My Take
Eric Dolphy is one of those musicians who genuinely makes you stop and rethink what a wind instrument is even capable of. Born in Los Angeles in 1928, he tore through alto sax, bass clarinet, and flute with a voice so alien and expressive it still sounds like it arrived from some parallel future. The bass clarinet in particular — an instrument most people treat as an afterthought — became something entirely new in his hands, squawking and sighing and singing in ways nobody had imagined before. His work on records like Out to Lunch and his sessions with Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane cemented him as a cornerstone of avant-garde jazz. The tragedy is he died in Berlin in June 1964, just nine days past his 36th birthday, reportedly from undiagnosed diabetes — impossibly young for someone who had so clearly barely started.
Overview
Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bandleader. Primarily an alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist, and flautist, Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence during the same era. His use of the bass clarinet helped to establish the unconventional instrument within jazz.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Eric Dolphy
- Name (Japanese)
- エリック・ドルフィー
- Reading
- えりっく・どるふぃー
- Born
- June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Dragon
- Origin
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- composer / clarinetist / saxophonist / jazz musician / recording artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Susan Miller Dorsey High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.