Eric Dolphy: Iron Man

 Another of many musical masters who left this world far too soon, multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy was a phenomenal performer, writer and arranger who was so underappreciated and over-criticized for his stunning innovations in the first half of the Sixties.  Yet, some of the most far-seeing of jazz musicians, including Charles Mingus, George Russell, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Andrew Hill recognized his brilliance and encouraged him to pursue his singular path.  Sadly, Dolphy, who like so many American jazz musicians was embraced far more by Europeans, died from the misdiagnosed complications of diabetes in Berlin in June 1964 and who knows what he would have gone on to do if he'd lived beyond the mere 36 years he had.

Iron Man is one of two albums, the other being Conversations, recorded in early July 1963 under the guidance of producer Alan Douglas, who worked at United Artists and later had a controversial association with Jimi Hendrix.  While the Conversations album was issued the same year, it was decided to shelve Iron Man, purportedly because it was considered more experimental, and it did not see the light of day for five years.  This album, however, is one of the best Dolphy recordings out there, with his signature angular melodic statements, unusual arrangements, and complex band interplay on the title track, "Mandrake" and "Burning Spear" juxtaposed with the beautiful duets with the stunning bassist Richard Davis (still with us at age 90!) on Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday," where Dolphy's amazing talents on the bass clarinet are again highlighted, and Jaki Byard's "Ode to C.P. [Charlie Parker]" with the leader playing with great sensitivity on flute.  The band, including Davis, drummer J.C. Moses, bassist Eddie Khan, alto saxist Sonny Simmons (credited as "Huey Simons" that being his given first name and who is also still living at age 87), flautist Prince Lasha, Clifford Jordan on soprano sax, the young Woody Shaw on trumpet, and the great Bobby Hutcherson (apparently the "iron man" of the album and song titles) on vibraphone, is just great, as well, in handling the leader's challenging and highly rewarding compositions, which so richly deserve more hearing.