Eric Dolphy's Hat and Beard: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk

A playful free piece in tribute to Thelonious Monk, though lacking any piano, has a strong walking bassline played by Richard Davis and the rest of the band. Bobby Hutcherson’s vibes are perfect here, representing  quirky, piano-like sound and the needed dissonance comes from the chorus. Dolphy solos first on his bass clarinet, squeaking, scratching, and employing other forms of dissonance while Richard Davis lays down a groovy bassline and Tony Williams swings away, in a strange march-like rhythm. Hutcherson’s input comes  in the form of background on the vibes, and all the while Dolphy keeps on blowing. After his solo, Freddie Hubbard comes in and another bass figure is represented, sounding almost “Spanish,” and Hubbard shows that he can handle himself in the commanding, difficult post-bop, free jazz world of the 1960s. Meanwhile, Williams speeds things up, Hutcherson’s seemingly misplaced vibes kick in, and Hubbard continues blowing his trumpet in all sorts of runs, sounding boppish at times, but Hutcherson takes over in a series of disjointed notes while Davis continues in a similar bassline, possibly using a bow and Williams seems to be using mallets instead of usual drumsticks. Hutcherson’s quirky, almost disjointed playing seems completely random, but goes well with Williams’ drumming, and the ominous bassline of Davis kicks in alone. Though Monk distanced himself from free jazz for its atonality in the 1960s, I like to think he loved hearing this number, so playful, featuring collective improvisation, and a jazz portrait of a legend. Dolphy’s jarring solo, which sounds like he’s enjoying himself and the voice-like sounds he emits, is not too hard on the ears like some free jazz, and Hubbard’s solo is within that ill-defined territory between bop and free jazz, is also having fun with the runs evocative of bop, Spanish themes, and the dissonances one associates with Monk. 

Personally, Hutcherson and Dolphy steal the show here, with the former’s child-like innocence on the vibraphone, accompanied by Williams’ inventive drumming and bowed bass from Davis, keeps one on one’s foot. My favourite moment may be those two long, high-pitched wails in the beginning of Dolphy’s solo, a feature of free jazz I sometimes especially enjoy: fun little notes and sounds almost randomly assorted or seemingly incongruent. Richard Davis, a professor at UW-Madison I have had the pleasure of meeting, deserves praise for his arco and pizzicato bass playing, keeping the song from falling apart as each soloist takes off into different directions and Tony Williams experiments with the rhythms. This is otherworldly, and, though vastly different from anything Monk ever recorded, shares his playful spirit and dissonance. Moreover, Williams gets down with Hutcherson, playing some interesting rhythms, an indication of the young drummer's prowess and ability to keep up with older, more established musicians. Fans of this will probably like "Straight Up and Down" from the same album, which evokes a drunken stagger with another disjointed, melody. Dolphy's brilliant, wailing solo does sound like a pathetic, drunkard, falling through the streets while the rest of the band keeps things going during the twists and turns of the drunken protagonist. Indeed, these two tracks, my favorites from the album, Out To Lunch!, are necessary listens for any and every fan of jazz.