At the Five Spot
Encyclopedia
At the Five Spot volumes one and two is a pair of jazz
album
s documenting one night (16 July 1961) from the end of Eric Dolphy
's two-week residency at the Five Spot in New York
. This was the only night to be recorded; the engineer was Rudy Van Gelder
. A third volume from this session was released, called Memorial Album, and some other stray tracks (including a solo Dolphy rendition of "God Bless the Child") were later released on compilations. Dolphy and trumpeter Booker Little
were backed by a rhythm section consisting of pianist Mal Waldron
, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Ed Blackwell
.
Dolphy's composition "The Prophet" is a tribute to the artist Richard Jennings, who had designed the covers of Dolphy's earlier albums, Outward Bound
and Out There
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s documenting one night (16 July 1961) from the end of Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy
Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...
's two-week residency at the Five Spot in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. This was the only night to be recorded; the engineer was Rudy Van Gelder
Rudy Van Gelder
Rudy Van Gelder is an American recording engineer specializing in jazz.Often regarded as one of the most important recording engineers in music history, Van Gelder has recorded several thousand jazz sessions, including many widely recognized as classics, in a career spanning more than half a century...
. A third volume from this session was released, called Memorial Album, and some other stray tracks (including a solo Dolphy rendition of "God Bless the Child") were later released on compilations. Dolphy and trumpeter Booker Little
Booker Little
Booker Little, Jr was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.-Biography:Despite his premature death from kidney failure at the age of 23, Little made an important contribution to jazz. Stylistically, his sound is rooted in the playing of Clifford Brown, featuring crisp articulation, a burnished...
were backed by a rhythm section consisting of pianist Mal Waldron
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Ed Blackwell
Ed Blackwell
Ed Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
.
Dolphy's composition "The Prophet" is a tribute to the artist Richard Jennings, who had designed the covers of Dolphy's earlier albums, Outward Bound
Outward Bound (album)
Outward Bound is a jazz album by Eric Dolphy, released in 1960. It was his first album as leader, and is considerably less adventurous and more standardly beboppish than his later recordings, though there are unorthodox elements that point to what was to come...
and Out There
Out There (Eric Dolphy album)
Out There is a 1960 jazz album by Eric Dolphy. It was Dolphy's second album released as band leader, following his time with Charles Mingus. The album features four original compositions by Dolphy, one of which is a collaborative effort with Mingus...
.
Volume one
- "Fire Waltz" (Waldron) – 13:44
- "Bee Vamp" (Little) – 12:30
- "The Prophet" (Dolphy) – 21:22
- "Bee Vamp" (alternative take) – 9:27
-
- (Track 4 not on original LP.)
Volume two
- "Aggression" (Little) – 17:21
- "Like Someone in LoveLike Someone in LoveLike Someone in Love is an album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, with a studio orchestra arranged and conducted by Frank DeVol...
" (Jimmy Van Heusen) – 19:58 - "Number Eight (Potsa Lotsa)" (Dolphy) – 15:33
- "Booker's Waltz" (Little) – 14:39
-
- (Tracks 3-4 not on original LP.)
Personnel
- Eric DolphyEric DolphyEric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...
— bass clarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Booker LittleBooker LittleBooker Little, Jr was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.-Biography:Despite his premature death from kidney failure at the age of 23, Little made an important contribution to jazz. Stylistically, his sound is rooted in the playing of Clifford Brown, featuring crisp articulation, a burnished...
— trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Mal WaldronMal WaldronMalcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
— pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Richard Davis — bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- Ed BlackwellEd BlackwellEd Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
— drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Sources
- Richard Cook & Brian Morton. The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD 6th edition. ISBN 0-14-051521-6