Mary LaRose
Esteemed vocalist Mary LaRose has pushed the boundaries of the tradition of jazz vocalese into the free-bop world for years, and has written lyrics to the compositions and improvisations of Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton, and others. Yet Eric Dolphy has always remained her guiding light; an ever-abundant wellspring of inspiration from which to lap. Although she has sung Dolphy’s compositions for years in myriad settings, her new album Out Here, due for release on the little(i)music label in Fall 2021, is her first full album of Dolphy’s music. Joining LaRose for this Dolphy celebration is the stellar ensemble of long-standing colleagues: clarinetist/arranger Jeff Lederer, cellist Tomeka Reid, vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, bassist Nick Dunston, and drummer Matt Wilson.
“I have felt connected to the music of Eric Dolphy since my earliest days in jazz, especially from his presence on Oliver Nelson’s Blues and the Abstract Truth, on which his solos seem to jump off the record in a way that was both shocking and playful,” says LaRose. “This is more than an homage, or tribute album,” LaRose continues, “on this recording we really wanted to celebrate Dolphy’s spirit by celebrating our own musical spirits within the framework of these incredible tunes.”
In preparing for the recording, LaRose and Lederer spent time doing research in the Dolphy collection at the Library of Congress,which almost felt like a religious rite. “To hold the manuscript versions of a composition like “Hat and Beard” in my own (gloved) hand was a thrilling experience,” says Lederer. “In addition to understanding his compositional intentions even better, the manuscripts also revealed many chamber-like settings of the music Dolphy had conceived of – some recorded and others existing only on paper.” Lederer’s settings for LaRose’s voice on Out Here reflect this experience of Dolphy as composer for chamber ensemble, while leaving space for the improvisatory imagination of the top-shelf collection of players assembled for the date.
