Out to Lunch!

Out to Lunch! is Eric Dolphy's 1964 Blue Note album that pushes hard bop into avant-garde territory with tightly arranged yet adventurous compositions. Dolphy's alto saxophone, bass clarinet, and flute are heard against Freddie Hubbard's trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson's vibraphone, Richard Davis's bass, and Tony Williams's drums, and the music is notable for wide intervallic leaps, unconventional time feels, abrupt textural shifts, and a balance of written material and free improvisation. The record highlights Dolphy's distinctive timbres and exploratory approach to harmony and rhythm and is widely regarded as a defining example of 1960s exploratory jazz.