This version is performed as an actual suite with written transitions between the pieces and has a chamber music feel. This is a chance to hear a young Eric Dolphy, who has some beautiful solos on the CD. Dolphy's playing might have seemed too extreme for the producer at the time, but it doesn't seem so now, and it's wonderful to be able to finally hear this music. — Alan Lankin, 27 Sept 2000
This release will have fans of Eric Dolphy salivating as it includes some long-lost work that jazz scholars didn't know existed at all. When the premiere reissue producer Michael Cuscuna researched all known Pacific Jazz tapes attributed to Chico Hamilton, all he came across were three edited numbers from this session, two of which had appeared on a compilation and another only on a DJ sampler. But this release is due to the luck of a Canadian resident who was digging through a used record bin in his hometown of Brighton, England, where he found a copy of The Ellington Suite with the personnel listed from a later session and a near mint blank test pressing of what turned out to be the long lost Chico Hamilton original version with Dolphy. While producer Richard Bock may have thought Dolphy's playing was at times too radical, history proves him wrong. His mellow alto sax is a key ingredient of "In a Sentimental Mood," while his unique phrasing is central to the swinging "Just A-Sittin'and A-Rockin'." Dolphy's flute is not as aggressive as it would be in the next few years, but his playing on "Everything but You" provides a preview of what was to come later in his career. Dolphy's clarinet weaves underneath Nate Gershman's arco cello solo in the lovely "Day Dream." Of course, the work of guitarist John Pisano, bassist Hal Gaylor, and the leader should not be ignored, as their musicianship is of the highest order, too. Chico Hamilton's pianoless chamber jazz recordings for Pacific Jazz between 1955 and 1959 are important landmarks, but the discovery of this long-lost date adds to his many achievements. Highly recommended. - Ken Dreyer
Tracks
01. In a Mellow Tone (Duke Ellington/Milt Gabler)
02. In a Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington/Manny Kurtz/Irving Mills)
03. I'm Just a Lucky So and So (mack David/Duke Ellington)
04. Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin' (Duke Ellington/Lee Gaines/Billy Strayhorn)
05. Everything But You
06. Day Dream
07. I'm Beginning To See The Light
08. Azure (Duke Ellington)
09. It Don't Mean A Thing (D. Ellington/I. Mills
ERIC DOLPHY alto saxophone, clarinet, flute
HAL GAYLOR bass
NATE GERSHMAN cello
JOHN PISANO guitar
CHICO HAMILTON drums
Recorded in Los Angeles on August 22, 1958
Pacific Jazz Records - 7243 5 24567 2 7