Customer Reviews

Caribe

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is not mind-blowing. The chops, even Dolphy's, are not blistering. It just happens to be a laid back affair with a great deal of space and nuance. And, good god, it's gorgeous. For a player, I'd say there's a lot to learn from this date. For the layman, I can think of few albums as simply pleasant. This one's perfectly suited to a summer's day, spent with friends and cocktails.

The session that yielded "Caribe" was the brainchild of Prestige label owner Bob Weinstock. History has shown it was more like a brain-lapse! "Caribe" is uninspired, derivative, mainstream jazz meets watered-down, light and fluffy bossa nova. The only reason I didn't give this album two stars is the inclusion of Dolphy. He is the only thing memorable on this unforgettable recording. This Latin Jazz Quintet album (I don't think of it as a Dolphy album) took place on August 19, 1960 and included the following musicians -- Gene Casey on piano, Charlie Simmons on vibes, Bill Ellington on bass, Manny Ramos on drums, and Juan Amalbert on conga. Casey (who wrote three of the album's tunes) and Ellington are competent musicians, but the others leave me cold. The uninventive, unoriginal contributions of Simmons are the perfect example of why I say I like vibes players (Hutcherson, Jackson, Hampton, Feldman, Dickerson) and not the instrument itself. The playing of musicians like Simmons is what gives the vibes its status as a novelty instrument. Speaking of novelty, the conga playing of Amalbert is equally hum-drum and annoying. "Caribe" is the type of disc people talk about when they say "for completists only." This is definitely worth skipping -- I do every time I play my Dolphy Box Set.

This is a pleasant recording to listen to. Gene Casey wrote three songs of the six and I thoroughly love these; caribe', first bass line, and sunday go meeting. The other three songs sound fine but are not as interesting. Eric Dolphy plays spellbindingly as always.

If your a musician, it will be quite clear which of these players are incredible, pretty good, or just competent. It is easy to forgive uninspired moments when you know that they will be followed by a Dolphy solo.