Review from Jazz Improv Magazine (Excerpts)

By Dan Bilawsky

A recording like Live At The Artists' Quarter showcases the works from this album, with a few other Dolphy tunes and one original thrown into the set. The Out To Lunch Quintet, to their credit, manage to stay fairly loyal to Dolphy's musical creations and, surprisingly given my previous attempts to really dig into Out To Lunch, draw me into the music and give me a real appreciation for these songs. ...

The slightly looser and more organic feel, created by Tom Lewis on bass and Phil Hey on drums, makes all the difference. ...

The tone of the record, while nailing all of the songs, is a bit brighter than the original work. This might be why I am more inclined to listen to these Dolphy interpretations than the originals. ...

The Out To Lunch Quintet should be applauded for their outstanding interpretations of Eric Dolphy's work and they certainly opened my ears to some of this classic material.

Read complete review here: www.jazzimprov.com/util/cd_reviews.cfm?review_id=18 

Dolphy and More: The Out to Lunch Quintet at the Artists Quarter, May 4-5
Contributed by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor - JazzPolice.com   

Out to Lunch Quintet © Andera Canter

One of the top events in local music in 2006—in my opinion—was the release of The Out to Lunch Quintet: Live at the Artists Quarter. Produced by Don Berryman (Jazz Police) and featuring five of the most creative jazzers in the Midwest, the recording took the seminal 1964 work of saxophonist Eric Dolphy and presented it with a 21^st century glow. The very fact that this music was performed at all was in itself a major event in jazz. This weekend, May 4-5, the OTLQ returns to the Artists Quarter to continue its mission—honoring the music of Dolphy through recreations of his compositions and original works.

On his liner notes, Don Berryman provides an informative summary of the short life of Eric Dolphy, a masterful composer, arranger and performer on multiple reeds. He was a favorite of Mingus and Coltrane, but perhaps best known as the composer of avant-garde compositions using odd time signatures further pushed outside by his dissonant and unpredictable blowing style. Notes Berryman, "Out to Lunch influenced a generation of jazz players…and is regarded not only as Dolphy's finest recording, but as one of the greatest jazz recordings." Tragically Dolphy died at age 36 in June 1964, a few weeks before Blue Note released his seminal recording. Read more...

OTLQ Genesis

by Don Berryman

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Straight, No Chaser - January 13 Picks

Dolphy's Timeless Art Reborn
The Out to Lunch Quintet: Live at the Artists Quarter (2006, Jazz Police)

© 2006, Andrea Canter

"Dolphy was clearly ahead of his time and in some ways timeless. At first it sounded interesting, but it seemed to be mostly random sounds. I have had many decades of jazz listening since and have come to respect the place this recording holds in jazz history as well as the timeless beauty of it as a work of art. It sounds so fresh it could've been recorded last week, and I think that it will always sound that way."  --Don Berryman, Producer, The Out to Lunch Quintet: Live at the Artists Quarter 

It was a very cold, snowy night in February 2006, maybe the coldest of the winter. The St. Olaf College campus in Northfield, MN—and the Twin Cities Jazz Society winter concert--were 40 subzero minutes away. Reluctantly, I agreed to join Jazz Police "Chief" Don Berryman for the debut performance of The Out to Lunch Quintet (aka OTLQ)—an ensemble of esteemed local jazzmen who were recreating the music from the famous Eric Dolphy recording. Aside from misgivings about the weather, I just didn't remember enjoying the original Out to Lunch. It had been years since I listened to it, and I only recalled that the music confused me. Within a few minutes of the set in Northfield, my confusion had dissolved into rapt attention, followed by sheer delight in the interplay of sound and rhythm. Maybe my tastes have evolved and what once struck me as mere annoying dissonance is now a welcome challenge in aural organization. Or maybe the energy of a live performance simply transcends whatever intellectual shortcomings I bring to the compositions of Eric Dolphy. To the credit of producer Berryman, associate producer Kenny Horst, and the five musicians who saw the opportunities afforded by this project, the energy and invention first heard on stage in Northfield have been faithfully captured through a live recording session, this time at the Artists Quarter.

Dave Milne, Kelly Rossum, Phil Hey, Tom Lewis, Dave Hagedorn (photos © Andrea Canter)

[Click here for complete review]

http://fusion.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=FacAchieve#3628

Hagedorn and quintet revive music of Eric Dolphy

Hagedorn

NOVEMBER 17, 2006 — A new CD recording released by the Jazz Police (Twin Cities) and Artists' Quarter Records features St. Olaf Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Bands David Hagedorn, performing live with the Out To Lunch Quintet.

The Out To Lunch Quintet: Live at the Artists' Quarter pays homage to Eric Dolphy, a jazz musician and composer whose volcanic improvisational style, unusual time signatures and dissonant chord structures significantly influenced the modern jazz movement. Recorded live in June 2006, the CD includes all the compositions from Dolphy's seminal album, Out To Lunch (1964), a work deeply rooted in the avant-garde.

"Historically, it's important to revive this music," Hagedorn says. "The tunes are very difficult to play so they don't get played very often. Playing these songs pushes your technique to the limit."

The Out To Lunch Quintet: Live at the Artists' Quarter

The Out To Lunch Quintet, assembled specifically to perform and record all the music on Out to Lunch, includes some of the Midwest's most talented and skilled jazz artists: Hagedorn (vibraphone), Dave Milne (alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute), Kelly Rossum (trumpet), Tom Lewis (bass) and Phil Hey (drums).

Hagedorn's role extends beyond ensemble member and vibe soloist. In 2005 he provided the impetus with a transcription and performance of Dolphy's "Hat and Beard" at the Artists' Quarter in St. Paul. That night he was asked about transcribing Dolphy's songs and getting together musicians who would be up to the challenge.

Much of Dolphy's music was never written down, requiring Hagedorn to spend hours listening to the original recording "a million times."

The quintet's first performance, an installment of the Twin Cities Jazz society's Jazz from J to Z concert series, took place at St. Olaf before an enthusiastic crowd of students, other musicians and jazz patrons from around the region. Soon after, plans were set in motion to do a live recording -- the first since the original to use Dolphy's arrangements and instrumentation and the first-ever live recording of the complete album.

Hagedorn attributes audience response with helping propel the success of the project. "Listening to this music also can be challenging to the listener, but we're finding that audiences really enjoy the intensity, energy and craziness that comes with it," he says. "They've helped us capture the timelessness of Dolphy's music."

Hagedorn teaches percussion, jazz studies and world music. He earned degrees from the Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory and the University of Minnesota. Performing both jazz and classical music, he has appeared with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Contemporary Ensemble, Plymouth Music Series, Phil Hey Quartet and Source Code. He studied and has toured nationally with George Russell, a pivotal jazz composer and music theorist. His CD, SOLIDLIQUID, was released on the Artegra Records label in 2003.

St. Olaf has three jazz ensembles open to both music and non-music majors by audition. The groups rehearse and perform a wide variety of jazz styles, including swing, be-bop, fusion, funk, salsa and Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and New Orleans grooves. Two on-campus concerts are presented each year. Additionally, all three bands are part of a popular annual swing dance event held on campus.

Contributed by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor
Thursday, 16
November 2006

"...Dolphy was clearly ahead of his time and in some ways timeless. At first it
sounded interesting, but it seemed to be mostly random sounds. I have
had many decades of jazz listening since and have come to respect the
place this recording holds in jazz history as well as the timeless
beauty of it as a work of art. It sounds so fresh it could've been
recorded last week, and I think that it will always sound that way...
--Don Berryman, Producer, The Out to Lunch Quintet: Live at the
Artists Quarter

It was a very cold, snowy night in February 2006, maybe the coldest of the winter. The St. Olaf College campus in Northfield..and the Twin
Cities Jazz Society winter concert--were 40 subzero minutes away.
Reluctantly, I agreed to join Jazz Police ..Chief.. Don Berryman
for the debut performance of The Out to Lunch Quintet..an ensemble
of esteemed local jazzmen who were recreating the music from the
famous Eric Dolphy recording. Aside from misgivings about the
weather, I just didn..t remember enjoying the original Out to
Lunch. It had been years since I listened to it, and I only
recalled that the music confused me. Within a few minutes of the set
in Northfield, my confusion had dissolved into rapt attention,
followed by sheer delight in the interplay of sound and rhythm. Maybe
my tastes have evolved and what once struck me as mere annoying
dissonance is now a welcome challenge in aural organization. Or maybe
the energy of a live performance simply transcends whatever
intellectual shortcomings I bring to the compositions of Eric Dolphy.
To the credit of producer Berryman, associate producer Kenny Horst,
and the five musicians who saw the opportunities afforded by this
project, the energy and invention first heard on stage in Northfield
have been faithfully captured through a live recording session, this
time at the Artists Quarter.


Read more...