 7243 8 28353 2 5) 

    1. Freedom - Part One (3:45) 
    2. Freedom - Part Two (aka Clark In The Dark) (3:11) 
    3. Osmotin' (2:47) 
    4. Epitaph - Part One (7:00) 
    5. Peggy's Blue Skylight (5:17) 
    6. Epitaph - Part Two (5:08) 
    7. My Search (8:06) 
    8. Portrait (4:31) 
    9. Duke's Choice (aka Don't Come Back) (5:09) 
   10. Please Don't Come Back From The Moon (7:22) 
   11. In A Mellotone (aka Finale) (8:18) (Ellington) 
   12. Epitaph - Part One (alternate take) (7:22) 

Total time
       68:32 

Eric Dolphy Quintet with Ree Dragonette


Town Hall, NYC, 20 November 1962

Eric Dolphy (as, bcl, fl, cl); Edward Armour (flh); Richard Davis (b); Herbie Hancock (p); JC Moses (dr); Ree Dragonette (poetry)

South Street Exit (fl) [15:31], Something Sweet Something Tender (bcl) [8:48], GW (as) [17:16], To Tonio, Dead (fl) [2:16], The Mandrake Sleeps The Panthers Walk (as) [5:53], Song for the Ram's Horn (cl) [5:44], Like Pharao's Eye, Like Onyx Stone (Hat and Beard)

The quintet performed, followed by recitations by Dragonette, an intermission, then Dragonette read, and then she alternated with the quintet. She doesn't perform simultaneously with them, however. This GW is excellent, though marred by a glitch at the end of Dolphy's solo. The duet "To Tonio, Dead" is certainly interesting, and the final piece, Song for the Ram's Horn, is a definite find, based largely on a 5-note theme. Nice to have another soprano clarinet performance as well. There is also a performance of Hat and Beard, under its original title as shown on the parts and score, from Dragonette's poem dedicated to Monk. The Dolphy archives also contain music copied by Hale Smith and titled Two Part Suite that consists of South Street Exit and The Mandrake Sleeps the Panthers Walk (Dragnonette's title).

Orchestra U.S.A.


Atlantic Recording Studios, NYC, 4 February 1963

Louis Mucci, Herb Pomeroy, Nick Travis (tpt); Mike Zwerin (tbn); Bob Northern, Robert Swisshelm (frh); Harvey Philips (tu); Eric Dolphy (as,fl); Phil Woods (as,cl); Don Ashworth (bars,oboe); Robert DiDomenica (fl,picc); Don Stewart (cl,basset-horn); Ray Shiner (oboe); Wally Kane (fl,bassoon); John Lewis (pno,dir,comp); Nathan Goldstein, Gerald Beal, Gino Sambucco, Jerry Widoff (vln); Julian Barber, Selwart Clark (vla); Joseph Tekula, Alla Goldberg (cel); Richard Davis (bass); Jim Hall (gtr); Connie Kay (dr); Sticks Evans (perc); Gary McFarland (vib,perc,comp); Gunther Schuller (cond).

Milesign [5:20], Milano [3:38], Grand Encounter [5:41]

This is according to S&T and Swing Journal, Colpix-448 and SCP-448, (G)9002, "Orchestra USA/Debut". Also LoneHill Jazz CD LHJ 10117. Doug Benson sent the review of this record from DownBeat. Data also derived from Michael Fitzgerald's Orchestra USA discography. Three Little Feelings was recorded on 12 January 1963 without Dolphy.

Orchestra U.S.A.


Atlantic Recording Studios, NYC, 27 February 1963

Louis Mucci, Herb Pomeroy, Nick Travis (tpt); Mike Zwerin (tbn); Bob Northern, Robert Swisshelm (frh); Harvey Philips (tu); Eric Dolphy (as,fl); Phil Woods (as,cl); Robert DiDomenica (fl,picc); Don Stewart (cl,basset-horn); Ray Shiner (oboe); Philipp West (oboe,english horn); Wally Kane (fl,bassoon); John Lewis (pno,dir,comp); Nathan Goldstein, Gerald Beal, Gino Sambucco, Alfred Breuning (vln); Julian Barber, Aaron Juvelier (vla); Joseph Tekula, Alla Goldberg (cel); Richard Davis (bass); Jim Hall (gtr); Connie Kay (dr); Sticks Evans, Michael Colgrass (perc); Gunther Schuller (cond).

Natural Affection [5:30], Donnie's Theme [5:18], The Star Spangled Banner [1:22]

Same info as above.

Eric Dolphy Quartet


University of Illinois, 10 March 1963

Eric Dolphy (as,bcl,fl); Herbie Hancock (pno); Eddie Khan (bass); J.C. Moses (dr), Univ. of Illinois Big Band: John Garvey (director); Kim Richmond, Nick Henson, Ron Scalise, Vince Johnson, Bob Huffington (sax); George Marsh, Bill Parsons (dr); Ralph Woodward, Carol Holden (horns); Glen Danielson (oboe); Dick Montz, Bruce Scafe, Joe Kennon, Cecil Bridgewater, Roman Popowycz, Larry Franklin (tpt); Fred Atwood, Ed Marzuki (bass); Ben Williams (fl); Tom Jewett (cl); Dave Sporny, Jon English, Paul Barthelemy, Bob Edmondson (trb); Aaron Johnson (tuba); Terry Brennan, Marilyn Kemp (pno).

Softly as in a Morning Sunrise (bcl) [19:45], Something Sweet Something Tender (bcl) [1:20], God Bless the Child (bcl) [9:00], South Street Exit (fl) [7:00], Iron Man (as) [10:15], Red Planet (as) [12:00], G.W. (as) [7:30]

This was originally from Reichardt (in the back). In 1996, Brian Sanders contacted me out of the blue to say that he was sending a tape that I'd like. I did, and arranged with the Dolphy estate to have it issued.

The university band is on Red Planet (actually a brass ensemble) and GW. Cecil Bridgewater says he played french horn on Red Planet. We attempted to resolve the authorship of Red Planet (aka Miles' Mode). Michael Cuscuna suggested that it might be a Coltrane line arranged by Dolphy for brass ensemble, perhaps for the Africa Brass session. Graham Connah and Cecil Bridgewater pointed out that Red Planet consists of a twelve-tone row played forward and backward. See Simosko's note about this composition. I also made a page with further discussion and samples.

Something Sweet has no improvisation, just a lovely statement of the tune. Eric goes directly into a great version of God Bless the Child. The large ensemble is not at all featured, but plays a good bit on GW. Hancock and Kahn have some great moments, and Dolphy is in top form.

Here is a scan of the program: front and back. Note that Richard Davis was expected, but had other engagements in New York City and didn't travel much in those days. A review was published in the school paper a couple days later. All of the students and faculty I talked with about this raved about John Garvey, who was almost entirely responsible for this concert. Unfortunately, Maestro Garvey got screwed by Michael Cuscuna, who didn't come through with the honorarium he had promised, until Garvey was on his deathbed. Here are a couple postcards John sent me in 1999 and 2000.

Scheherezade Blue, Love for Three Oranges March, Borodin Bossa Nova

"Russia Goes Jazz", United Artists UAS-6365, UAL-3365. Thanks to Yas Saotome for sending this music, which I don't think I'd heard.

Date created: 1994
Last modified: 11 May 2014
Maintained by: Alan Saul
Alan@adale.org