Out to Lunch!

Recording history and tape provenance

By early 1964 Dolphy was running out of time with the American music industry. The "anti-jazz" controversy that had followed his 1961 recordings with Coltrane had damaged his commercial standing. He told liner note writer A.B. Spellman: "I'm going to live in Europe for a while. Why? Because I can get more work there playing my own music, and because if you try to do anything different in this country, people put you down for it." He was already planning to stay on the continent after his upcoming tour with Charles Mingus. Out to Lunch! was recorded knowing it might be his last American statement.

The five musicians assembled were not a working band – they were called together specifically for this date. Hubbard had roomed with Dolphy when both first arrived in New York and had appeared on his 1960 debut Outward Bound. Hutcherson had worked with Dolphy on the Iron Man and Conversations sessions in 1963. Richard Davis had played the Five Spot dates with Dolphy and Booker Little in 1961. Williams – still 18, already established in Miles Davis's second great quintet since May 1963 – was the youngest and arguably the most catalytic presence.

The instrumentation is the album's first statement. No piano: Hutcherson's vibraphone takes on harmonic responsibilities but declines them, preferring "space and silence, and avoidance of a beat" in LJC's description. Dolphy on three horns covers every available tonal range; Williams "rarely lays down a regular beat, but plays percussion as an instrumental equal," per The Wire's Brian Morton in his May 2011 essay. Dolphy himself on Williams: "Tony doesn't play time, he plays pulse."

The tracks: "Hat and Beard" opens in Dolphy's bass clarinet with a 5/4 feel and a playful reference to Thelonious Monk's angular phrasing – Dolphy said Monk was "so musical no matter what he's doing, even if he's just walking around." "Something Sweet, Something Tender" features a scored duet for bass clarinet and bowed bass, a chamber-like moment that sits at the album's emotional centre. "Gazzelloni" is Dolphy's only flute feature – named for Italian classical flautist Severino Gazzelloni, with whom Dolphy was associated in European new music circles. The 12-minute title track opens side two with Dolphy on alto, each musician extending in turn against the rhythm of Davis and Williams. "Straight Up and Down" closes with a careening collective performance.

Miles Davis, for his part, was not a fan. In a 1964 DownBeat Blindfold Test he quipped: "The next time I see him I'm going to step on his foot." The irony, as Wikipedia notes, is that three of Dolphy's collaborators on this album – Williams, Hancock, and Carter – would go on to form the core of Davis's own second great quintet.

Dolphy's death: On June 29, 1964, while on tour with Mingus in West Berlin, Dolphy collapsed and died from a diabetic coma. He was 36 and had told Mingus, before a concert in Oslo, that he intended to stay in Europe permanently. His fiancée Joyce Mordecai was working in the Paris ballet scene; Mingus later named the blues they had been performing "So Long Eric." Out to Lunch! reached record shops two months after his death.

Tape provenance: The original Alfred Lion–era tapes are in the Blue Note/Universal archive in excellent condition. Both Music Matters (2009) and the Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series (2021) confirmed working from the original mono master tape; Kevin Gray's two cuts – over a decade apart – show strong consistency, suggesting the tapes have been well maintained.

The Reid Miles cover: The clock on the cover – found by Miles in a shop window near the Blue Note office, in one account – shows not no hands but seven hands, a detail that mirrors the album's refusal to be anchored to conventional time. It is consistently ranked among the greatest jazz album covers ever designed.

Original US Blue Note pressings

Catalogue: BLP 4163 (mono) / BST 84163 (stereo). Released August 1964.

First mono pressing – New York USA label

The first pressing of BLP 4163 carries the "Blue Note Records Inc. • New York USA" label used from late 1963 through 1967. Authentication points:

• Plastylite ear (the small "P" etching) in the deadwax
• VAN GELDER stamped in the deadwax
• Deep groove labels (both sides on earliest copies; some later New York USA copies have deep groove on one side only)
• Matrix: BNL-4163-A RVG P / BNL-4163-B RVG P (variations exist)
• Laminated front sleeve

As LJC notes, the New York USA label was in use for around four years with minimal forensic variation – the inner sleeve is often the most reliable indicator of pressing generation, when present. Some early stereo copies came in mono jackets with a large gold "STEREO" sticker over the front cover, a Blue Note practice also seen on early copies of Blue Train and Moanin'.

Van Gelder's engineering on this session is exceptional even by his standards. LJC writes: "Van Gelder's recording here is a marvel, cymbal strikes resonate and hang suspended in mid-air." The Music Matters and Blue Note Classic Vinyl reissues confirm the tapes are in fine shape. One specific characteristic worth knowing before you assume a pressing issue: a four-way comparison across a Classic Vinyl copy, a 1966 Liberty pressing, a 1977 Japanese pressing, and the Music Matters 45rpm found Freddie Hubbard's trumpet solo on "Gazzelloni" sounding slightly muffled and less dynamic than the rest of the album on every single pressing, including the AAA 45rpm cut from the original tape – confirming this is a characteristic baked into the original 1964 recording, not something any reissue mastering can fix.

NM mono originals command a significant premium over VG+ copies; NM stereo BST 84163 (NY USA, with Plastylite) trades in a comparable range to the mono.

Liberty-era pressings (1966–1970)

After Liberty Records acquired Blue Note in 1966, labels read "A Division of Liberty Records Inc." Van Gelder stamps often remain on early Liberty pressings (original metalwork), making them sonically adequate. Without the VG stamp they are not the first-choice collector pressing.

Mono vs. stereo

This is a title where collectors are genuinely divided. The standard collector preference is strong mono: the stereo spread – Dolphy hard left, Hutcherson hard right – is typical of 1964 Blue Note and creates an artificial separation that can work against the ensemble's internal logic. Van Gelder's mono, with musicians packed in a single soundfield, better captures the music's claustrophobic intensity.

However, LJC's own position evolved: "I've changed my mind; I prefer the mono rip now having listened again through my Grados. So much more immediate and compelling." But one of his commenters dissents: "I simply can't get that feeling in the mono recording. I personally believe that the vibe sound is better served bouncing and resonating around the room... that back and forth quality in stereo is special." The stereo is not wrong – it is an authentic Van Gelder period pressing, and Hutcherson's vibraphone has genuine spatial presence in stereo. For listening, mono is the general recommendation; the stereo is worth owning if it surfaces cheaply.

The reissue hierarchy

Music Matters 45rpm 2LP mono (2009) – the audiophile benchmark

Cat. MMBST-84163-(45) | Format: 2×180g LP, 45rpm, mono, gatefold tip-on jacket with session photos. Mastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman, AAA, from the original mono master tape. Manufactured by EMI Music Special Markets. Limited to 2,500 copies. Widely regarded as the finest available version of this title, predating and matching the sound quality of the later Blue Note Classic Vinyl edition, with the added resolution of the 45rpm format and a more lavish gatefold package. Out of print; secondary market prices have risen accordingly.

Blue Note Classic Vinyl 180g (2021) – the recommended budget option

Cat. BLP 4163 | Format: 180g LP, 33⅓, mono. Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, from the original mono master tape. Pressed at Optimal in Germany. The same Kevin Gray mastering chain at an accessible price point, with Optimal's typically quiet surfaces. The Blue Note store describes it as "all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray directly from the original master tapes." Some QC variation has been reported across the Classic Vinyl series generally; this title is generally well-regarded. One detailed four-way comparison against a 1966 Liberty pressing, a 1977 Japanese pressing, and the considerably pricier Music Matters 45rpm found this pressing shockingly close to it – "if the 45 beats it out it is not by much" – making a strong case that most buyers don't need to spend more to get most of what the premium pressings offer.

Japanese King GXF-3009 (1977) – the vintage alternative

Cat. GXF-3009 | Format: 33⅓, single LP, Japan. The Japanese King pressing is among the most praised vintage alternatives for this title – pressed under licence from Blue Note, King's late-1970s vinyl formulation was exceptional, with dead-quiet surfaces and a warm character typical of Japanese jazz pressings from this period. Not from original US metalwork but from high-quality Japanese plating from the tape source. Typically found with obi.

Pressings to avoid

Later Blue Note/EMI reissues (1970s–1990s): Various reissues from this period – including UK EMI Harvest pressings and several European sub-label editions – are cut from dubs or, in later cases, digital transfers. The Classic Vinyl is a better choice than any of these.

Stereo for pure listening: The stereo BST 84163 is not a bad pressing; it is an authentic period Blue Note. But for the most listeners the mono is the intended presentation.

Buyer's guide by budget

$ (Budget): The Blue Note Classic Vinyl BLP 4163 (2021) – Kevin Gray mastering, Optimal pressing, mono. The correct entry point and excellent value; also the top modern recommendation for most collectors, since this title has never been part of the Tone Poet series.

$$$$ (Premium): The Music Matters 45rpm mono (2009) on the secondary market – the finest available version, with the added resolution of the 45rpm format.

$$$$$ (Grail / Rare): An original New York USA BLP 4163 mono in honest VG+ or better – seek the VAN GELDER stamp, Plastylite ear, and deep groove.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master): https://www.discogs.com/master/64167-Eric-Dolphy-Out-To-Lunch
• AllMusic, Steve Huey's review: https://www.allmusic.com/album/out-to-lunch-mw0000241418
• LondonJazzCollector, "Eric Dolphy: Out to Lunch (1964) Blue Note": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/eric-dolphy-out-to-lunch-1964-blue-note/
• The Wire, Brian Morton, "Great Recordings: Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch" (May 2011): https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/great-recordings_eric-dolphy_s-out-to-lunch
• Wikipedia, "Severino Gazzelloni": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severino_Gazzelloni
• The Jazz Word, "Back to Blue: Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch (1964)": https://thejazzword.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/back-to-blue-eric-dolphys-out-to-lunch-1964/
• Blue Note store, product page for the Classic Vinyl Series LP: https://store.bluenote.com/products/eric-dolphy-out-to-lunch-lp-blue-note-classic-vinyl-series
• Discogs release and community listings for all pressings referenced in the tier table above (original BLP 4163/BST 84163, Music Matters 45rpm, Blue Note Classic Vinyl, Japanese King GXF-3009, Liberty-era pressings)
• YouTube, Spinz Vinyl, "Eric Dolphy Out To Lunch Shootout - Vinyl Records - Japanese - Music Matters - Classic Vinyl Series": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VTjvMnlLPc

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