Eric Dolphy - Last Date

Last Date, being recorded only a few weeks before the premature passing of Eric Dolphy at the age of 36, sums up his legacy and his musical prowess the best. He had reached his artistic peak. This is the album where he plays his instruments on equal basis: two pieces for alto saxophone, two for flute and two for bass clarinet. He is backed by three European jazz musicians, including Dutch pianist Misha Mengelberg. They start with a Thelonious Monk cover "Epistrophy", where Dolphy shines on bass clarinet. Next we move onto Dolphy's original "South Street Exit", a fast upbeat, even bluesy number with poignant flute melodies. On the two tracks he plays alto sax, he proves that back in the day he was one of the most exciting alto saxophone players around, influenced by Charlie Parker, but matching his legacy very well.

However, it's the second song with flute on the album, "You Don't Know What Love is". It's also the longest cut on the album with 11 minutes and thus, there is enough time given for the master to explore the sonorities of the woodwind. Dolphy turns in the most moving and the most jaw dropping solo on that instrument my ears have ever witnessed. This totally transformed my opinion of Eric Dolphy as a fascinating jazz figure to a totally outstanding legendary musician. His greatness can be summed up by stating that Charles Mingus never had a single bad word to say about Eric Dolphy.