Eric Dolphy - At The Five Spot, Vol. 2

2009 reissue

This is the second of three sets that document the Eric Dolphy/Booker Little quintet's playing at the Five Spot (the third volume is titled Memorial Album). It features a group made up of pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Ed Blackwell really stretching out during long versions of Little's "Aggression" and the standard "Like Someone in Love." Dolphy's playing -- whether on alto, bass clarinet, or flute -- always defied categorization, while Little (who passed away less than three months later) was the first new voice on the trumpet to emerge after Clifford Brown's death in 1956. An excellent set that records what may have been Dolphy's finest group ever, as well as one of that era's best working bands.

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow