Eric Dolphy tidbits

[romualdo]

Info from the most recent Dolphy group posting from Ted Brinkley

A variety of ‘facts’ came across the wire this year. Much of it is not written down anywhere so I’m trying to compile and record it here.

80-something flutist Gene Coleman was interviewed on Zoom by Ras Moshe Burnett. He took lessons from Eric Dolphy as a young man. He began lessons while Eric was living on Oxford Street in Brooklyn. Eric dwelt on the top floor of the building. Charles Greenlee lived in the basement apartment. Musicians of renown would drop by—Coleman recalled bassist Doug Watkins, so this places it in the very early 1960s as Watkins died in a 1962 car accident. 
 Eric studied flute with Harold Jones and told Gene that if he was serious about the flute he should also study with Jones.
  Eric had a cat named Mr. Susie—because it had been initially thought to be female, the gender signifier was added later after the truth had been determined. 
  Gene spoke at length, a couple of hours, but that is all that I remember. 

Andrew Cyrille is on video giving a remembrance. It was shown at the June symposium at the New School. 
Cyrille recalls Mary Lou Williams taking him to see Dolphy at clubs in Brooklyn. 
She described his playing as ‘in the cracks’.

Chris N, who organized the symposium, says Cecil Taylor shared a story of encountering Eric on the street and discussing the challenges of critical and audience acceptance, and struggles with morale. Cecil invited Eric to come to Cecil’s therapist’s office where there was a piano. The two played duets there on more than one occasion. 

Eugene Chadbourne, during his set at the symposium, said Dolphy had transcribed the theme to the television show Sea Hunt. 

Bobby Bradford, on a recent zoom call, recalled knowing Eric as early as 1951/2 when they were both devoted to the music of Charlie Parker. He recalled sessions in LA clubs playing tunes such as Little Willie Leaps.

As I understand it, the never-released Chico Hamilton session of 1959 has turned up on a tape left by George Avakian. Only a half hour of music, an early recording for young Ron Carter, containing the likely first cover version of All Blues. 

Alternate takes have been found from the Sextet of Orchestra USA session led by Mike Zwerin.

(As I probably mentioned before) the Newport ‘Rebels’ counter festival tape turned up which, in addition to the monumental 30 minute performance by Max Roach’s group doing Cliff Walk, contains a lengthy but incomplete rendition of Woody ‘N’ You by a group that includes Dolphy, Julian Priester, Mingus and Teddy Charles.

And to cap it off, the Jazz Vespers music by Ed Summerlin played in June 1962 at Washington DC’s Church of the Affinity is on a tape in private hands. Tremendous music and tremendous band, Eric can be heard accompanying an A Cappella recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. Elsewhere in the service soloists including Dolphy are blowing against a men’s choir intoning Kyries in Latin, and/or along with the church organist.
The event was televised on the Look Up And Live Sunday morning CBS show.

If another memory returns I’ll share it. 
Last, breaking news: Jonathon Grasse has a biography of Dolphy about to come out on Jawbone Press: Jazz Revolutionary, The Life and Music of Eric Dolphy. 

[mjazzg]

Eric and Cecil duets, oh for a recording of that meeting

[Ken Dryden]

I just got a digital advance of Grasse’s book for review, though it will be held for publication for awhile.

I hope that some of these recordings can be commercially issued by a legitimate label.

[ep1str0phy]

Ted is a fantastic bandleader/keyboardist, too, for anyone who doesn't know.

Some of the most insightful Dolphy stories I've heard come from Sunny Murray. (I head the stories secondhand, relayed to me by the great Bay Area saxophonist David Boyce.) I can only paraphrase what I was told, but apparently Dolphy was occasionally in danger of physical attack. The hulking Murray, who was a Golden Gloves winner, sometimes had to serve as his bodyguard. Murray also characterized Dolphy's living conditions as very spare - a bed and some protein. IIRC George Russell said more or less the same thing. 

[bertrand]

That version of Cliff Walk needs to come out.

[JSngry]

That Wake Up & Live is the same show that took us inside the Half Note for that LennieLeeWarne gig.

Any idea what other jazzmusic programming they used to get us to wake up and live? It was a CBS joint iirc.