So Long, Eric! – Homage to Eric Dolphy is an album by Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach.

So Long, Eric!
Live album by
RecordedJune 19–20, 2014
GenreJazz
Length67:06
LabelIntakt

Background

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Free jazz pioneer Eric Dolphy died in Berlin in 1964.[1][2] Pianists Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach organised a Berlin music festival in 2014 to celebrate Dolphy's music.[1]

Recording and music

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The album was recorded in concert in Berlin towards the end of the Dolphy festival, on June 19 and 20, 2014.[3] The performances are of Dolphy compositions, arranged by Takase and Schlippenbach.[1] Twelve musicians play on the album,[1] with the number used for each track varying from two to twelve.[4] "Out There" is played by the quartet of Schlippenbach, saxophonist Henrik Walsdorff, bassist Antonio Borghini and drummer Heinrich Köbberling.[2]

Release and reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Down Beat     [2]
The Daily Telegraph     [1]

So Long, Eric! was released by Intakt Records.[1] The cover art is influenced by that of Dolphy's Out to Lunch! album.[2] The Daily Telegraph's critic wrote that "Everything is brilliantly re-imagined, and infused with quick-witted humour. Most importantly the music-making keeps touching base with Dolphy and the tradition he sprung from, however wild and free it often becomes."[1] Down Beat concluded that "Music is rarely this richly festooned with brilliance and hyper-real personality."[2]

Track listing

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  1. "Les"
  2. "Hat and Beard"
  3. "The Prophet"
  4. "17 West"
  5. "Serene"
  6. "Miss Ann"
  7. "Something Sweet, Something Tender"
  8. "Out There"
  9. "Out to Lunch"

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Hewett, Ivan (17 October 2014) "Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach, So Long, Eric!, Review: 'Joyous'". The Daily Telegraph.
  2. ^ a b c d e Jackson, Michael (February 2015) "Aki Takase/Alexander von Schlippenbach: So Long, Eric! – Homage to Eric Dolphy". Down Beat. p. 73.
  3. ^ "Alexander von Schlippenbach Aki Takase – So Long, Eric! – Homage to Eric Dolphy". Intakt Records. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  4. ^ Harris, George W. (2015) "CD Review". Cadence. Volume 41, No. 2.