Possibly the last way you’d think flutist/bass clarinetist/alto saxist legend Eric Dolphy would be interpreted would be via the solo acoustic guitar. Well, how avant garde can you get?
Guitarist Samo Salamon takes the Coltrane/Mingus sideman and free jazz leader and turns his compositions into dreamy and thoughtful ventures. There are two discs here, totaling 28 tunes, and, as they say, “all the hits are included”. Who would have thought that you could play “Iron Man” or “245” with steel strings, while not even mentioning “Far Cry” or “Out To Lunch”! Salamon makes it work, taking the themes and turning them into mostly introspective and lyrical ventures. Obviously the influence of Charlie Parker, or memories of his days with Mingus/Coltrane/Ervin are cast to the side, but that’s ok-the songs are to be accepted on their own terms, not for the blistering solos that they were usually springboards for. Who thought they would ever be humming to “Miss Movement” or play “The Prophet” as background music? What’s next, Dolphy at McCabes?