Eric Dolphy
Bass Clarinet Solo on
Spiritual

About

Eric Dolphy's bass clarinet solo on "Spiritual" is the second of four solos on this Village Vanguard recording, following John Coltrane's tenor saxophone. Playing in a waltz feel at approximately 114 BPM, Dolphy's bass clarinet adds an almost vocal quality to the performance, its dark, reedy voice perfectly suited to the piece's devotional character. His wide intervallic leaps and expressive tonal variations create a remarkable sense of human utterance, as though the instrument is speaking or singing in tongues. Dolphy's solo is followed by McCoy Tyner's piano and Coltrane's return on soprano saxophone.

Eric Dolphy was 32 to 33 years old at the time.