Charlie Parker's influence permeates this 1960 session. Beyond the obvious acknowledgment on song titles ("Mrs. Parker of K.C. ['Bird's Mother']" and "Ode to Charlie Parker"), his restless spirit is utilized as a guiding light for breaking bebop molds.
Far Cry finds multi-reedist
Eric Dolphy in a transitional phase, relinquishing
Parker's governing universal impact and diving into the next controversial phase that critics began calling "anti-jazz." On this date
Booker Little's lyrical trumpet and
Jackie Byard's confident grasp of multiple piano styles (though both steeped in hard bop) were sympathetic to the burgeoning "avant-garde" approach that
Dolphy displays, albeit sparingly, on this session.
Far Cry contains the initial performance of
Dolphy's future jazz classic "Miss Ann," along with his first recorded solo alto sax performance on "Tenderly," in which
Dolphy bridges the gap between the solo saxophone performances of
Coleman Hawkins and
Anthony Braxton. ~ Al Campbell