Far Cry (album)

Far Cry is a jazz album by musician Eric Dolphy with trumpeter Booker Little, originally released in 1961 on New Jazz, a subsidiary of the Prestige label. Featuring their co-led quintet, it is the one of the few studio recordings of their partnership. It is also one of the earliest appearances of bassist Ron Carter on record. Dolphy took part in Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz session before recording this album on the same day.

Content
The entire first side presents a suite to Charlie Parker. "Mrs. Parker of K.C. (Bird's Mother)" and "Ode to Charlie Parker," both composed by pianist Jaki Byard, are respectively dedicated to Addie, Charlie Parker's mother, and a tribute to Parker. "Far Cry," composed by Dolphy, is also a tribute to Parker (the melody is identical to "Out There"), while "Miss Ann" is a musical portrait of a girl whom Dolphy knew at the time. Pianist Mal Waldron, who would be in Dolphy's touring band during 1961, composed the tribute to Billie Holiday "Left Alone." The album also includes two standards among the originals, "Tenderly" and "It's Magic." Little only appears on "Miss Ann" during side two, and "Tenderly" is Dolphy unaccompanied on alto saxophone.

The album was reissued on Fantasy Records in 20-bit resolution on August 20, 2002. A bonus track of Eric Dolphy's "Serene," re-recorded at these sessions and previously recorded for his album Out There, was included.

Side one

 * 1) "Mrs. Parker of K.C. (Bird's Mother)" (Jaki Byard) – 8:03
 * 2) "Ode to Charlie Parker" (Byard) – 8:42
 * 3) "Far Cry" (Eric Dolphy) – 3:55

Side two

 * 1) "Miss Ann" (Dolphy) – 4:17
 * 2) "Left Alone" (Billie Holiday, Mal Waldron) – 6:41
 * 3) "Tenderly" (Walter Gross, Jack Lawrence) – 4:20
 * 4) "It's Magic" (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn) – 5:40

CD reissues bonus track

 * 1) "Serene" (Dolphy) – 6:37

Personnel

 * Eric Dolphy – bass clarinet on "Mrs. Parker of K.C.," "It's Magic," and "Serene" ; flute on "Ode to Charlie Parker" and "Left Alone" ; alto sax all other tracks
 * Booker Little – trumpet
 * Jaki Byard – piano
 * Ron Carter – bass
 * Roy Haynes – drums