Customer Reviews
Way ahead of it's time - By: David Johnson, 24 Nov 2006 
Make sure you do some reading up on Eric Dolphy before you buy this. Don't expect to hear anything resembling the winning Blue Note hard bop formula characteristic of the fifities & sixties. As far as Jazz goes this is way ahead of it's time, those who know the contemporary Jazz scene will know that there are plenty of acts out there who try & sound exactly like what you hear on this record.
OK, it's not easy listening. For me Dolphy's compositions are no way near as compelling as some of Ornette Colman's for example. It's quirky, mysterious, it has you scratching your chin trying to figure it all out. "Gazzelloni," starts off as very accessible before disappearing into some great flute loops. Add to that William's nuerotic sounding drums & it makes for interesting listening. Freddie Hubbard holds the record upin terms of his melodic contribution. Hutcheron's style of playing naturally leads to what Dolphy was trying to achieve on this record, the music heads down plenty of alleyways. I'm not going to tell lies, I only dig this out now & again when nobody else is around & give it a listen. It's challenging & gives an indicator of what would happen a lot lot later.
Playful playing. - By: R Jess, 09 Dec 2004 
I have to admit my jazz collection is quite slim & most of it predates the 1950's but I love the music on 'Out To Lunch'. Like others have contested, this is not free-jazz, much of the music opens with a melody line no matter how angular & dissonant before each member gets a chance to improvise. The opening 'Hat & Beard' (a tribute to Thelonious Monk) sets the tone for the rest of the album, the track roots itselfin its synchopated beginning before leaping off into some interesting solos including a great one by vibist Bobby Hutcherson. Rhythm section Davis & Williams aren't so 'free' here maintaining an elegant groove. On 'Something Sweet, Something Tender', Hubbard sounds almost conservative, his playing evoking memories of 50's bop. There's some wonderful improvised bass by Richard Davis (also heard on Van Morrison's criticaly acclaimed 'Astral Weeks') & then Dolphy enters flouting all his exhuberance on clarinet. 'Gazzelloni' begins like the movie theme from an architypal 60's film, with a foot-tapping rhythm that again challenges the notion that this is a free-jazz album. There's some remarkable interplay between Hutcherson & Williams as they flow behind Dolphy's flute & Hubbard's trumpet. Hubbard comes to the fore again on 'Out To Lunch' where his trumpet runs like a bumble bee after Dolphy's bird-flying alto-sax solo. For a moment the rhythm breaks into a pounding monotone, then a bass flourish before the drums take us back to the original melody. Then comes the final drunken swagger of 'Straight Up And Down' where Hubbard's playing is almost conventional above the rhythm section indulging themselves, while Hutcherson goes on another flamboyant run, demonstrating what this album encapsulates most, an unrestrained sense of playfulness.
Difficult going. - By: , 14 Jan 2004 
I came to this music on the strength of the recommendations which it recieved. When I listened to it about four times & discarded it initially I thought that it was very thin on melody or muchin the way of preconcieved quality music. Certainly, I could hear nothing to warrant the extreme praise which I have seen it recieve.
Returning to it months later, I began to warm to the first two tracks, the second of which being my favorite at present. Perhaps it was simply because I was not initially used to Dolphy's style that it took so long for me to get used to it.
It occured to me then that, if like me you are new to this huge genre, then there are so many high quality records which don't require so much effort, why not chose them instead?
Challenging and massively rewarding music - By: , 02 Jun 2001 Out to Lunch! is one of the most important jazz albums of the 1960s. The clarity of the recording, the individual space accorded each instrument, the meticulous attention to the nuances, the refined texture of the overall sound, the sheer presence of each recorded moment - these were the hallmarks of its sound.
The coming together of Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Richard Davis & Tony Williams on Out to Lunch! was a momentous event. Dolphy had made a clutch of records for Prestigein the years leading up to this record, the most significant probably being the famous Five Spot live sessions with Booker Little that would promise so much but be cut short by Little's death from uraemia. Out to Lunch! was to be his single, most unsettling masterpiece.
It's not an easy album to become fond of. It insinuates melodies before it cuts them short, it ruthlessly breaks up harmony into fragments & it stretches the limits of tonality to extremes, but perhaps its triumph is that it brings swing into a new era. By giving Davis & Williams space & freedom, Dolphy let swing become a by-product of interaction, not a conscious contrivance. The rhythmic complexity of the record knew no precedent.
A Masterpiece - By: outtolunch86@hotmail.com, 14 Jan 2001 I have to redress the balance of the other review & bump up the star ratings. This is a CLASSIC & unmissable album, whose sound is still unique today. Despite the 'free'ish jazz, there is a very tight structure & plan to each track. This contradiction is what draws me to Dolphy's music. The second track 'Something Sweet, Something Tender' includes a brilliant inter-change between Dolphy & a bowed bass. This is music of the very highest standard & show-cases the individuality of Dolphy as a composer & soloist. It doesn't fall into any known category, so is as likely to appeal to a modern classical fan as a jazz fan.
