#music, Eric Dolphy

Ever heard of Eric Dolphy? Well I am here to tell you a bit about this phenomenal jazz musician who played saxophone and flute. He toured and played extensively here in Europe with the likes of Charles Mingus, for example.

Dolphy had his first big break in 1958 when he started playing with Chico Hamilton’s Quintet. Chico had been drummer for Lena Horne, Gerry Mulligan and Count Basie and later became a band leader.

Eric Dolphy was born in Los Angeles in 1928. Besides being a sideman, he was also a composer and later band leader. He started private music lessons on the clarinet and saxophone at the age of six. He served in the US Armed Forces and in 1952 entered the Navy School of Music.

His death created some confusion. He died in West Berlin at the age of 36, apparently from a diabetic coma which led to insulin shock. Either that or the confusion of the doctors attending to him who thought that him being a jazz musician he was probably on drugs and left him there for the drugs to leave his system, and he instead died. Whichever is the real reason, it was a tragic loss.

But, as it is engraved in his tombstone, «He lives in his music» and I quite agree. Here, take a listen and tell me if you don’t think he is a genius…

CHEERS