Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot, Vol. 2

AMG Review of Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot, Vol. 2

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

The second of three CDs that document the Eric Dolphy/Booker Little quintet's playing at the Five Spot (the third volume is titled Memorial Album) and features the group (with pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Ed Blackwell) really stretching out during long versions of Little's "Aggression" and the standard "Like Someone in Love." Dolphy's playing (whether on alto, bass clarinet or flute) always defied categorization while Little (who passed away less than three months later) was the first new voice on the trumpet to emerge after Clifford Brown's death in 1956. An excellent set although at just 36 minutes, one wishes that it had been combined with one of the other two volumes.