Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch album cover featuring the Blue Note clock artwork for the Essential Vinyl Series 140g black vinyl LP.
Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch packshot of the Blue Note Essential Vinyl Series vinyl LP available at ToucanRecords.com.
Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch album cover featuring the Blue Note clock artwork for the Essential Vinyl Series 140g black vinyl LP.
Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch packshot of the Blue Note Essential Vinyl Series vinyl LP available at ToucanRecords.com.
Eric Dolphy

Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch [Blue Note Essential Vinyl Series]

SKU: 0199957966801
$19.98

Product Details

  • Genre Collection Jazz
  • Genre / Style Avant-Garde Jazz / Free Jazz / Post-Bop
  • UPC 0199957966801
  • Record Label Blue Note Records
  • Edition Blue Note Essential Vinyl Series
  • Format LP
  • Disc Quantity 1
  • Vinyl Color Black
  • Vinyl Size 12"
  • Vinyl Weight Standard
  • Additional Info Recorded February 25, 1964. Dolphy died just four months later, on June 29, 1964, at age 36. The Players - Alto Saxophone, Flute, & Bass Clarinet: Eric Dolphy, Trumpet: Freddie Hubbard, Vibraphone: Bobby Hutcherson, Drums: Anthony Williams, Bass: Richard Davis. Recorded By: Rudy Van Gelder.
  • Release Date 9/25/2026

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Eric Dolphy gives the bass clarinet a prominent role on Out To Lunch, alongside his alto saxophone and flute performances. Freddie Hubbard's trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson's vibraphone, Richard Davis' bass, and Tony Williams' drums complete the quintet. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in February 1964, the album contains five Dolphy originals. The group moves between unusual melodic figures, open improvisation, and passages grounded in swing.

The opening "Hat And Beard" pays tribute to Thelonious Monk, with Dolphy's bass clarinet set against Hutcherson's vibraphone. "Something Sweet, Something Tender" moves more slowly, pairing lyrical phrases with unexpected turns in the melody. Dolphy switches to flute on "Gazzelloni," a dedication to flutist Severino Gazzelloni. The title piece, "Out To Lunch," places his alto saxophone in a shifting group conversation, with Hubbard's trumpet and Williams' drums interrupting and answering his phrases in turn.

The quintet recorded on February 25, 1964, for producer Alfred Lion. Teenaged drummer Tony Williams plays alongside Richard Davis on bass. Dolphy's choice of vibraphone rather than piano creates gaps between instrumental parts, with trumpet and woodwinds leading. This Blue Note Essential Vinyl Series edition is pressed on 140g black vinyl and mastered from high-resolution digital sources.

  • Format: Vinyl LP
  • Standout tracks: Hat And Beard, Something Sweet Something Tender, Gazzelloni, Out To Lunch
  • Pressing details: Blue Note Essential Vinyl Series, 140g Black Vinyl, Mastered From High-Resolution Digital Sources
  • Genre/style: Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz, Post-Bop
  • UPC: 0199957966801

"Straight Up And Down" closes the album with abrupt changes and exchanges among the quintet. Dolphy's switches between bass clarinet, flute, and alto saxophone give the record three instrumental voices, alongside Hubbard's trumpet and Hutcherson's vibraphone.


* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

  1. Hat And Beard
  2. Something Sweet, Something Tender
  3. Gazzelloni

Side B:

  1. Out To Lunch
  2. Straight Up And Down